The title of the poem is "My Papa's Waltz". The poem is about a drunken father who abuses his young child. The interpretation of the poem is it is about a young child who recalls "waltzing" with a drunken father. The father's breath smell of whiskey and his moves were clumsy. The child admirers the father and at the same time, afraid of him. .
In the poem "My Papa's Waltz", the vocabulary is easy to understand, as it is written from a child's point of view. Line 4 - "was not easy". There are more other words to describe a dance, but a child would probably not use more "adult" vocabulary. Line 7 and 8 - "My mother's countenance", "Could not unfrown itself" is a change in the poem. This is because it is unusual to use "countenance" for facial expression. These two lines emphasis on the child's consciousness of his mother.
In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" the tone is not available. In line 8 - "Could not unfrown itself" may show anger or sadness in the mother's part, but not evident. Line 1 and 2 - "The whiskey on your breath", "Could make a small boy dizzy" also shows emotion. But, throughout the poem tone is not clear.
Line 9 - "The hand that held my wrist". Here, the writer is showing us a child's impression. This can mean that the father is an aggressive and domineering personal in the child's life. .
As a conclusion, diction and imagery is evident throughout the poem. Tone is not available. The poem "My Papa's Waltz" shows how a child is abused when the father is drunk. .
