High on a pedestal sits a rough and ragged man. With his calloused hands and leathery skin, to most he is nothing more than an ordinary worker, but to the little eyes that follow his every move, he is a king. His dirty cap is a crown, his stained clothes are made of the finest fabrics and encrusted with jewels, his worn shoes are the finest boots. In this child's eyes, his father is nothing less than magnificent and incapable of any evil. Although words cannot adequately define the unconditional love a child has for his father, the tone and imagery that Theodore Roethke uses in his poem “My Daddy's Waltz” has a beautiful way of describing it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Roethke uses imagery first in order to draw the reader in and allow them to imagine the scene that is being painted before them. By initially mentioning the whiskey on his dad's breath, Roethke begins to paint a picture of his father as being rough around the edges. He then presents himself as a “little child” clinging to his dad as if he would never let go while they dance throughout the family home. The reader's initial reaction based on the images is negative and only when the tone is set can the reader see the true theme of Roethke's words. While the image of the mother having a "face" that "couldn't take her clothes off" and all the steps missing his father continue to support the negative connotations, the fact that the boy clings to his father throughout along the waltz and never lets go. sets the tone as being very positive. Even if he was scratched by a buckle when his father tripped or if "time hit his head", the boy remains "clinging" to his dad's shirt. The mother probably considers the father to be drunk and living unnecessarily in harsh conditions with the child. However, for the father and son lost in the waltz, it is a moment where the unconditional love between the two shines through the external situation. The bond between a father and his child is unconditional. No matter what the couple looks like or where they are, the fact that they will always be there for each other no matter the circumstances is enough to keep the love alive and strong. Roethke uses imagery to set the tone in "My Papa's Waltz", then allows the two elements to together create the theme that shows the unwavering and unconditional love between a dad and his son..