By understanding the surface meaning of “My Papa’s Waltz”, it’s easy to conclude that this poem has a simple concept of a child being abused by his father. Through the use of a melancholy rhythm, Theodore Roethke clears up misinterpretation of the literal meaning—of a young child dancing with his father—but uses the title, “My Papa’s Waltz” to portray the struggle of maintaining balance between love and fear within the father-son dynamic. By observing contrasting word choice used by Theodor Roethke, we can grasp on to the rhythm created and insight to the use of contrast he uses, which most people do not see; this is important because it allows the reader to observe the maturity and the innocence of the speaker and develops a complex relationship between the father and son.

Theodore Roethke creates a rhyme scheme schematically to portray a childlike narrative.  At the beginning of the poem, the rhyme scheme ABAB is introduced for the first time. The familiar rhyme scheme Roethke uses when he states “The whiskey on your breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy/ But I hung on like death…”(Roethke 1). Using the familiar connotation of whiskey to alcoholism, along with a familiar rhyme scheme eases the reader into the topic that is being addressed in a less harsh manner. The importance of a smoother approach alludes to the simplicity of the mental status of the speaker. Also using “dizzy”, which has a child-like connotation quickly gives the reader of the author’s perspective towards the abusive relationship. Simple diction can allow the reader to conclude that the relationship from the child’s point of view is more passive due to the fact that the unfair actions the father displays have less dramatic reaction. Later on in the poem, the ABAB rhyme scheme is used when Roethke says “you beat time on my head/…/Then waltzed me off to bed.” (Roethke 13-15). This creates a melancholy tone which forms an ironic contrast to assist in the development of a poem that address a topic of such seriousness. Due to the point of view—which is clearly demonstrated from the child’s perspective—a softer rhythm creates a less harsh tone which reveals the maturity of the speaker and reveals to the reader that the speaker is a young boy. Using a more playful rhyme scheme distracts the reader from the toughness of the underlying meaning. The use of the rhyme used by the author mirrors the child’s attitude towards the father. Through this, the author is communicating that despite the cruelty experienced—emotionally and physically—the son, by natural tendency, has a sense of attachment towards his father due to a greater amount of innocence he possesses. 

The specificity in word choice selection in “My Papa’s Waltz” allows the author to communicate the significance of the speakers mature acceptance of his father’s mistreatment. As stated before the simplicity of the rhyme scheme alluded to the understanding that the speaker was a young boy. Throughout the poem the word “waltz” is repeatedly used; “waltz” has the connotation of a fairytale which is ironically chosen due to the sense of youth associated with the plot of a fairytale, which is juxtaposed to an abusive relationship between the father and his child. By taking a more playful approach in choosing a playful tone, Roethke was able to reiterate the age of the speaker as well as demonstrating that the relationship being portrayed did have its “fairytale” moments despite the ongoing abuse. In the first stanza, the use of a physical action is paralleled to communicated the emotional attachment that reiterates the dependence the young narrator has on his father when the poem says “But I hung on like death” (Roethke 3); using the metaphor “like death” also gives the poem a sense of grit within a soft use of rhyme. In the last line of the poem, Roethke uses “clinging” to show the emotional attachment to the son has in relation to his father. “clinging” is typically associated with horseplay and carries a playful connotation. Using this word, the connotation contrasts the behavior of a typical, playful, father son dynamic to “You beat time on my head” (Roethke 13). The contrast of “beat” and “clinging” place a greater focus on the fact that abuse is taking place on within the poem but also allows the literal meaning of clinging, despite connotation, to help explain how age and lack of developmental maturity contribute to the father’s power over his son; because of such a young age, it is natural for a son to naturally grasp onto and develop an emotional attachment to his father. If the speaker was a teenager, rather than a young child, the repetitive return to the father after each “beating” would less likely occur. 

By observing contrasting word choice used by Theodor Roethke, we can grasp on to the rhythm created and insight to the use of contrast he uses, which most people do not see; this is important because it allows the reader to observe the maturity and the innocence of the speaker and develops a complex relationship between the father and son. “My Papa’s Waltz”, by Theodore Roethke, is an ideal example on how a complex topic with more elements than a “black and white” meaning, and discusses a serious topic, can be communicated in what appears to be a lighter and reader friendly fashion. The physical construction of the poem, being only sixteen lines, having iambic pentameter with an ABAB rhyme scheme conveys a mystical tone, which allows an ironic contrast between the interpretation of meaning and the presentation of the main idea. 

