COMPARATIVE LITERARY ANALYSISAcademic English 12

Thesis & Pieces (Part 1)

Masterpiece: Things Fall Apart or Things Fall Apart

Poem: “My Papa’s Waltz” Thematic Message/Thesis: Accepting

a father’s good and bad qualities is a mark of maturity.

Thesis & Pieces (Part 2) Map/Pieces: In the novel Things Fall Apart

by Chinua Achebe, Ezinma accepts her father’s advice even though he was short-tempered; in the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the speaker holds onto his father’s memory even though he was an alcoholic. The child’s balanced perspective demonstrates the wisdom of adulthood.

Outline for Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence for Body Paragraph #2:The speaker of “My Papa’s Waltz” sees his father’s good and bad qualities.

Textual Evidence: imagery“a palm caked hard by dirt” (ln. 14) & battered

knuckle (ln. 10) 

Textual Evidence: diction“romp” (ln. 5) & “mother’s countenance” (ln. 7).

Writing the Body ParagraphMuch like Ezinma, the speaker of “My Papa’s Waltz” sees his father’s good and bad qualities. The nostalgic tone of the poem cannot disguise the images of “a palm caked hard by dirt” and a battered knuckle (lns. 14, 10). The father’s status as a working man almost makes the fact that he smells like whisky bearable. The son even excuses the father’s clumsiness by claiming that the waltz is a challenging dance (ln. 4). The diction evident in “romp” and “mother’s countenance” show the child was not only exhilarated by the crazy drunken dancing, but he is also looking back on the event from a more mature perspective (lns. 5, 7). A young child may mention the wildness and would probably talk about his mom’s face, instead of the more adult word choice. Since Theodore Roetke’s father died when he was just fourteen, perhaps the poet is looking back on a fond childhood memory ( ). Maybe he is clinging to this recollection with the simile “like death” because his father died before the poem was written (ln. 3). “My Papa’s Waltz” demonstrates the wisdom of reflecting on the positive playfulness of even a hard-working, drunken father.

Writing the Body ParagraphMuch like Ezinma, the speaker of “My Papa’s Waltz” sees his father’s

good and bad qualities. The nostalgic tone of the poem cannot disguise the images of “a palm caked hard by dirt” and a battered knuckle (lns. 14, 10). The father’s status as a working man almost makes the fact that he smells like whisky bearable. The son even excuses the father’s clumsiness by claiming that the waltz is a challenging dance (ln. 4). The diction evident in “romp” and “mother’s countenance” show the child was not only exhilarated by the crazy drunken dancing, but he is also looking back on the event from a more mature perspective (lns. 5, 7). A young child may mention the wildness and would probably talk about his mom’s face, instead of the more adult word choice. Since Theodore Roethke’s father died when he was just fourteen, perhaps the poet is looking back on a fond childhood memory ( *?* ). Maybe he is clinging to this recollection with the simile “like death” because his father died before the poem was written (ln. 3). “My Papa’s Waltz” demonstrates the wisdom of reflecting on the positive playfulness of even a hard-working, drunken father.

TransitionTopic Sent. Stylistic Element

Quote #1

Quote #2

Stylistic Element/Quote #3Concl. Sent.

*I need a citation from the poetry criticism book.