1. Metaphor: This is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as." In "My Papa's Waltz," the lines "The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy" is a metaphor for the father's alcohol breath causing the speaker, who is a small boy, to feel dizzy. This metaphor creates an image of the father's drinking affecting the child's perception and experience of the waltz, adding a sense of disorientation and unease to the poem.
2. Personification: This is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to non-human things or abstract ideas. In the line "But I hung on like death," the speaker personifies death, giving it the ability to cling on tightly to the father's waist. This personification emphasizes the tense and close physical contact between the speaker and the father during the waltz, suggesting a sense of fear or desperation in the speaker's experience of the dance. It also hints at the idea of the waltz being a dangerous or risky activity, adding to the complex emotions and dynamics explored in the poem.
Figurative Language: Choose two examples of figurative language usage - define the term and discuss how it enhances the meaning of the poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke. Please note - Students may NOT offer discussions about “Rhyme” as it is our Discussion example.
3 answers
2 different ones
3. Imagery: This is language that appeals to the senses, creating visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile images in the reader's mind. In "My Papa's Waltz," the line "The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on one knuckle" creates vivid imagery of the father's rough hand gripping the speaker's wrist, with the detail of the battered knuckle suggesting physical labor or possible violence. This visual image conveys a sense of the father's strength and roughness, as well as evoking a feeling of intimacy and closeness between the speaker and the father during the dance.
4. Symbolism: This is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal meaning. In the poem, the waltz can be seen as a symbol of the complex and conflicted relationship between the speaker and the father. The waltz is a dance that requires coordination and cooperation between partners, but in this poem, it is depicted as a rough and chaotic experience, suggesting a sense of tension and struggle in the father-child relationship. The act of dancing becomes a symbolic representation of the challenges and complexities of their relationship, adding depth and layers of meaning to the poem.
4. Symbolism: This is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal meaning. In the poem, the waltz can be seen as a symbol of the complex and conflicted relationship between the speaker and the father. The waltz is a dance that requires coordination and cooperation between partners, but in this poem, it is depicted as a rough and chaotic experience, suggesting a sense of tension and struggle in the father-child relationship. The act of dancing becomes a symbolic representation of the challenges and complexities of their relationship, adding depth and layers of meaning to the poem.
3 answers