Paraphrase: The smell on your breath can affect a child; but I would never give in for it wasn't easy. We frolicked so much pans slide from the shelf; my mom didn't have much tolerance to put up with this. Part of you was injured but every thing I did somehow it was a mistake. You never let me forget because we were God, and then took me to bed because I was forever yours.
Connotation: "My Papa's Waltz" presents similes, metaphors, and personification. An example of a simile would be, "But I held on like death." The author means that he could never let go he is so desperate. A personification example would be, "My mother's countenance could not un-frown itself." By this the author means that even tolerance can't handle such a person when they are under the influence. The author provides very brief words throughout the poem to quickly get his poem's meaning across to the reader.
Speaker's Attitude: The speaker evokes sympathy as they read the poem. What evokes such a tone could possibly be the mood. The mood of this poem is sad and pitiful. Words in the poem give this feeling to the reader. Some would be "battered on one knuckle," "un-frown," and "death." Such a word gives off a vibe of what the mood is therefore resulting in the tone of the speaker.
Shifts: There are very minimal tense shifts if any. The poem begins sad because it talks of Whiskey on someone's breath but as the poem moves along the reader comes across "romped" which also means frolicked. Frolicked gives the reader a sense of happiness because when someone hears the word frolic the reader thinks of happiness because most little kids frolic. After that there are hardly any shifts in the poem.
Theme: This poem presents the idea that the theme would be that no matter what someone can do, there will always be someone who depends on him or her and will always love him or her. An example of the poem helps support this, "Still clinging to your shirt," this implies that they do depend on them because this is an act of immaturity. "Held on like death," provides another example because the death grip is a never ever letting go grip, it holds on forever and doesn't want to let go.
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