October 23, 2008

• Teaching poetry

  The Embarrassing Episode of Little Miss Muffet
             by Guy Wetmore Carryl

  Little Miss Muffet discovered a tuffet,
  (Which never occurred to the rest of us)
  And, as ’twas a June day, and just about noonday,
  She wanted to eat—like the best of us:
  her diet was whey, and I hasten to say
  It is a wholesome and people grow fat on it.
  The spot being lonely, the lady not only
  Discovered the tuffet, but sat on it.

  A rivulet gabbled beside her and babbled,
  As rivulets always are thought to do,
  And dragon flies sported around and cavorted,
  As poets say dragon flies ought to do;
  When, glancing aside for a moment, she spied
  A horrible sight that brought fear to her,
  A hideous spider was sitting beside her,
  And most unavoidably near to her!

  Albeit unsightly, this creature politely
  Said: “Madam, I earnestly vow to you,
  I’m penitent that I did not bring my hat. I
  Should otherwise certainly bow to you.”
  Though anxious to please, he was so ill at ease
  That he lost all sense of propriety,
  And grew so inept that he clumsily stept
  In her plate—which is barred in Society.

  This curious error completed her terror;
  She shuddered, and growing much paler, not
  Only left tuffet, but dealt him a buffet
  Which doubled him up in a sailor knot.
  It should be explained that at this he was pained:
  He cried, “I have vexed you, no doubt of it!
  Your fist’s like a truncheon.” “You’re still in my luncheon,”
  Was all that she answered. “Get out of it!”

  And the Moral is this: Be it madam or miss
  To whom you have something to say,
  You are only absurd when you get in the curd
  But you’re rude when you get in the whey!
  

  Each year I teach poetry to my children.  Most of them have been resistant.  Matthew is no exception.  He resists the concept of learning poetry but not to the fact of learning it.  This week he was told to find five poems in his book and read them over and then prepare the questions to go over them with me.  Of course he did not pick any of the poems that were interesting to me.  (that is all right and not required)  He chose some of the sillier ones in the book.  The above poem, The Embarrassing Episode of Little Miss Muffet was one that he chose and then his poor father was subjected to the bottom line when he called from work this morning.  Now his dad is not too fast when it comes to thinking on his feet so he had no clue what Matthew was saying when he answered the phone and he tended to get somewhat annoyed.  But at least we had a good time instead of having to listen to grumbling and 100 different reasons why learning poetry is unnecessary.  That encourages me for next week when we get out Shakespeare.

  • 10:45 am
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