My Papa’s Waltz1942 BaserEnglishProgram爸爸的华尔兹1942 baserenglishprogram.pptVIP

My Papa’s Waltz(1942) Theodore Roethke Biography Roethke was born in Saginaw, Michigan on May 25, 1908 and died on August 1, 1963 due to a heart failure at the age of 60. Roethke’s works is characterized by deep meanings, rhythm and natural imagery. In 1954 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry for his book, The Waking. He also won the anual National Book Award for Poetry twice during 1959 for Words for the Wind and The Far Field in 1965. His first book,?Open House?(1941), showed the strong influence of Robert Frost. Roethke’s childhood was mostly spent in a greenhouse owned by his father and uncle which was reflected in his poetry in the form of natural images. Roethke’s adolescent years were jarred by his uncle’s suicide and the death of his father from cancer during 1923 when he was only 14. Their deaths was what shaped Roethke’s psyche and creative life. Throughout his lifetime Roethke also taught at several colleges and universities such as Harvard, Lafayette, and Bennington. During the last years of his life, Roethke wrote 61 new poems which were published in The Far Field. Historical/Social Background My Papa’s Waltz was written in 1942. Most of his poems refer back to his childhood. This poem is about his relationship with his father. He loves him, but also fears him at the same time. When his father died of cancer when he was 15, he went into depression and mental illness. People liked his poem because it expressed a love-hate relationship between father and son and conflicts as well. Readers think the poem is about child abuse but some think it is just about a father dancing with his son. My Papa’s WaltzBy: Theodore Roethke The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mothers countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed