…kind of a follow-up of the previous weeks’ forum posting…
It would appear that–in a way–I have already tackled this particular forumâs task through my response to last weekâs forum. In writing about the formâthe methods of rhythm, etc.âused in âMy Papaâs Waltzâ, I dove into how the structure and choice of words could have an affect on the readerâs interpretation, thus changing the meaning; in doing so, I uncovered two methods of critical response: psychological and reader-response.
In my initial review of âMy Papaâs Waltzâ, I came to the conclusion that the poem was simply about a father and son goofing off after supper, and getting on the motherâs nerves in doing so; I came to this conclusion based on reader-responseâmy own personal experienceâas well as an historical approach. I hadnât researched the period in which the piece was authored, but had let my own interpretation of the language and scene draw a conclusion of the setting; primarily due to the drink of choice being whiskeyââthe whiskey on your breathâŚâ (Roethke, 1), the fact that the fatherâs hands were filthyâââŚpalm caked hard with dirtâŚâ (Roethke, 14), pans being set on a shelf instead of tucked in a cupboardâââŚthe pans slid from the kitchen shelfâŚâ (Roethke, 5-6), I assumed that the tale took place in the late 1800s closing in on the turn of the century. After researching further and finding that the author was born nearly a decade after the beginning of the 20th century, and that this piece was published in 1942, I see that my assumptions of period are offâyet not by much, as a lower working-class home of that period would still fit within the same assumptions I had made.
From the melded psychological and reader-response viewpoints, we are still left with differing opinions. Through my own experiences I fail to see where the poem is one of abuse; whereas any person that may have had experiences with an alcoholic and/or abusive parent might see the work as a tale of how a child had been beaten, yet still seemed to possess a slight amount of unconditional love for the abuser.
For this forum prompt, we were asked to find an approach that would be best used in criticizing one of the works we read; I believe that in the case of âMy Papaâs Waltzâ, three approaches are availableâwith two standing at the forefront, joined in a combined approach. Given the few setting descriptors we can approach it with a slight historical view; however, as the poem is emotional in nature, we are left with the psychological and the reader-response. Due to the strength of the emotions contained in this poemâstrong, perhaps due to the fact that tale centers around the view of a former childâreader-response comes out on top.
âŚbased upon my own personal psychological and emotional response to the poem, I still see it as an innocent tale of a father and son enjoying a time together.
Works Cited
Roethke, Theodore. âMy Papaâs Waltz.â ENGL 200: Composition and Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Web. 16 August 2011.
This post received the following responses:
Jason Watson:
Jeremiah,
Applying the reader response, I see this, like you said as the point of view of the reader and where they came from. After reading the piece, I don’t really see any abuse at all. I more see a hard-working father who might of had a little too much to drink after work. So the child hangs on, noticing the hand holding the wrist was battered on one knuckle(Roethke, 10). And when the father misses a step, the child’s ear will scrape against the belt buckle. While they are dancing, the father’s dirty hand keeps time to the music by patting the top of the child’s head while they are dancing. Of course, it’s time for bed and the child does not want to go yet. Like you said, it depends on the person, and where they come from.
Jason
Young Cho:
Hello Jeremiah! First of all, your forum was a great response to the poem. And you also wrote quite a lot so good job on that part! Reading your forum made me change my view on this poem. I, too, thought that the overall story of “My Papa’s Waltz” was an abuse of a child by his father. But considering the fact that this poem takes place back in the 1940s, we have to take a different approach as to what people viewed acceptable in that time period. Sure, if this were to happen in today’s society, the father would be sentenced to jail and be fined for child abuse. But back then, a little tap would not be so controversial. In addition, alcoholic parents are never a good sign of child’s safety. You did a great job of explaining your case. And thank you for chaning my view on this poem. Have a great day!
Denzel Caddell:
Jeremiah,
This poem was a bit confusing to me while reading it the first time. I didnât research any information about this time I just went off what I already knew. There were certain things in this poem that didnât make sense to me like the line âpalm caked hard with dirtâ. I think this poem is unique because it can be viewed in different ways. I think the author wanted this poem to be debated and talked about. I think that if the author wanted us to know the child was being abused then he would have made it clear to us. The poem was interesting to read and kept me wondering. It was done creatively and was well written. I believe that theyâre two ways to view this poem but Iâm not sure to what exactly I think. If I had to make a decision I would say that it was about a boy playing with his father.
This is a great analysis. It’s great to know when the story took place to give more hints about the actual meaning. It’s also eye-opening to do research on the poem. I thought the poem was in fact about abuse. But I don’t think that so much anymore. I do think now, like you do. This is just an innocent dance with his father.