My Papa's Waltz Essay Questions

How is alliteration used to intensify the ambiguity of the scene being described?

Through alliterative words beginning with "B" sounds, Theodore Roethke links seemingly disconnected or minor moments in the poem, creating the sense of an underlying meaning. These take place in the latter half of the poem, as hints about the father's abusiveness increase in degree and density. They include the words "battered," "beat," and "buckle." Each of these on its own suggests harshness or injury. Taken together, and linked via alliteration, they act as a kind of code and suggest an undercurrent of abuse.

How does the poem create tension through ambiguity? Use specific examples.

Nearly every sensory detail provided in the poem is subject to two interpretations: one in which the detail fits into a lighthearted narrative about a playful family, and another in which it fits into a frightening story of abuse. The story opens with an image of the father's whiskey-scented breath, which is not necessarily alarming on its own. But the fact that it is strong enough to make the speaker lightheaded—and that the father later misses steps, as if drunk—subtly hints towards alcoholism. The poem describes the mother as frowning, and this, again, offers two possible interpretations. In one, her frown is a loving expression of protectiveness, and in another, it is a frightened, helpless expression as she bears witness to abuse. Even the detail of the father's "battered" hand can be viewed in two ways—is he a loving father despite his own pain and injury, or does his injury merely suggest a narrative universe laden with violence on all sides? Collectively, these moments of ambiguity build into a single charged conflict between two interpretive lenses.