1. Analyzing Poetic Devices
My Papa’s Waltz By
Theodore Roethke

2. 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.

3. 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?

4. Powerful Words and Phrases
Graphic Organizer
Connotation
Positive
Negative

5. First Impressions What do you think this poem is about?
How would you describe the relationship between the poem’s speaker and his father?

6. 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.

7. Let’s Get Technical! How many stressed syllables are in each line?
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?

8. Form and Meaning abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh
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?

9. 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:
Rhyme and Rhythm
Meter
Stanzas