Roethke and Salinas

 In the poem, My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke subtly suggests that there is tension between the speaker and his violent father. We can assume that the father is an alcoholic because of “The whiskey on your breath.” Alcohol abuse is known to break apart relationships because it can alter a person’s behavior. It also states in the text “The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle;” which continues to prove that the father is abusive. It isn’t revealed in the poem how he got the bruise but it is very clear why the speaker points that detail out. Surprisingly enough, throughout their waltz, the son still holds on to his father, “Still clinging to your shirt.” This represents his dependency on his father. It almost seems like his father is all he has and he chooses to ignore his father’s actions just so he can have a father to call to. 

On the other hand, the poem My Father is a Simple Man by Luis Omar Salinas completely contrasts the first poem by presenting a healthy relationship between a father and his son. The son is able to recognize his father’s hard work and dedication to raising him. He’s inspired by his father and is constantly learning from him about the ways of life and death. In the text, it states “We argue about the price of pomegranates. I convince him it is the fruit of scholars.” This was a sweet moment shared between them and it reminds me of the kind of conversations I used to have with my father when I was younger. This innocent talk helps me to see how much more different these two father and son relationships are because I notice that in the first poem they’re doing the waltz but in the second poem they’re conversating. Dancing doesn't require you to speak so it demonstrates how surface-level their relationship actually is in comparison.




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