Literature
Imagery:
Both poems employ imagery as a way of relaying their messages. In the poem ‘My papa’s waltz’, the poem is descriptive of a kind of dance performed by a father and his son. A kind of bedtime ‘run around the house’. The dance is symbolic of the relationship between the father and other members of his family. The dance, while the boy enjoys it, is not an amusing matter to his father. The father, apparently under the influence of whisky, is desperate for his son to go to sleep. The dance ensuing represents a respectful relationship where the boy, despite his father’s ruggedness, is still fond of him.
In the second poem, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer day?’ the use of imagery and personification of nature is evident. The poet parallels the summer with the beloved. In this sense, the beloved is attributed the traits of summer.
Use of figures of speech in the poem is apparent in both poems. Shakespeare uses the term temperate as a pun, implying that while it applies as mild mannerisms in an individual, it means, in the same relation, mild temperatures in the summer. In the poem ‘My Papa’s waltz’, the poet employs an extended metaphor for the entirety of the poem in the sense that, the waltz could symbolize a tumultuous relationship between the boy and his father. The habit of his father, where he misses his step and unwillingly hurts the child is a metaphor symbolizing the tendency of the father as a man prone to mistakes even in real life. Further, there is the use of simile when the poet describes the manner in which the boy hung on to his father, like death. This comparison indicates that they boy hung on, and desired his father’s company so much that he would make it materialize almost as certainly as death.
The use of symbolism:
The use of symbolism in both poems is apparent. Shakespeare uses the summer as a symbol. In this regard, the beauty of the summer is limited in the extent to which it can shine upon us. In the summer being time bound, the ideas of beauty and love expressed in the poem come across as mortal. However, just like summer, one is able to enjoy love again. In the poem ‘My papa’s waltz’, the poet uses the whisky on papa’s breath to depict an unpleasantness about him. The whisky on his breath is repellent. In extension papa is just as repellent as the stench of whisky on his breath. This is apparent from the ruckus he makes in the kitchen with the pans which is unsettling even to the mother of the boy who has been absent from the poem.
The use of language:
The use of language in the poems is deliberate to carry the intended meaning. Shakespeare uses informal language in an older Elizabethan dialect. The words (thou art) and (thee) are out of common use in the present day. However, Shakespeare utilizes them in his poem as it is set in a different linguistic era. The poem ‘My papa’s waltz” utilizes contemporary language betraying it as a piece written in modern times. The sentences are straightforward and easily understandable even to the common reader. The author takes care to use formal language further making his poem accessible to a wider audience. ‘The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy’, passes as an ordinary sentence in any prose, only that it is actually the first stanza to the poem.
Tone:
The tone applied by Shakespeare at the commencement of his poem is both adumbrative and sad at the same time. He adores the subject of his poem owing to the strong adulation with which he describes him, a summer’s day, though art more lovely and temperate. A tone of sadness is apparent where Shakespeare bemoans the brevity of the summer. It would have pleased him more if the subject of his poem endured more than the summer. A tone of triumph and defiance creeps up at the tail of the poem where Shakespeare declares that the subject would find immortality in his lines. He exalts at finally having managed to preserve the subject of his poem in his work of art. The second poem employs a tone of optimistic caution. The little boy is full of admiration for his father despite his abrasive nature. He employs a playful tone to a serious issue in trying to cover up the shortcomings of his father.
Theme:
The poem ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ explores the theme of human mortality. Shakespeare struggles to preserve the subject of the poem; even so encountering problems as all attempts at immortalizing him, even by comparison to a summer day, amounts to nothing. Shakespeare resorts to preserving the subject in his own work, the poem. The poem ‘My papa’s waltz’ has the main theme of compassion. The narrator has deep compassion for his father as shown in the poem. He clings to him despite all his imperfections and would not let go of him. On the other hand, the father shows his compassion to his child, albeit in an unorthodox way. His concern that the boy should go to sleep as it is already past bedtime, indicates a man who is conscious of his child’s welfare despite his crude method of implementation.
Sound:
A musicality to the poems makes them enjoyable recitals. ‘Shall I compare you to a summer’s day?’ by Shakespeare possesses a rhyming couplet in each stanza with the rhyme scheme being ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The second poem has a simple rhyme scheme of ABAB that makes it an easy read. The musicality of this poem enriches its meaning in the sense that it brings to life the waltz described in the poem.
Final thoughts:
Poetry connects with the deepest emotions in human nature. The poem ‘My papa’s waltz’ demonstrates the admirable ability of human beings to connect and care for each despite all odds. It is a manifestation of the beauty in life. The second poem by Shakespeare however is a blunt reminder of the fragile nature of the human form. It brings us to terms with our mortality. There is beauty in the poem still, as Shakespeare manages to communicate that memories are enduring and as such good memories trump over bad ones.
References
Roethke, Theodore. The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke. Garden City, N.Y: Anchor Press, 1975. Print.
Shakespeare, William, David Allen, Margaret Ross, and Curtis Biever. Sixteen Sonnets of William Shakespeare. New York: Poetry Records, 1952. Print.
