Analysis of Speak Roughly to Your Little Boy

Lewis Carroll 1832 (Daresbury) – 1898 (Guildford)



And with that she
began nursing her child again, singing a sort of
lullaby to it as she did so, and giving it a vio­
lent shake at the end of every line: -- --
  "Speak roughly to your little boy,
  And beat him when he sneezes;
  He only does it to annoy,
  Because he knows it teases."CHORUS
(in which the cook and the baby joined): -- -- "Wow! wow! wow!"While the Duchess sang the second verse of
the song, she kept tossing the baby violently up
and down, and the poor little thing howled so,
that Alice could hardly hear the words: -- --
  "I speak severely to my boy,
  I beat him when he sneezes;
  For he can thoroughly enjoy
  The pepper when he pleases!" CHORUS"Wow! wow! wow!"


Scheme ABBCDEDEBFGHDEDI
Poetic Form
Metre 0111 0110010110011 10111111010101 1110111001 11011101 0111110 11011101 011111 010100101111010101011 01111001010001 0100110111 110110101 11010111 1111110 11110001 0101110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 688
Words 136
Sentences 9
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 497
Words per stanza (avg) 130
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 30, 2023

40 sec read
702

Lewis Carroll

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll, was an English writer, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. more…

All Lewis Carroll poems | Lewis Carroll Books

2 fans

Discuss this Lewis Carroll poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Speak Roughly to Your Little Boy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/25792/speak-roughly-to-your-little-boy>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    7
    hours
    18
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    When's the World Poetry Day is celebrated?
    A 21 March
    B 18 December
    C 12 March
    D 21 April