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DateLine Sunday, 27 January 2008

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English Literature made easy - Poetry

Matilda
 

Matilda told such dreadful lies,
It made one gasp and stretch one's eyes,
Her aunt from her earliest youth,
Had kept strict regard for truth,
Attempted to believe Matilda,
The effort very nearly killed her
And would have done so, had not she
Discovered this informity.

For once towards the close of day
Matilda, growing tired of play
And finding she was left alone,
Went tip toe to the telephone
And summoned the immediate aid
of London's Noble fire brigade.

Within an hour the gallant band,
were pouring in on every hand,
From Putney, Hackney Downs and Bow,
With courage high and hearts a glow
They galloped roaring through the town,
"Matilda's house is burning down"
Inspired by British cheers and loud,
Proceeding from the frenzied crowd,
They ran their ladders through a score,
Of windows on the ballroom floor,
And took peculiar pains to souse,
The pictures up and down the house,
Until Matildas aunt succeeded,
In showing them they were not needed,
And even then she had to pay,
To get the men go away!

It happened that a few weeks later
Her aunt was off to the theatre
To see that interesting play
The second Mrs. Tanqucracy,
She had refused to take her neice,
To hear this entertaining piece,
A deprivation just and wise.
To punish her for telling lies,

That night a fire did break out,
You should have heard Matilda shout!
You should have seen her scream and bawl,
And throw the window up and call,
To people passing in the street,
(the rapidly increasing heat
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidence) but it was all in vain,
For everytime she shouted 'fire!'
They only answered 'Little Liar!"
And therefore when her aunt returned,
Matilda and the house were burned.

Matilda

Commentary

Hilaire Belloc's poem Matilda relates the tragic end of a foolish young woman, supposed to be 'A notorious liar' although the poem does not bear the form or pattern of a tragedy the poet has carefully woven it in humorous manner, though it contains a tragic episode. Even the sad situations are presented evoking humour with an elegant background.

The girl's foolish and stubborn nature, resulting in her own disaster, subjugating her own weakness lying to its extremes brings to her an extremely tragic end burnt to death. Matilda being a born liar never even attempted at being truthful. She achieved self satisfaction by lying and seeing her lies proving successful.

Her lies were so frightening that one looked at her with widened eyes, believing her dreadful episodes.

The whole poem revolves round the character of Matilda. Curiosity, tension and a strain of laughter evoke throughout the poem. Like the peasant boy in the local story, who shouted "wolf, wolf! to frighten the others deriving self satisfaction and ending up in his own death, with the actual wolf coming up on the scene and gulping down the boy.

In similar manner Matilda with her gullible lies persuading the others to believe her lies brings about her own destruction.

There's some kind of elasticity in Matilda's lies, dangerous as they are made people stare at her in suspicious manner. Matilda's anxiety to tell lies and derive pleasure appears to be some kind of mental mobility.

Matilda's lying reaching its climax when she called the London's Noble Fire Brigade. Bellac has used the epithet "noble' subjecting the Fire Brigade to ridicule and highlighting Matilda's ability to lie.

Matilda seems to derive pleasure by lying to display her ingenious nature, her walk to the telephone is suggestive of her peculiar mannerism, "And finding she was left alone went tip toe to the telephone. And summoned the immediate aid of London's Noble Fire Brigade."

The epithet Noble highlights the entire operation carried out by the Fire Brigade, and the arrival of the Fire Brigade collecting their members from various places and the 'Frenzied crowd' gazing at the moving Fire Brigade.

There's the most dreadful episode the house actually getting succumbed to fire and nobody coming to help Matilda, Belloc has expressed in dramatic manner the plight of Matilda when the actual fire broke out.

There's irony tragic and pathetic.
"For everytime she shouted 'Fire'
They only answered Little Liar.'

Hilaire Belloc has used a simple diction style with the rhyming pattern to suit the musical rhythm running throughout the poem, conveying to the reader a moral and gentle humour reigning in exemplary style highlighting Bernard show's wise words "The greater punishment aliar, would get is that nobody believes him/her."

**********

Father William
 

"You are old, Father William", the young man said
"And your hair has become very white:
And yet you incessantly stand on your head
Do you think at your age it is right?"

"In my youth" Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it would injure the brain,
But now I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old", said the youth "as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat,
Yet you turned a back somersault at the door
Pray, what is the reason of that?"

"In my youth", said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple,
By the use of the oinment - one shilling the box
Allow me to sell you a couple."

"You are old", said the youth and your jaws are too weak,
For anything tougher than suet,
Yet you finished the goose, with bones and the beak
Pray, how did you manage to do it?

"In my youth" said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife,
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old", said the youth, one would hardly supposed,
That your eye was steady as ever,
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions and that is enough,"
said, his father, "don't give yourself airs!"
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs."

Commentary

Lewis Carroll has touched upon a simple yet hilarious event an unexpected meeting of a father and son. The son is surprised that his father gets engaged in 'feats' and his astonishing deeds while father gives straight forward answers to every question roused by his son. Paying no heed to his son's attitude and showing his disgust by saying "I'll kick you down stairs".

To the reader Father William seems to be a peculiar person standing on his head and his son fearing he would injure himself and father retorting the son recalling to his own doubt about the exercises he performed would damage his brain. "But I am perfectly pure, I have none. Why I do it again and again." But his son would not agree with his father. "You are old," said the youth, and your jaws are too weak.

For anything tougher than suet"
"You are old," said the youth as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat."

The old father offering him an oinment that kept his 'limbs very supple by the use of this oinment."
Then comes the third question,
"You are old," said the youth
And your jaws are too weak."
Father explaining that his jaws are strong as
"a result of mastering the law."
"In my youth" said his father, I took to the law
and argued each case with my wife."
This appears to be a paradox and the fourth question deals with father's sight.
"That your eye was steady as ever
Yet you balanced an eel in the end of your nose."
Futher losing his patience warns his son about
Farther questions. "Don't give yourself airs,"
"Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?"

In developing the theme of this poem Lewis Carroll employs the figurative use of words. There's "parallelism" that enrich the sequence of the poem. Lewis Carroll has used his diction style in such manner so as to make the maximum use of the language pattern. The dramatic effect reigning throughout the poem and the rhythm rhyme enhancing the spontaneous flow of the poem.

The eight, four-lined stanzas rhyming abab and the dialogue form reigning throughout maintaining the tone and rhythm effective and appealing. Lewis Carroll has maintained the development of the theme of his poem through "Parallelism", the son beginning each utterance "you are old - and the father retorting "In my youth - " reaching the climax in effective manner.

The dramatic effect with the humorous episodes maintain the narration and the spontaneous flow of the poem.

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