Second Paper Assignment in English II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Second Paper Assignment in English II - Essay Example ’s Waltz† is narrated through the point of view and perspective of the boy and therefore the reader needs to listen for the voice of the poem behind the boy’s words. The tone suggests the mood of the narrator and the tone of a poem can be â€Å"serious, playful, exaggerated, understated, poignant, distanced, formal, informal, ironic, blunt or something other than these† (Schakel & Ridl 576). There can be a singular or multiple voices within the poem. The poem ‘My Papa’s Waltz† depicts a son’s memories of his father and the tone of the poem is equally important as that of the voice of the narrator. The complexity of the voice of the narrator of â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† provides the poem variety of meanings and offers different readings to the poem. Many readers feel that the poem has a dark tone as the poem depicts â€Å"troubled relationship or dysfunctional home† (Schakel & Ridl 578). Unlike other poems in the chapter the poem addresses not the readers but the narrator’s own father and the ‘you’ in the poem stands for the boy’s father himself. The very first line of the poem suggests that the father is heavily drunk and his drunkenness is sufficient enough to â€Å"make a small boy dizzy†. Similarly, the frown on the mother’s face in the second stanza and words such as â€Å"battered† â€Å"beat†, and â€Å"dirt† adds to the dark tone of the poem and the reader can very well experience the desperate voice of the narrator. The simile employed in the third line of the poem-â€Å"I hung on like death† shows feelings of fear and insecurity in the voice of the narrator and the father becomes a formidable figure for the boy. The boy has no other alternativ es than succumb to the violent outbursts of his drunk father and even as an adult the narrator’s voice echoes the pain and suffering his drunken father’s actions caused him at his early childhood. However, there are many readers who feel that the poem has a joyful tone. As the title of the poem