The poem “The Duck And The Kangaroo” expresses the longing of the Duck to take a trip on the Kangaroo’s back across the world. She does not live within the limits of her pond and so she requested him to give her a ride on his back. They both also found solutions to their problems.
About The Poet: The Duck And The Kangaroo
Edward Lear was an English poet, artist, author, musician and known for his nonsense poetry. Through this poem, he tries to create humor among the readers and takes us to the world of imagination. He also composed 12 musical settings of Tennyson’s poetry in the poem.
The Duck And The Kangaroo: Main Theme
The poem is a conversation between two animals, a duck, and a kangaroo. The duck requested the kangaroo by praising him to take her on a world tour by hopping and jumping.
The duck felt very bored and sad as she sat on the rock around her pond and had a longing to go on a trip to Dee and Jelly Bo Lee.
The Kangaroo just asked her to take care of her cold feet as it would give him chills and body pains. To this confusion, the Duck replied that she had thought about it and already bought four pairs of socks and would blow a cigar all day to avoid the cold. After that, they both went on their journey and went hopping.
Let’s dive into the journey of a duck and kangaroo who both set out on a journey and both enjoy each other’s company.
Poem’s Analysis: Summary Of The Duck And The Kangaroo class 9th
Stanza 1.
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo, “Good gracious! how you hop! Over the fields and the water too, As if you never would stop! My life is a bore in this nasty pond, And I long to go out in the world beyond! I wish I could hop like you!” Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
The Duck was flabbergasted to see kangaroo hopping and expressed her feeling to take her for a ride on his back. The duck felt very bored and sad to remain confined within her pond and so she has a desire to hop around the world on his back.
Meanings
- Nasty: bad; unpleasant
Stanza 2.
“Please give me a ride on your back!” Said the Duck to the Kangaroo. “I would sit quite still, and say nothing but ‘Quack’, The whole of the long day through! And we’d go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee, Over the land, and over the sea; Please take me a ride! O do!” Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
The Duck requested the Kangaroo to give her a ride on his back and promised her that she will sit quietly and just say quack all day. The duck expresses her desire to go Dee and Jolly Bo Lee. she also added that she would like to hop all day over the land and the sea.
Meanings
- Quack: Sound of the duck
Stanza 3.
Said the Kangaroo to the Duck, “This requires some little reflection; Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck, And there seems but one objection, Which is, if you’ll let me speak so bold, Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold, And would probably give me the roo- Matiz!” said the Kangaroo.
The kangaroo replied that he had to think about the proposal and the idea could be good for him but she had to do something about her cold feet as he feels body pains and chills.
Meanings
- Reflection: thought, pondering
- Roo-Matiz: refers to the disease of rheumatism
Stanza 4.
Said the Duck, “As I sat on the rocks, I have thought over that completely, And I bought four pairs of worsted socks Which fit my web-feet neatly. And to keep out the cold I’ve bought a cloak, And every day a cigar I’ll smoke, All to follow my own dear true Love of a Kangaroo!”
The duck said she has been fed up sitting on the rock all day long. So in order to avoid this situation and fulfill her desire she bought four pairs of socks that fit her webbed feet. She also thought to wear a cloak and smoke a cigar every day to avoid colds and chills.
Meanings
- Cloak: Shrug
Stanza 5.
Said the Kangaroo, “I’m ready! All in the moonlight pale; But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady! And quite at the end of my tail!” So away they went with a hop and abound, And they hopped the whole world three times round; And who so happy — O who, As the Duck and the Kangaroo?
The kangaroo was happy and content on listening to her plans and got ready for the trip. They both decided to start their journey when the sky was pale, in the moonlight. The Kangaroo asked her to hold him tight and they traveled around the world three times. They both enjoy each other’s company and were very happy.
The Duck And The Kangaroo Literary Devices
- Alliteration – The repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more closely placed words.
- a) Good gracious- ‘g’
- b) how you hop – ‘h’
- c) sit quite still, and say – ‘s’
- d) But to balance- ‘b’
- e) dear duck – ‘d’
- f) whole world – ‘w’
- Anaphora- When the same word is used at the start of 2 or more consecutive lines.
-
- a) And to keep out the cold I’ve bought a cloak, And every day a cigar I’ll smoke,
- b) And they hopped the whole world three times round, And who so happy — O who. Both the pairs of sentences begin with ‘and’.
- Refrain- the use of a musical rhyming sentence throughout the poem. “Said the duck to the kangaroo” has been repeated to lay stress on the request made by the duck to the kangaroo.
- Enjambment – When the same sentence continues in two or more lines.
- “And I bought four pairs of worsted socks; Which fit my web-feet neatly.”
- “All to follow my own dear true; Love of a Kangaroo!”
Rhyme Scene
Stanza 1 – ababccaa
Stanza 2 – ababccbb
Stanza 3, 4, 5 – ababccdd
Conclusion
The poem The Duck And The Kangaroo is based on ‘nonsense Verse’ written by Edward Lear. It is a comic poem that takes the readers to the world of imagination and arouses curiosity among us.
