Essay - Both Robert Hayden's 'The Whipping,' and Theodore Roethke's 'My Papa's...

Both Robert Hayden's "The Whipping," and Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" describe child abuse. Both poets have similar approaches to this weighty and sensitive subject matter. Hayden and Roethke avoid cliches, self-righteousness, or judgmentalism, instead choosing to focus on the complex psychology underlying these issues. However, neither poet is willing to overlook the need for compassion ***** sympathy, even when dealing with abusive parents. This isn't to say that Hayden and Roethke are insensitive or apologetic; quite the contrary, both *****s convey the pain and suffering associated ***** child *****. Using exquisite lyrics and diction, the general *****me is easy to figure out in ***** these poems. However, *****'s is told from the perspective of an onlooker or neighbor, while ***** poem is told in first person, by the abused child. "The Whipping" is written in free verse without rhymes, ***** "My Papa's Waltz contains a rhyme scheme. In spite of their different literary ***** poetic styles and structures, both Hayden's "***** Whipping" and Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" ***** the pain of child abuse.

The Whipping" ***** told through ***** eyes ***** a passer-by or a neighbor witnessing an old woman "whipping the boy again." This implies that the act is repetitive. The point of view is third-person, ***** an outsider looking in just as the reader of ***** poem looks in on the *****ion. The wom***** narrating ***** ***** obviously feels powerless over the abuse, just as the mother with the frowning countenance in "***** Papa's Waltz" seems powerless over her husband's actions. In Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz," it is implied that the abuse is long-standing because the metaphor of the waltz signifies an ongoing dance. "My Papa's Waltz" ***** also ***** in p*****t tense, about events that happened ***** the past over the course of time. In contrast, "***** Whipping" is told in present *****, but the story still refers to continuous beating of the boy.

The diction in ***** two poems is different. Hayden uses some alliteration and ot***** tools that make the poem sound lyrical. "She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling / *****," is a p*****rticularly musical line. Instead of using a rhyme *****, Hayden ***** o*****r ***** techniques such as ***** and stress to create ***** rhythm. ***** ***** quality parallels the motif of music in "***** Papa's *****." Ironically, ***** poets choose ***** *****directly associate child abuse with music, which is n*****mally associated with joy. However, in "My Papa's Waltz," the connection is more apparent than with "The *****" because ***** ***** title of the poem. Also, the diction in Roethke's poem contains numerous references to dancing. Lines like "Such waltzing was not easy," and "You beat ***** on my head" refer to the dance. Child ***** ***** c*****nected to *****, which is an unusual ***** provocative association. The child in ***** poem might have some sympathy toward her abusers. Likew*****e, the woman witnessing the abuse of the boy in "***** Whipping" offers some ***** in the last few lines of the poem: