Interpreting Vocabulary In 'My Papa's Waltz'

So many people now-a-days are growing up in homes with substance dependent family member, but most people are not aware. A lot of times alcoholism and drug addictions can be hidden well underneath the surface of a family. At first glance it can be impossible to tell someone is suffering, but after taking a closer look the blurred lines become clearer. The writing technique in “My Papa’s Waltz” illustrates this situation. The juxtaposition of a harmonious childlike poem and alarming vocabulary create mixed signals from the speaker that cause A poem that has a pattern that occurs at the end of each line using an every other line creates a “sing-song” like tone. It has harmony and can often be described as childlike. Often times people also find comfort in repetitive sounds so the “A, B, A, B, A, B” rhythm of the poem can suggest a comfortable sensation. The fact that this poem is written in a child’s point of view makes the tone even stronger. Evidence from the title: “My Papa’s …show more content…
However just like the poem, if it is looked at a little closer it is easy to see the pain those substances cause as well. The mother in “My Papa’s Waltz” is the prime example: “My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself” (7-8). His mother feels a great deal of pain and humiliation because her husband replaced her with whisky. In my opinion all that a dependent relationship on a substance does is hurt. It can be the direct family that is being subjected to it through humiliation of their drunken mom, dad, or daughter wreaking havoc or stumbling around barely able to walk. Yet it can also hurt someone else that is not connected in that way. I personally know a police officer that was just doing his job by taking a drunk driver off the road when he was struck and permanently injured by another careless drunk