“My Papa’s Waltz,” a poem by Theodore Roethke, is centered around the relationship between an alcoholic father and his son. The poem depicts an instance referred to as a “waltz” when the alcoholic father abuses the speaker. Through rhetorical strategies such as imagery, diction, and rhyme scheme Theodore is able to reveal events about his personal life and symbolize the abusive relationship he had with his own dad. Even though the speaker seems to resent his abuser, he also seems to forgive his father as the poem resolves. 

The author utilizes vivid imagery to expose the father’s abusive nature. “The whisky on your breath could make a small boy dizzy” (1) reveals the extent of the father’s alcoholism since the concentration of alcohol in the father’s breath alone is enough to have an effect on the speaker. Similarly, Theodore states, “My mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself”’ to further expose the situation as abusive and adversarial. Additionally, the inability of the mother to “unfrown” her demeanor affirms that the father son interaction does not follow the melancholy connotation of a “waltz”. One may also see the level of abuse when the father and son “romped until the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf.” (5) Such symbolism represents the extent of the father’s inebriation; as it takes no meager force to knock pans off of a kitchen shelf. The rhetorical strategy of imagery is used by various authors to better illustrate crucial details of the passage. Authors such as Chinua Achebe in “An image of Africa” achieve brilliant portrayals from the use of clear-cut descriptive language.  In the same degree the rapper Eminem uses vivid imagery in his lyrics “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti.” Such descriptive language builds suspense in the situation and engages the audience. 

Furthermore, Theodore employs the use of carefully chosen diction to convey to the reader a sense of danger and concern the son has for the father; for example, “But I hung on like death.” (3). The connotation of the word “death” is one of dismay, angst, mournfulness, dread. The use of a word with such connotation presents the genuine mood of the poem. Moreover, the abusive relationship between the speaker and the assailant is exposed when he “beat time” (13) on the speaker’s head. The rough, and barbaric connotation of the word beat describes the fathers wrongdoing. The opposition to a less brutal word choice is evidence of the abusive relationship the poet is conveying. The opposition to a less adversarial vocabulary when the speaker says “With palm caked hard by dirt,” is evidence of the apprehensive attitude the father has, because it shows that the father didn’t bother to even wash his hands and therefore forcefully attempted to “waltz” with his son. 

Finally, the author uses rhyme scheme to better arrest his audience and create controversy. In Stanza one “The whiskey on your breath/Could make a small boy dizzy;/But I hung on like death:/Such waltzing was not easy,” Has a rhyme scheme of abab, along with subsequent stanzas. The alternating rhyme scheme provides the misconception that the authors mood is cheerful and lively by.  The reality is, Theodore made a stylistic decision to give the poem the rhythm of a waltz. Since the topic at hand is very deep and intimate; the author creates separation by adding an active and moving rhythm. Many artists such as the singer J. Cole use rhyme scheme to better capture the reader’s attention while at the same time constitutes emotional separation from a sensitive topic.  In the song G.O.M.D J. Cole creates emotional detachment to the given topic through rhythm and an enthralling lyric in a similar manner to Theodore.  

  Rhetorical strategies are abundant in the poem “My Papa’s Waltz.” Rhetorical strategies include word choice, rhyme scheme, and figurative language such as imagery. Theodore employs imagery to reveal his genuine message within the poem. The use of lucid descriptive language and colorful words helps the audience to better understand the personal anecdote the author is disclosing. His recapitulation of his own childhood memories is brutal, challenging, and despairing as he illustrates the self-destructive nature of his alcoholic father. Similarly, Rhyme scheme is used by the poet to deceive the audience to believe the interaction is happy and frivolous when it is in fact a grotesque portrayal of a sick act committed by an ill human being.  Lastly, Theodore’s word choice plays a vital role in how the poem is perceived by the audience. By using words with a harsh and bitter connotation instead of words of the opposing connotation the author creates a mood that is bright and sweet. The combination of rhetorical strategies applied by any poet is the primary tool used to convey any message, whether it be happy, sad, horrendous, or distressful the manner in which a poet, rhymes, uses words, and describes a scenario determines every aspect in the interpretation of the message. 
