“My Daddy's Waltz” is a poem written by Theodore Roethke describing a son's memory of his drunken father. At the beginning of the poem, one might assume that it is a poem about how the father beats his son, but it does not specifically say that it is about domestic violence. It simply states that the father was drunk and that he and his son were “waltzing” around the house. For some, the act of “waltzing” is an act of love, even if the father is drunk. For others, it could mean that the father was violent and hurting his son. As we continue reading the poem, we might wonder if the poem is really about violence. The wording of the poem is general. It doesn't state exactly what is happening sometimes, so all readers can do is interpret what the poem says based on what the poem says. One of the few things that is clear in the poem is that at the beginning of the poem the father was drunk "The whiskey on your breath / Could make a little boy dizzy" (1-2) and the father has grabbed her son and waltzed with him. This could either mean that the father was becoming violent with his son simply because he was under the influence, or that he was dancing with him. If they were just dancing, we could imagine that the son had just put on his father's shoes and that it was his father who was dancing. It's not clear simply because when you drink, the way you act is unpredictable. The wording of the poem makes it seem like the son is using the word waltz to let readers know that his drunken father was not violent but was showing affection in an unusual way or to hide violence that might have occurred . father was drunk, he is considered a violent character. Typically, drunk...... middle of paper ......p waltzes at times because of his current state. Roethke's father worked in a greenhouse owned by him and his brother. Knowing where the father worked, certain things in the poem describing the father, such as his beaten knuckles and his palm harshly covered in dirt, are now explained. His bruised joints were not from the violence, but from his work. Looking at the poem now, one can see that there is virtually no allusion to violence.Works CitedSchaub, Joseph. "My Daddy's Waltz." Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. March 3. 2014. Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2008. “Poetic Analysis of My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke.” By Nicole Leilani. March 3.2014.