My Papa’s Waltz is a classical poem depicting typical family life. The short poem is reminiscent of a father and son dance, showing moments of joy and sadness during the Waltz. The poem is a complex piece because of the different interpretations caused by the twisted diction and other literary devices (Roethke and William 1). Stanza one and two of the poem reveal the poem’s twist and complexity as events depict the bitter-sweet experience.
Stanza one, a quatrain opens with a suggestive line “The whiskey on your breath”. This statement reveals to the reader that the narrator’s father was drunk (Roethke & William 1). The poet wrote, “Could make a small boy dizzy”, to stress the first line, which portrays a dire situation (Roethke and William 1). This statement brings out the theme of alcoholism. I think this statement was used to uncover the hidden meaning of the poem because it is when the father is heavily drunk that fear and violence creeps. The third lines indicate that he hung on like death which is a simile used to bring out the tenderness or love portrayed in the poem. Finally, the fourth line mentions that waltzing was not easy, meaning that balancing the father-son relationship was tainted by his bad habits, such as chronic alcoholism.
Stanza two provides a vivid description of waltzing by using its synonym “romping”, which means to engage in a vigorous play. Usually, aggression is intertwined with violence which depicts the bitter or sorrowful part of the poem (Roethke and William 1). As romping continued, the pans were falling because of the commotion and his mother was not pleased by this action. The mother’s helplessness is another point I think was used to depict the sad part of the poem and showcase the effects of alcoholism. The reason is that if the father were sober, he would have identified that his actions made his family uncomfortable and afraid of him.
Work Cited
Roethke, Theodore, and William De Witt Snodgrass. My papa’s waltz. Bluestem Press, College of Saint Benedict, 2001.