Posted by Kim Mraz (130.86.26.37) on June 28, 2005 at 5:45:58 p.m.:
In Reply to: Re: "My Papa's Waltz" posted by Kristi Vang on June 27, 2005 at 7:24:40 p.m.:
>AS I heard this poem, it did sound a little bit more harsh than my first impression had led me to believe. Papa may had been more drunk than I may assumed. The tone made me believe this to be true. Additionally, the connotation of Waltz may not be the happy dance that I had originally thought it would be.
>>My first impression of "My Papa's Waltz" is that of a father who has had too much to drink, and dances with his child before putting him to bed. The mother appears to be unhappy as she could not stop frowning, but the child seems to enjoy the dance and apparently thinks of it as a fond memory.
>>> As a reply to this message, post your first impressions of "My Papa's Waltz."
>>>
I heard the same reaction out of the drinker. I think that "dancing" to him means that his lady was getting injured by him. His dancing was a form of abuse casued by his drinking.