In "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the reader's perspective. It is a great poem that can give different ideas to different people. Some people believe that this poem contains a hidden message about parental abuse. But other people think that this poem represents a happy moment shared between father and son. According to the images and the language, the symbols and the tone, in the poem they gave me the key to the love between father and son, not to an abusive relationship. As a reader, I can see, a son who wanted to spend quality time with his father before bed and probably doesn't have enough time to spend together. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayFirst, the tone of the poem is an accurate reflection of the feelings that bind father and son in an implicit relationship. In general, readers may find the tone joyful or sad. Since poetry is made up of many sides of tone. Growing up means realizing how childhood experiences have affected us as adults. Since the poem is written in adulthood, mature rather than childish thoughts and feelings are displayed. To me, the speaker is just trying to hide and impose the frustrations of his adulthood onto his childhood memories. Secondly, the most important elements in "My Papa's Waltz" involve sound: rhyme and rhythm, which is misleading. The pleasant rhythm created by Roethke that makes the poem seem short and sweet to me. The rhyme of the poem further draws the reader into a sad and painful tone of the poem. However, this rhyme and rhythm are deceiving. In the poem there is something not quite sonorous with a pleasant memory in harsh sounds. But the rhythmic tone leads to repetition where the rhyming words are not completely identical like “dizzy” and “easy” (Roethke 2.4). These insignificant limitations reflect the speaker's feelings towards his father. Although he has unconditional love for his father, that love cannot mask those limitations. Third, the poetic language in "My Papa's Waltz" is so precise that it can open up more debates about the meaning of the poem. Mostly, it has controversial interpretations as words have individual different meanings. At the beginning the title, "My Papa's Waltz", reveals what the poem is about. The waltz means ease and grace, and the word papa is used which implies extreme closeness and admiration. Similar to the popular phrase “Don't judge a book by its cover,” no one should judge this poem by its title. Although the title conveys lightness, the content attracts darkness and perversion. Another form of poetic language is metaphor which reveals the emotion in this poem, especially because it is difficult to distinguish. The only symbol of the metaphor, in the poem, gives the most disturbing idea: "I remained clinging like death" (3). This introduces the reader to a darker thought, further confirming that there is a tone of emotional arousal. In the room of things, "My Papa's Waltz" is an image of the father-son relationship in the poem. More importantly, the waltz represents the dance between love and resentment between father and son which enlightened me as a reader. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In short, any one's personal experiences with their father or father figures may influence them to interpret "My Papa's Waltz" as a strictly happy or traumatic memory. Just like many broken relationships, some people may be noticed from the outside. However, the relationship..