Humor and Poetry www.assignmentpoint.com

Humor Humor in poetry can arise from a number of sources: Surprise Exaggeration Bringing together of unrelated things Most funny poems have two things in common: Rhythm Rhyme www.assignmentpoint.com

Rhythm & Rhyme “The Porcupine” By Ogden Nash Using more spirited language makes humorous situations even more humorous “The Porcupine” By Ogden Nash Any hound a porcupine nudges Can’t be blamed for harboring grudges. I know one hound that laughed all winter At a porcupine that sat on a splinter. www.assignmentpoint.com

If you take away the rhythm and rhyme, the humor vanishes. Any hound that touches a porcupine Can’t be blamed for holding a grudge I know one hound that laughed all winter long At a porcupine that sat on a piece of wood www.assignmentpoint.com

Lewis Carroll 1832-1898 Born in England Wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Wrote Through the Looking Glass His life was quiet and uneventful, but in works like Father William, he found escape from his serious work into a delightfully zany, topsy-turvy world that still amuses children old and young. www.assignmentpoint.com

“Father William” Page 400 In this poem, a young man questions his father about some rather unusual behavior. Have you ever asked someone what they were doing and received an explanation that made very little sense at all? www.assignmentpoint.com

Limericks A limerick is a poem of five lines The first, second, and fifth lines have three rhythmic beats and rhyme with one another. The third and fourth lines have two beats and rhyme with one another. They are always light-hearted, humorous poems. www.assignmentpoint.com

Limericks There once was a man with no hair. He gave everyone quite a scare. He got some Rogaine, Grew out a mane, And now he resembles a bear! www.assignmentpoint.com

Limerick About a Bee I wish that my room had a floor, I don’t care so much for a door. But this walking around Without touching the ground Is getting to be quite a bore. www.assignmentpoint.com

Another Limerick There once was a very small mouse Who lived in a very small house, The ocean’s spray Washed it away, All that was left was her blouse! www.assignmentpoint.com

You will create a limerick similar to this one… There once was a man from Beijing. All his life he hoped to be King. So he put on a crown, Which quickly fell down. That small silly man from Beijing. www.assignmentpoint.com

Fill in the blanks and create your own Limerick. There once was a _____ from _____. All the while she/he hoped ________. So she/he ____________________, And ________________________, That _________ from ___________. www.assignmentpoint.com

Mrs. Smith’s Limerick: There once was a man from Japan. All the while he hoped for a tan. So he lay on the beach, And ate a ripe peach, That came from a Georgia van. www.assignmentpoint.com