Both "The Dance" and the painting it's inspired by are a celebration of common people. And what a celebration it is, what with the beer flowin' and the butts wigglin'. We peek into a particularly happy moment for some Flemish peasants and we're shown that, just because some people may not be fabulously wealthy, that doesn't mean they can't ever have a good time.
Questions About Society and Class
- What clues does the poem give that the people in the poem are working class?
- Does the poem make any comments about which class of people is better than the other? Why, or why not?
- Does the poem paint a realistic picture of peasant life, do you think? Why, or why not?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The poem celebrates the lives of common people by focusing in on the joy present in their lives. Good times, gang.
"The Dance" and the painting it's inspired by, romanticizes the lives of common people, glossing over the hardships of everyday life. It's not all beer glasses and squeezeboxes.