In his poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke uses specific elements that stand out to the audience and prove to have a significant impact on the poem as a whole. The use and repetition of the word “waltz” throughout the poem connects the stanzas from beginning of the poem all the way until the closing. This word proves to have double meanings throughout and raise questions from the readers. The tone of the poem is dark and has much text that points to an abusive father-son relationship; the use of waltz within this text stands out to readers. Other words that were chosen by Roethke contribute to the dark message of abuse. Words such as “whiskey”, “dizzy”, and “death” are used and also play a role in the overall message of abuse throughout the poem.  These dark words and repeated phrases integrated into the poem cause for appeal to emotions from the audience, and the message of abuse and family violence is even more prevalent than it would be without them. 

The use of the word “waltz” in the title and the opening stanza causes the audience to immediately take note of this odd word choice. Waltz following those words with those such as, whiskey, dizzy, and death seems to be out of place and an odd choice for a poem that already has a dark tone even within the first few lines. The contrasting word choices show the difference in meaning that the author wants the readers to pick up on. The dark words display the meaning of the abuse the father is inflicting on the son, and the sudden change with the word “waltz”, throws the reader off and raises questions regarding what the double meaning of this word is. The word in the first stanza is clearly used in an odd way, and this is picked up on by readers because of the contrasted word meanings. Dark words involving death and violence seems to fit with the message of abuse within the poem, and the sudden change in word choice proves to have an effect on the reader and raises questions as to why Roethke chooses them.

Waltz also stands out due to the title of the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”. Roethke uses waltz in the title of the poem to establish the word repetition that is later expanded upon throughout the poem. This allows for the reader to notice when this word is repeated, and take note as to what the repetition means and the purpose for which the author intended. Within the text, the use of the word “waltzed” in the first and last stanza are used to describe the young boy and father’s movements in this awful situation. Although it is the same word, both uses of the word differs, not only in meaning, but also differs in regards to who is “doing the waltzing”. The first stanza refers to the young son’s movements as a waltz, a dance with fluid and constant movements. This can be understood that the son is working in a way to avoid the lashing out of his drunken father in a way to escape the pain that may be inflicted upon him. The use of the word waltz is very effective in the way it allows the reader to picture the scene that is taking place. It creates imagery in the audiences’ mind and paints a pictures of the engagement between son and father. 

The “waltzing” the son is doing is in no way a positive act, it is the strategic movement of a frightened child somewhat “dancing” away from the risk of being abused. The closing line of the first stanza, “Such waltzing was not easy”, shows the struggle the son endures to get away from his father; it tells of the intimidation his father has and how escaping his grasp is not an easy thing to do. The use of the repeated word, waltz is also effective in the description of not only the son’s movements, but also the movements of the drunken father. Although the uses of the word are different, they both prove to be effective to the poem as a whole, due to this repetition and the way in which an image is created through the text. In the context of the last stanza, Roethke uses the word waltzed to describe the way in which the father acts, opposed to the first stanza which describes the child. 

In the context of the last stanza, this word is used in a way to depict the way in which the drunk father walks his son up to bed, after abusing him and causing much pain. The known movement of the dance the Waltz, depicts swaying back and forth which can be compared to the drunken swaying of the father once he enters the home. The author used this word in the closing stanza to further and better the depiction of the harshness and abuse from the drunk father. This, such as the use in the first stanza, creates for imagery that can be seen by the audience and allows them to picture the way in which the father is moving back and forth, unable to control his movements. 

In the closing lines of this stanza, Roethke connects the movements and actions of the son and the father by using the next line after waltz. The following line, “Still clinging to your shirt”, represents the child’s hope he is still holding on to; he has hope that his father will change and become a better person. The word usage shows the significance of the father’s state and causes the reader’s to feel sympathetic toward the son and the position he is put in. The placements of the word waltz in the title, first and last stanza, tie the poem together because of the use throughout, which causes for a greater impact of the reader. The word directly relates to the thematic concerns of the poem because it paints a picture in the audience’s mind of what is taking place and the way in which the father and the child are interacting.

The use of repetition within a poem creates for a message to be seen throughout; it shows the author’s intent of the word and causes for the reader to pay much more attention to the meaning of that specific word. Roethke’s use of repetition in “My Papa’s Waltz” using the word waltz, creates a deeper effect on the reader as a whole in regards to the message of the poem. The use of this word in contrast with the dark words and the theme of abuse, show that the word has somewhat of a double meaning and has a much larger impact on the writing. The use of the word waltz causes readers to be able to picture each scene the author is describing perfectly, because of this universally known dance. The contrast between the dark words and the word which usually means a beautiful dance, also brings more light to the theme of a father’s abuse and drunken habits around his son. These uses show that the beautiful word and meaning, can still be used with a dark intent to further a message. 
