A Reader’s Reaction to “My Papa’s Waltz” The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a “two tone” piece full of ambiguity. When readers approach this work they will arrive at one of two possible conclusions—that this is an adult’s reflection of a memorable and joyous moment with his father or an unsettling description of child abuse, using waltzing as a metaphor. On the lighter side, the first conclusion …showed first 75 words of 649 total…

…showed last 75 words of 649 total…positive tone from the short poem allows the reader to derive their own personal message from the piece. The poem shows how easily one piece of work can be interpreted in more than one way, making this poem an excellent analytical study. Depending on which words the reader emphasizes, the negative or the positive, there is no telling how one reader will feel when walking away from this little poem with not so little meaning.