In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers ' perspective. The title itself, the word choices, and the rhythm in the poem gave me the impression that the father is not abusive but drunk.
             The images used by the speaker were simultaneously tempting and satisfying to support my point of view of the father drunk ness. The speaker mentions that the breath of his father smelled like whiskey, continues saying that the waltzing wasn't easy, and implies that the father was careless and was missing steps while dancing. The poem start with the speaker stating that his father is very drunk; he's so wasted that just his breath could make a little boy dizzy. A waltz is a type of dance that someone must lead; the father is the one leading the child into the waltz and he doesn't have much control of himself. In the second stanza the way that they were dancing was careless that was probably why the pans from the kitchen shelf were sliding. In the third stanza the narrator implies that the father was missing steps reaffirming that the father was drunk. The opposition believes that because of the images shown in the poem the father is not drunk but abusive. On the first stanza the word "death" makes the danger of the situation clear making the opposition believing that the child was frightened. The word "romped" at the beginning of the second stanza and the next line following it with pans falling form the kitchen shelf let them to believe that the waltz was not safe for the child; also a mom that frowns in disapproval. On the third stanza, a hand holding a wrist instead of a hand holding a hand implying that the child is dancing unwillingly. A buckle that repeatedly scrapes the young boy's ear are signals of physical abuse. On the last stanza the words "beat time on my head" and "palms cake...