Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz"

This poem has a kept form. Even at a glance, it has a set form. It consists of four quatrains, each line being an iambic tritameter. The poem is about a young boy waltzing with his father. One can assume that the speaker is a young boy, or perhaps the poet reminiscing his youth. The father dances around in a haphazard manner, knocking over pans in the kitchen. Upon first glance, the tone is humorous. …

…lines and second-fourth lines in the quatrain and this is kept throughout the poem. Stresses on words such as dizzy and easy and buckle and knuckle gives the poem a rather playful feel. The last line of the poem, "waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt" infers the boy in very much dependent on his father and shows despite the elements of criticism, a father-son relationship based, at least partly on love.