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