My Papa's Waltz Themes

"My Papa's Waltz" is about a moment in the life of a family: father and son romping around in the kitchen, with mom looking on. There's controversy about the family in this poem – some reader...

Even though the son in "My Papa's Waltz" is dizzy, and keeps getting his ear scraped by his dad's belt, he clings to his father. This shows that he really looks up to and loves his father. We bet e...

With rough hands, a battered knuckle, and the lead role in this waltz, the father in "My Papa's Waltz" is the epitome of traditional masculinity. Yet his son finds himself in the feminine role, fol...

For small children, parents are omnipotent. Kids' parents tell them when to eat, when to go out, when to stay in, and, as in "My Papa's Waltz," when to sleep. Everything in a kid's life is ordained...