Family relationships are significant and complicated at the same time. Every relationship is different. A special relationship is that between a father and his son. Poetry is an excellent way to portray this relationship. Both Robert Hayden's poem “Those Winter Nights” and Theodore Roethke's poem “My Papa's Waltz” describe different but loving relationships between father and son. In Roethke's poem the relationship the speaker has with his father is complicated. It turns out that the speaker of Roethke's poem is a young boy. Before going to bed the father dances the waltz with the child. The waltz could be a metaphor describing his relationship with his father. The speaker describes the waltz as “Such a waltz was not easy,” which could mean that their relationship was not always easy. The speaker goes on and describes how the father is messing up and the boy gets hurt "With every step you missed / My right ear scratched a buckle." This could also be another metaphor for the father's mistakes that could hurt his son. Certain word choices make it seem like there may also be some type of violence in the relationship. The speaker describes his father's hands: “The hand that held my wrist / Was struck on the knuckle.” The word “battered” is a strong word to describe his hands. The speaker also mentions, “You beat time in my head,” which again the word “beat” is a strong word to describe keeping time. The focus of the poem is almost entirely on the waltz. The poem is written in iambic trimeter and even a waltz has three bars. Turning the poem into a waltz helps show the importance of the waltz itself. Even though the father's relationship with his son is complicated, the son continues to love and admire him. Even though the waltz is hard, the son clings to his father “So you waltzed me to bed / I'm still clinging to your shirt.” The child ignores all the discomfort he feels in continuing to dance with his father. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Hayden's poem, the speaker's relationship with his father was caring. The speaker describes all the responsibilities he would do for him. The father would get up, light the fire and wait for it to heat up before calling his family. He also polished the shoes of his children "who had chased away the cold / and he polished my good shoes too." The speaker speaks remorsefully “That I knew, that I knew / Of love's austere and solitary offices.” Hayden's poem is a simple but common sonnet. The poem is about a different kind of love. It's about the love parents have for their children and the love their children have for them. Just as the reader was unable to understand his father's love until the end. The reader understands what kind of sonnet the poem is until the end. Both poems reflect on a childhood memory, but each has a different focus. In Roethke's poem the speaker focuses more on how his father treated him and how he hurt him: "With every step you missed / My right ear scratched a buckle." The reader cannot be sure how the speaker feels about his father when he grows up. The reader remembers his father as a slightly unpredictable character. In Hayden's poem the speaker focuses more on his father and how he mistreated him. The reader also knows that the speaker remembers his father with respect and remorse. The speaker regrets that he could not see that his father showed him his love by caring for him “That I knew, that I knew / Of love's austere and solitary offices.” Both in “Those Sundays.