Blog 5: Reading Analysis

Throughout the poems “Bored” by Margaret Atwood, “The Video” by Fleur Adcock and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke there is a common theme of relationships between a child and some one else. In “Bored,” Atwood writes about a boy who is spending time with his father. “The Video” is about a girl who is feeling neglected by others. Lastly, in “My Papa’s Waltz” Roethke writes about a boy who has an alcoholic father. These three poems all have a strong central connection that is based around showing how children react to different situations.

To begin with, in “Bored” by Margaret Atwood, a young boy is telling a story about how he would be with his dad all the time helping him with different things. He constantly said that he was bored and didn’t want to be doing these things with his father. By the end of the poem he explains how he understands why his father did what he did and why he had to help him even though he was bored.

Also, in “The Video” by Fleur Adcock, a young girl recounts her experience of her baby sister’s birth. The poem is short so it is hard to gain a complete image of how this made the young girl feel but the last line gives us a good insight of about how she truly feels. The last sentence of the poem says that “She watched Laura come out, and then, in reverse, she made her go back in.” This is describing the video tape of the birth and it shows that the young girl does not especially like this happening, possibly because of a lack of attention.

Lastly, in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, a young boy discusses his encounter with his father who is either drunk at the time, or could possibly be an alcoholic. He says, “The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy.” He then continues to talk about how he and his father “waltz” and the story ends with the father putting the boy to sleep.

The poem’s “Bored,” “The Video,” and “My Papa’s Waltz” all display a strong theme of parent to child relationships. From a young boy who was constantly bored spending time with his father in “Bored,” to a young girl who feels neglected in “The Video,” to a young boy waltzing with his father in “My Papa’s Waltz” there are strong connections between the parent and child. Each poem also analyzes the reactions of the children when they are put into various situations.