My Papa’s Waltz
By
Theodore Roethke
Meter and Rhyme
 Meter is the underlying beat that in much traditional
poetry regularizes the natural rhythms of speech.
Trimeter has three stressed syllables per line,
tetrameter has four stressed syllables, pentameter has
five, and hexameter has six.
 Rhyme is the echo effect produced when a writer
repeats the same sounds at the ends of words. Rhyme
scheme is the pattern created by rhyming at the ends
of lines of poetry.
Connotation
 Connotation is the associations and attitudes called up
by a word, as opposed to its denotation or straight,
literal meaning. For example:
 Scent – smell
 Odor – smell
Which of the above words has a negative
connotation?
Powerful Words and Phrases
 Graphic Organizer
Connotation
Positive
Negative
First Impressions
 What do you think this poem is about?
 How would you describe the relationship
between the poem’s speaker and his father?
A Reading and Commentary
 Listen to what this former student has to say
about the poem, his interpretation, and his
personal connection to it’s meaning.
 http://www.favoritepoem.org/videos.html
Let’s Get Technical!
 What is the meter of each line?
Count out the syllables on your fingers while
tapping on the stressed syllables.




How many stressed syllables are in each line?
How many total syllables are in each line?
What effect do these 7 syllable lines have on
the poem?
Look at the content of the 7 syllable lines. Can
you make any observations?
Form and Meaning
 What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh
 What effect does the rhyming have on the
poem?
 How does the rhyme effect the mood?
Making the Connection
 Write a well-developed, organized paragraph
discussing the poem’s form in relation to it’s content
and meaning. Take a moment to pre-write and gather
your thoughts. Consider the following elements when
putting your paragraph together: