The Walrus And The Carpenter | Lewis Carroll
Summary: The Walrus And The Carpenter by Lewis Carroll is a poem about a walrus and a carpenter who trick young oysters into being eaten after a "walk" on a shoreline
Characters:
Walrus - The carpenter's friend that does much of the talking and convincing to get the young oysters to follow them on the shore and get eaten
Carpenter - The walrus' friend who at the end shows a bit of eagernessin the eating session of the young oysters
Eldest Oyster - Wisely does not leave the oyster-bed
Young Oysters - "Eager" to "walk" on the shore with the walrus and the carpenter which ultimately leads to their doom
Stanza 1:
- Even though it was the "middle of the night" the sun was shining the very best that it could
- The sun trying to shine at night was "odd"
Stanza 2:
- The moon was sad that the sun was present for the moon thought that he shouldn't be there
- The moon thought the sun was "rude" and was "spoiling" the fun
Stanza 3:
- The author tells us that "the sea was wet as wet could be" and that the sands on the shore were "dry"
- The sky was clear even of birds and clouds
Stanza 4:
- As the walrus and the carpenter walked on the shore they "wept" for the quantity of sand and wished for it to be "cleared away"
Stanza 5:
- The walrus asked if "seven maids with seven mops" swept all the sand for six months that it would be cleared
- The carpenter did not think so while he "shed a bitter tear"
Stanza 6:
- The walrus begs the oysters to come with the walrus and the carpenter on a walk on the "briny beach"
- The walrus tries to convince the oysters by telling them that they would have a "pleasant" walk and talk
- One per had the walrus told the oysters
Stanza 7:
- The eldest oyster was too wise to leave the oyster-bed
- The eldest oyster told the walrus that he would not go, not with words, but with a shake of his head and a wink of his eye
Stanza 8:
- Four young oyster "hurried" to go on the walk
- The four young oysters tidied themselves up including their shoes even though they had no feet
Stanza 9:
- At first four more oysters came to follow on the walk
- Then many oysters joined them on the walk, "scrambling to the shore"
Stanza 10:
- The walrus and the carpenter walked about a mile and rested on a low rock
- The oysters "waited in a row"
Stanza 11:
- The walrus told the oysters that it was time to talk about "things"
- Among the things that the walrus told them it was time to talk about it was "cabbages", "kings" and "whether pigs have wings"
Stanza 12:
- The oysters thanked the carpenter for giving them a chance to rest for the oysters were all "fat"
Stanza 13:
- The walrus told the oysters it was time to "feed" with the assistance of pepper, vinegar and "'a loaf of bread'"
Stanza 14:
- The walrus asked the oysters if they "admired the view" as the oysters turned "blue"
- The oysters could not believe after "such kindness" that the walrus would eat them but the walrus just said that "the night is fine"
Stanza 15:
- The walrus thanks the oysters for coming and said they were "nice"
- The carpenter asked the walrus to cut them more bread and scolded the walrus for having to be told twice to do so
Stanza 16:
- The walrus was apologetic that the walrus and the carpenter had brought the oysters so far for a "trick"
- The carpenter just complained that there was too much butter on the bread
Stanza 17:
- The walrus cried into his "pocket-handkerchief" while sorting the oysters by the "largest size"
- The walrus told the oysters that he sympathized with them
Stanza 18:
- The carpenter ends the poem by asking the oysters if they had a "pleasant run"
- There are no more oysters to talk to because the walrus and the carpenter had eaten them all
Other Notes:
- This seems to be a humorous poem of the survival of the wisest and least gullible
- This seems to be a bit of a warning too to youth to think about what they're doing before they go and do it because often youth think wrecklessly
- Lewis Carroll also wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
- In Lewis Carroll's work, he brings out his creative imagination very skillfully with much want for the audience to enjoy
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