    It can be argued that “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem about a dark, abusive relationship between a father and a son but it can also be argued that the poem is about a joyful childhood relationship between a father and son because the poem can be read in two different perspectives. I believe that Theodore Roethke wrote the poem this way on purpose to show how someone can have more than one perspective on one body of writing. Roethke is successful because of his word choices in the poem. By looking at the word choices in My Papa’s Waltz we can see that the words used in the poem can define a positive or a negative childhood memory, which most readers don't see, they either see one or the other but not both, this is important because there can be multiple ideas or themes that you can draw from My Papa’s Waltz if the reader looks at the poem in a different perspective. 

    The words I noticed when I read the poem the for the first time were word’s like death, battered, scraped, and clinging. All of these words can be used to describe abuse this stood out to me in the beginning. But Theodore Roethke uses these words so that there are two separate ideas. For example, “Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to his shirt” (Roethke 15 & 16) used at the end of the poem. This sentence can mean a happy memory of a son clinging to his father's shirt because he is not wanting to go to sleep because of the fun he is having with his father. I also understood this  same idea from another quote in the poem, “But I hung on like death such waltzing was not easy” (Roethke 3 & 4). This quote can also describe the idea of a son being swung around the room on his father’s leg having a wonderful time. But the sentence can also mean that the son was hanging on for life because he is so badly abused. I was not able to pick up on these examples the first time I read the poem. There are multiple sentences in My Papa’s Waltz that can serve as a double meaning, not only did the quotes from lines 3,4 and 15,16 serve as a double meaning but also the quote “ at every step you missed my right ear scrapped a buckle” (Roethke 11 & 12). Not only does it show that the father is drunk and could be missing steps as they dance, but it also shows and tells the reader the height of the child. This is another example of Theodore Roethke giving the reader two different perspectives on one sentence. I believe understanding that the poem My Papa’s Waltz has multiple meanings for one sentence or just the overall poem gives the reader a better insight to decide if the poem is about a negative childhood memory or a positive childhood memory, thus enhancing the overall purpose of the poem. 

    It is argued that the way a piece of writing is written can have an effect on how the author relays the theme or ideas. In this case, how Theodore Roethke uses word choices effects how the joyful vs. abusive childhood memory theme is presented. The style of the poem is very straightforward this allows the reader interprets the poem how it fits them. The word order is normal and the sentences are simple, which helps tell the story of a joyful childhood memory or an abusive childhood memory. The voice of the poem is a passive one, this makes it seem as if the poem is a reflection of the past. The rhythm of the poem is short and choppy and there is a small rhyming scheme which allows for flow in the poem and it also sets the difference between a poem and a short story. The descriptive writing allows the reader to focus on the different themes and their perspectives and allows for different types of word choices which add to the perspectives of the themes. I believe the poem targets all audiences, anyone can read it and relate to the poem easily. However with the way the poem is written, it can be interpreted in multiple ways, someone who had an abusive childhood and has abusive childhood memories could relate to the abusive side of the poem and it may be easier for that person to see that perspective. But another person who had a joyful childhood with joyful childhood memories may not see the abusive side of the poem and not relate to that perspective. Theodore Roethke made it easier to approach all audiences by having multiple perspectives, this is one of my favorite aspects of the poem. Because every reader reads the same words this allows the reader to form their own opinion (perspective) of what the poem is really about.

    I enjoyed how Theodore Roethke wrote his poem in a way that made it easy for the reader to connect on a personal level. By looking at the word choices in My Papa’s Waltz we can see that the words used in the poem can define a positive or a negative childhood memory, which most readers don't see until after they have read it multiple times. I personally enjoyed this poem because I drew something different from each time I read it. 
