In a utopian society a child lives at home with both his mother and father. However, in today's society, fathers are often seen to be absent. While some may argue that the presence of a father in the home is not important, Theodore Roethke's poem, “My Papa's Waltz,” shows readers the connection between father and son. With the use of setting, tone, diction, imagery, meter, sound, and rhyme Roethke expresses how his relationship with his father was far from perfect and yet so necessary. As unfortunate as the events of Roethke's life may seem, he never mentions the lack of love in the home. The father spoken of in the poem is described as drunk. Roethke wrote this poem in 1948; the same year Harry S. Truman was elected president. Fathers returned from the devastating Second World War, often finding themselves without work. They would leave in the early hours of the morning and return late at night just to make ends meet. With all the stress brought on these fathers, they drank alcohol to take their minds off things and at the same time spend time with t...