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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page paper which examines whether or not Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is about child abuse. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JR7_RAroeth.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
boys experience with child abuse. However, other people clearly argue that it is not a poem about child abuse but a poem about a wondrous memory a boy has of
his fathers love, of a moment in time when they danced and he knew his father loved him. The following paper examines this poem and the arguments. The paper argues,
in the end, that this poem is not about child abuse but about a wonderful moment in time that Roethke obviously clung to, much like the little boy clung to
his father in the dance. My Papas Waltz In Roethkes poem we see the first four lines that indicate the setting: "The whiskey on your breath/ Could make
a small boy dizzy;/ But I hung on like death:/ Such waltzing was not easy" (Roethke 1-4). It is obvious that the father has been drinking. The smell is so
strong that the boy could not ignore it, but he clung on, like death, perhaps even proud that he could hang on in light of the fact that it was
not easy. There is a sense that the boy is fearful, but that is not uncommon when a grown up spins a child around. Children love that sense of fear
and bravery and excitement. They beg for it many times as they beg to be spun like an airplane or hung upside down. They trust the person they are asking
to not drop them, they cling on despite their trust. In essence this presents us with a very common image. At the same time the fact that the father is
obviously drunk and the boy clings like death could perhaps give us an understanding of a fear that was laced with desire and love. The boy could well be fearful
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