In Theodore Roethke's life, he encountered the deaths of his father and uncle, and I believe he based "My Father's Waltz » about his father. When he was only fourteen his father died of cancer and this death was dramatic for him and manifested itself in his later writings. Bobby Fong said that this poem may be a "happy memory" that Roethke remembers from the past when he and his father danced "playfully" around the kitchen (np). Even though his father had had a few drinks because he had a long day at work, the young boy still wanted to waltz with his dad. I'm sure we've all had a time when we played on horseback and were pushed around a lot. There has been much discussion about whether the poem is about a father beating his son or simply about the father and his son's horse playing. In my opinion, I believe the poem is based on the affection of the young boy and his father waltzing. I get this feeling from the author's use of imagery, word choice, and meter. Theodore Roethke's poem "My Father's Waltz" demonstrates a young boy's affection for his father's love, even if it means having to tolerate his father being drunk. Many critics think that "My Father's Waltz" is a sad and depressing poem, when in reality it is a sad and depressing poem. poem of affection. If people only read the poem once, many readers will automatically conclude that the poem is about abuse. This poem is definitely one that needs to be read more than once to fully understand all the details. Many critics believe the poem is about a father who comes home drunk and beats his son. Most people in today's society view alcohol as being linked to some form of violence, which is not always the case. John Ciardi says, “My... middle of paper... understanding. I know when I first read the poem I thought it was negative and about a father beating a boy, but once I read it again I understood it better what that meant. The author wants readers to consider whether the poem is negative or positive. However, I get the feeling of a positive poem from the author's use of imagery, word choice, and rhythm. The author depicts the image of a boy and his father dancing like a waltz. Roethke chose his words very well when he wrote this poem. McKenna said he changed the words in his poem several times, including the title (34). Then the author uses the poem through meter as the meaning of dance through unstressed and stressed syllables. Based on the evidence, I firmly believe that "My Papa's Waltz" is about a young boy seeking his father's affection, even though he is drunk..