My Papa’s Waltz by Theodire Roethke is about a young boy’s experience he faced with his father. His father had been drinking. This caused his actions against his son to be violent and rough; however the father is oblivious and sees it as innocent child play. The Boy Who Walked Backwards by Lorna Croziers is also about a young boy. The neighbour observes suspicious behaviour from the mother towards her son. It is claimed the child is clumsy and is repeatedly getting injured. The mother is the cause of this as she is violently abusing and is physically hurting her son. Both poems are about a dysfunctional relationship between a parental guardian and throughout both poems show the effects it has on the small boy’s.
The themes explored in the poems are also similar. The theme is My Papa’s Waltz shows the negative effect alcohol has on families. In this poem it is shown by the relationship between the father and son. This is evident through the poem from a range of poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and vocabulary. “The whiskey on your breath” this supports the theme as it is evidence the father was intoxicated. The poem appears on the surface to be a happy innocent story of a father playing with his son; however underneath its sinister and corrupt poem.
The theme in The Boy Who Walked Backwards is also corrupt. The poems theme is child abuse and shows that excuses are made to cover up the truth. “Doorknobs have pounded there shapes into his face” the poets choice of vocabulary for example pounded emphasizes and exaggerates the action for the situation. “Cracks his skull in the bedpost” the word cracks also over stresses the action. This is supports the theme as it is evidence the mother was violent towards her son. The theme also shows people can be completely oblivious to it and it can happen anywhere in this case next door. Both poems purpose is to aware people of the serious issues such as child abuse and family violence.