In "My Father's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the reader's point of view. It is a great poem that can mean many different things to many different people. Some people think this poem is about a happy exchange between a father and his son. Others think this poem contains a hidden message of parental abuse. images and the language, symbols and tone given by the poem I get the impression of love between father and son, not an abusive relationship To me I think it was just a. boy who just wanted to spend time with his father before having to go to bed The boy probably doesn't understand spending so much time with his father.Say no to plagiarism. not be banned”?Get an original essayFirst, the poetic tone perfectly reflects the emotion the poet feels. towards his father. Typically, readers think the tone is either playful or annoyed. The poem consists of several sides of tone. Growing up in life is about realizing how childhood experiences have impacted us as adults. Since this is written in the role of an adult, mature thoughts and feelings are expressed rather than childish ones. Second, the most overt poetic form of "My Papa's Waltz" is that of sound: rhyme and rhythm, which can be deceptive elements. Roethke created the pleasant rhythm that makes the poem sound short and sweet. The rhyme further makes the reader believe that the tone of the poem is light and playful. However, this rhyme and rhythm is misleading. In the poem there is something not quite sonorous, with a pleasant memory in harsh sounds. The rhyme scheme uses repetitions in which the rhyming words are not completely identical, such as "dizzy" and "easy" (Roethke 2.4). These slight limitations reflect the speaker's feelings toward his father. Although he has unconditional love for his father, this love cannot mask these limitations. Third, the poetic language of “My Papa's Waltz” is so precise that it may actually spark more debate about the meaning of the poem. Basically it has controversial interpretations because the words alone have different meanings. Starting with 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 evokes extreme closeness and admiration. As the popular phrase goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” this poem should not be judged by its title. Although the title conveys lightness, the content attracts darkness and perversion. Another form of poetic language is metaphor which can be a useful tool in revealing the emotion in this poem, especially since it is difficult to detect. The only symbol, a sort of metaphor, in the poem suggests the most haunting notion with: “I held on like death” (3). This introduces the reader to a darker thought, further confirming that there is an emotional tone. In the scheme of things, “My Papa's Waltz” is an image of the father-son relationship in the poem. The waltz represents the dance between love and resentment between father and son. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In short, one's personal experiences with one's father or father's characters may cause them to interpret "My Papa's Waltz" as strictly a happy or traumatic memory. As in many relationships, people only see the good on the outside, but the relationship can be broken at..