THE TABLE AND THE CHAIR

I

Said the Table to the Chair,

'You can hardly be aware,

'How I suffer from the heat,

'And from chilblains on my feet!

'If we took a little walk,

'We might have a little talk!

'Pray let us take the air!'

Said the Table to the Chair.

 

II

Said the Chair unto the Table,

'Now you know we are not able!

'How foolishly you talk,

'When you know we cannot walk!'

Said the Table, with a sigh,

'It can do no harm to try,

'I've as many legs as you,

'Why can't we walk on two?'

 

III

So they both went slowly down,

And walked about the town

With a cheerful bumpy sound,

As they toddled round and round.

And everybody cried,

As they hastened to their side,

'See! the Table and the Chair

'Have come out to take the air!'

 

IV

But in going down an alley,

To a castle in a valley,

They completely lost their way,

And wandered all the day,

Till, to see them safely back,

They paid a Ducky-quack,

And a Beetle, and a Mouse,

Who took them to their house.

 

V

Then they whispered to each other,

'O delightful little brother!

'What a lovely walk we've taken!

'Let us dine on Beans and Bacon!'

So the Ducky, and the leetle

Browny-Mousy and the Beetle

Dined, and danced upon their heads

Till they toddled to their beds.

BIODATA

·         Edward Lear, born on May 12 1812 and died on January 29 1888.

·         Lear was born in Holloway, United Kingdom and died in Sanremo, Italy.

·         He is an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, now known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prouse and especially his limericks, a form he popularized.

LITERARY DEVICES

·         Assonance

i) Stanza 1, line 7: “Pray let us take the air!”

ii) Stanza 2, line 7: “I’ve as many legs as you,”

iii) Stanza 3, line 1: “So they both went slowly down,”

iv) Stanza 4, line 8: “Who took them to their house.”

v) Stanza 5, line 1: “Then they whispered to each other,”

 

·         Alliteration

i) Stanza 1, line 6: “We might have a little talk”

ii) Stanza 2, line 2: “Now you know we are not able!”

iii) Stanza 3, line 6: “As they hastened to their side,”

iv) Stanza 4, line 6: “The paid a Ducky-quack,”

v) Stanza 5, line 7: “Dined, and danced upon their heads”

 

·         Personification: The whole poem describes about non-living things with human qualities.

 

·         Onomatopoeia

i) Stanza 3, line 3: “With a cheerful bumpy sound,”

ii) Stanza 5, line 1: “Then they whispered to each other,”

 

 

·         Repetition

i) Chair

Stanza 1, line 1: Said the Table to the Chair

Stanza 1, line 8: Said the Table to the Chair

Stanza 2, line 1: Said the Chair unto the Table

Stanza 3, line 7: ‘See! The Table and the Chair

ii) Table

Stanza 1, line 1: Said the Table to the Chair

Stanza 1, line 8: Said the Table to the Chair

Stanza 2, line 1: Said the Chair onto the Table

Stanza 2, line 5: Said the Table, with a sigh,

Stanza 3, line 7: ‘See! the Table and the Chair

 

 

 

WHAT DOES HUMOR GOT TO DO WITH IT

It is a humorous poem because we literally know that table and the chair are non-living things. This means that they could not do what humans do such as walking, talking and dancing. Same goes with feelings, they would not be able to feel happy or sad. In this poem, the poet told that the Table and the Chair are walking and roaming around the alley joyfully. Not long after that, they got lost and met with Ducky-quack, a Beetle and a Mouse. The creatures brought them home. After that, they ate together and they danced upon their heads. Lastly, they all went to bed.

 

 

MEANING OF THE POEM

The Table and The chair, is a funny verse poem by Edward Lear about the relationship between the Table and the Chair. As with many of Lear’s poems the story is of a couple who run away together. The Table and the chair don’t roam quite as far as The Owl and the Pussy Cat or The Duck and the Kangaroo (some of his other poems), but they do draw surprise from onlookers as they explore the the valley and the street.

 

MESSAGE

This poem tells about the feeling when we found out something new in ourselves. However, there is a saying “too much happiness can make you less safe”. We should not be overjoyed for our specialties as being excessively happy has its own consequences such as engaging in riskier behaviours and tend to disregard threats, including binge eating, drug abuse etc.