Blog #3

This past weekend, I attended the Falls fest with my friends. It was a beautiful, October day in Baltimore and we went to brunch and wanted to enjoy the day with friends and explore. Falls fest included several local vendors that were selling merchandise and restaurants selling their best of Baltimore’s food. There was also a main stage with a live band that created a great atmosphere and many people were dancing. As I observed the crowd, I noticed that there was a man who was very intoxicated and could barely walk yet alone hold himself up. I watched as a group of children danced next to him in the crowd, as he proceeded to fall into them and hit the ground. To no surprise, the children were shocked and ran to their parents, crying and in complete fear. It suddenly dawned on me the effects that alcohol can have on a situation. In this instance, it completely changed the children’s good attitude and outlook of the day in a split second. I found it very fitting when I read these poems that two, in particular, involved the negative impacts that alcohol can have on a situation when it is taken to an extreme.

            In the story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator tells the story of revenge. The narrator meets Fortunato, already drunk at the time, and leads him deeper and deeper into his catacomb, and Fortunato continues to get drunker the farther down he goes into the narrator’s catacomb. As Fortunato gets progressively drunk, he loses control and this gives the narrator even more power over him. Starting to lose his way, Fortunato falls into an underground hole and the narrator proceeds to fill it with bricks, which suffocates the narrator. Consequentially, the narrator dies in the end of the story. This gruesome and cringe worthy story reminded me so much of what I saw at the Falls fest. The effect that alcohol had on the narrator was the sole reason of his demise. If he was not so drunk, the narrator could have had the ability to fight against Fortunato, however, instead the impacts of alcohol made it hard for him to make correct decisions and defend himself. Although the intoxicated at the man at Falls fest did not have as consequential effects on the children, he still proved that alcohol can worsen any situation.

            Similarly, in the poem, “My Father’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, a little boy discusses the “waltz” he shares with his drunken father. However, this waltz begins on a happy, playful note, as it seems as though he and his father dance around the kitchen playfully. However, as the poem continues, it almost seems as though the relationship between he and his father becomes slightly abusive. He says, “The hand that held my wrist/ Was battered on one knuckle,” (9-10) and “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt” (13-14). The words “battered” and “beat” imply that the father’s drunkenness has an unhealthy impact on the little boy. Even though it is unclear whether or not his father abuses him, he still lives in a household surrounded by heavy drinking and instability.

            This event truly opened my eyes to the detrimental effects of alcohol. A beautiful, lively, and light-hearted day quickly shifted for the children into a life-changing event of confusion and fear. As a nineteen-year-old girl in college, I admit that I am naive to the negativities of alcohol, as I am surrounded by it and it naturally feels like the norm of college life. I never truly took a minute to step back and realize my surroundings and how something so seemingly fun and harmless can truly take a toll on someone’s life and the lives of so many others. Experiencing this event at the Falls fest coupled with the underlying messages of these poems urged me to take a second look and evaluate the role of alcohol and the capabilities it has.