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Title
Based off the title of the poem, make a prediction.

My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke. I think this poem might be about a funny dance the authors father does. Maybe it is a memory of his father attempting to do the waltz at a wedding, and something ensues because of it. It also might be a dance the authors father does with the authors mother. It might be a fond memory of his parents dancing. The poem was about a memory the author has of dancing with his father as a young boy before bed time. The father mounted his son on him, with his sons feet on top of his. The father had been drinking, and therefore might have been a little drunk. He roughly waltzed him around the kitchen while making a mess because of it. His mother just watched agitated and annoyed of the ruckus they were making. It contains a rhyme pattern of: ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH. The rhyme pattern helps set up and depict the content of the poem. It establishes a rhythm when you read it representing the dancing that is going on in the poem. Imagery: The whiskey on your breath. This offers insight onto the condition of the father, and possibly what he was like. Also lines 5-8. This creates an image in our heads of the type of dance. It was rough and messy (possibly because the father was drunk which sets the tone). Lines 9-10. This also adds to characterization. The father might presumably have been a blue-collard worker based off the dirt on his hands. Might have been a type of father who worked hard then came home and enjoyed one too many drinks. Simile: line 3. He might be hanging on like death because his father is banging against everything. It also may represent the instability of his father. The boy might feel a little unsafe around his father at times. Metaphor: You beat time on my head. This refers to the musical beat of the waltz. He uses diction beat, because the dance was rough. Again there might be more here. It may also signify possible abuse or spankings the father gave his son at times. The tone of the poem is complex, because it is both good and bad. Words that I would use to describe the tone are: intimate, aggressive, playful, uneasy, contradictory. The author seems to have mixed feelings about this memory of his father. It is a good memory in part, because his father was being playful with him. On the other hand, the father was drunk and rough which indicates other times and/or memories might not have been as pleasant. There is a small shift in the last two lines of the poem. The majority of the poem talks about the rough dance happening between the father and son. The last two lines seem to end the dance. The father has no finished dancing with his son, and is taking him to bed. There is a calmness that seems to seep into these last two lines in contrast to the rest of the poem.

Paraphrase
Paraphrase what the poem was about.

Connotation
In this case, connotation refers to any literary devices found in the poem.

Attitude
What is the tone of the poem?

Shifts
Are there any shifts in the poem, where? Shifts may be in context or tone.

Title
Now that you have read the poem, how does the title connect to the poem?

The title connects to the poem because it is the speakers fathers dance. It is unique to his father because it is not graceful. His fathers waltz was constituted as rough. Also, the fact that he refers to his father as papa makes it seem as if he was affectionate with him. This might provide insight into the type of relationship they had. The theme of the poem is family dynamics, and more specifically son and father relationships. It is representative of the fact that relationships between parents and children are not black and white. There is always good and bad memories associated with these relationships. It demonstrates a complex relationship shared between the two characters in this poem. The poem shows that even though the son might have encountered rough and hard times with his father who might not have been perfect because of his drinking, there were still good times to be had.

Theme
What is the theme of the poem?