The Children's Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
~Reflecting back on when the incident happened.
~Makes many comparisons
-"Devouring me with kisses"
~Written as a fairytale.
~Child's story put into a serious tone, turning a morning of kids hugging and kissing their father into enemies assaulting a castle.
The Allusion: There were many villagers that were hungry who went up to the king. The villagers wanted the food that he had stored in his tower. The king took out all the food that filled the towers and sent the villagers up and burned the towers down; therfore, they all burned in the towers.
Later, the king was devoured by rats in the same towers.
I don't believe The Children's Hour was written as a fairytale. To me, the poem is about a father playing with his children. Given that the poem was published in 1860, it's refreshing to read about a father who is clearly involved in his children's lives. When Mrs. Elliott first explained the allusion, I was disgusted. The allusion does make it easier to visualize the children attacking their father and drowning him with kisses; however, it does make the poem more serious and create a darker tone.
ReplyDelete-K. Lui
I think this poem had irony.. and Karma. I am a strong believer in Karma, and when i read this i took it the same way as the Little Monsters did. Although gruesome, i like the ending, because in the end karma will come and bite you in the booty! :/
ReplyDeleteMiriam Rizk
I believe that this poem is merely about a father and his children. I have a difficult time seeing the connection between the fairytale and the literal connotation of the poem. For such an innocent poem about the love between a father and his children, there is a very dark allusion. It makes one wonder what Longfellow thought about the love in families. Something such as the love in a family can be seen as a sinister attack. To me, I don't see how the two are related
ReplyDelete-Debby T