Bite an English per day

#To me, it's a humourous poem (read with mysterious tone, creating mischievous mood)


Mr. Nobody

by Anonymous

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody’s house!
There’s no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody.

’Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pins afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For prithee, don’t you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody.

He puts damp wood upon the fire,
That kettles cannot boil;
His are the feet that bring in mud,
And all the carpets soil.
The papers always are mislaid,
Who had them last but he?
There's no one tosses them about
But Mr. Nobody.

The finger marks upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blinds unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill; the boots
That lying round you see
Are not our boots,—they all belong
To Mr. Nobody.

Glossary
mischief-damage
cracked-broken
ajar-slightly open
scatters-put here and there
afar-at a distance away
squeak-make a short and high-pitched sound
damp-slightly wet
mislaid-misplaced
tosses-throws carelessly

I Wonder
by Jeannie Kirby

I wonder why the grass is green,
And why the wind is never seen?

Who taught the birds to build a nest,
And told the trees to take a rest?

And when the moon is not quite round,
Where can the missing bit be found?

Who lights the stars, when they blow out,
And makes the lightning flash about?

Who paints the rainbow in the sky,
And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?

Why is it now, do you suppose,
That Dad won’t tell me if he knows?

Glossary
wonder-feel curious about
flash-sudden bright burst of light
fluffy-soft and light
suppose-assume

Analysis of poem

[I Wonder by Jeannie Kirby]

Literal meaning
A child is wondering about the natural happenings, asking why the grass is green (instead of the other colours) and why the wind is invisible. He or she continues to ponder the person who teaches the birds to build nest and the trees stop growing. He or she also wonders when the moon is in crescent shape, where the other part of the moon is.
He or she proceeds to question about the person who makes the stars shining and how the lightning flash about. He or she keeps on asking who colours the rainbow and puts the clouds high in sky. He or she cannot get the answers, thus, directs the questions to the other. Lastly, the child wonders why father doesn’t tell him or her if he knows the answers.

Persona(Speaker)
-a naive child
Point of view
-First person (‘I’ Wonder)

Setting
-Day to night, outdoor

Theme
-Curiosity
-The Power of Creator

Structure
-6 stanzas (6 couplets)
Rhyme Scheme
-regular (aa bb cc dd ee)
Tone
-questioning, curiosity
Mood
-reflective

Language
-simple, Wh-words/questions
Imagery
-nature (grass, wind, bird, moon, stars, lightning, rainbow, clouds)
Poetic Devices
-Personification ("trees...take a rest")
-Alliteration ("grass is green", "birds to build")

Moral Values
-We should be observant and sensitive to out surroundings
-We should always cultivate a sense of wonder in our heart
-We should appreciate and take care of the nature created by our Creator

#Bite Eng's Review
Reading through the poem, the questions are those common questions asked by most children. These questions are identical to our questions that we asked when we were child. For example, "Why the sky and sea are blue?", "Why I can smell it but can't touch it?", "Why we grow taller each day", "Can I pluck the shining star?", "Why the sky is bright during daytime and yet dark at night?", etc. Most children are curious in nature. Adults might find their questions naive and funny. However, the sense of wonder is essential as the motivation to drive them to seek for the answer. With the questions in mind, their curiosity urges them on finding the solution. Thus, they are those scientists-to-be, doctors-to-be, geologists-to-be, astronomers-to-be, teachers-to-be, etc. Thus, the message here is to cultivate the sense of wonder in our children's heart and avoid killing their interest to know about their surroundings.

Reading the questions posed, effort is made to answer the questions:

I wonder why the grass is green, (The grass has chlorophyll which is green pigment.)
And why the wind is never seen? (The wind is moving air [gas] which cannot be seen.)

Who taught the birds to build a nest,
And told the trees to take a rest? (Our creator of nature did that.)

And when the moon is not quite round,
Where can the missing bit be found?
(We have Phases of moon. As the moon circles the Earth, its shape seems to change depending on the sunlight.)

Who lights the stars, when they blow out,
And makes the lightning flash about? (Again, our creator of nature did that.)

Who paints the rainbow in the sky,
And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?
(These are the art of work done by our creator of nature.)

Why is it now, do you suppose,
That Dad won’t tell me if he knows?
(Our Father..Almighty Lord would want us to be self-aware and able to appreciate his hard work.)

The message is that Our Father (The Creator) is almighty. We, as human being, are naive to understand the hard work done by Him. Instead of asking Him for answers for our doubts, we are obliged to carry on our mission to seek and gain the borderless knowledge and message conveyed by Our Father. Our Father may not give the whole knowledge directly, but He will guide us. One day, we will be enlightened with His knowledge for us.