Summary of poem Quangle Wangle's Hat by Edward Lear
Answers
Stanza 1:
On the top of the Crumpetty Tree
The Quangle Wangle Sat,
But his face you could not see,
On Account of his Beaver Hat.
For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,
With ribbons and bibbons on every side
And bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace.
So that nobody ever could see the face
Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.
The first stanza of the poem builds the background of the poetic narration. In the first two lines, the poet introduces his protagonist, ‘The Quangle Wangle’ and describes the unusual place where he sits, that is, ‘On the top of the Crumpetty Tree.’ Crumpet is a griddle cake made from flour and yeast. Thus, the word ‘Crumpetty Tree’ gives an air of unusual playfulness to the tone of the poem. In the third line of this stanza, however, the poet directly refers to his readers by addressing them as ‘You’ with which he (the poet) also affirms his presence as a narrator. ‘But his face you could not see,/ On account of his Beaver Hat.’
This lines tends to inform the readers that the ‘Quangle Wangle’ is wearing a ‘Beaver Hat’ which will serve as a curtain, making it difficult for the readers to see his (Quangle Wangle’s) face. Also, the capitalization of the word ‘Beaver Hat’ drives the reader’s attention giving the word a sense of eminence. The poet further, reasons out his readers by stating that the ‘Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,’ which is also an instance of the use of hyperbole by the poet. In the next two lines, the poet uses alliterations to give it a feel of layman’s speech. Generally, we tend to use the words like ‘ribbons and bibbons’ just as a way of talking rather than for any kind of meaningful weight that the words may hold. In the last two lines of the stanza, the poet confirms that it is just not the readers but ‘nobody ever could see the face/ Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.’
Stanza 2:
The Quangle Wangle said
To himself on the Crumpetty Tree,-
“Jam; and jelly; and bread;
“Are the best of food for me!
“But the longer I live on this Crumpetty Tree
“The plainer than ever it seems to me
“That very few people come this way
“And that life on the whole is far from gay!”
Said the Quangle Wangle Quee.
The second stanza begins with the monologue of ‘The Quangle Waangle’, where he says that ehe has ‘the best of food’ to eat, which means that he is living a comfortable life.
‘But the longer I live on this Crumpetty Tree/ The plainer than ever it seems to me’. In these two lines, the poet through the monologue of Quangle Wangle makes his readers aware of the lonesomeness of his protagonist. While in the next two lines, the Quangle Wangle says that he is lonely because ‘very few people come this way’ and though he is living a comfortable life yet, his ‘life on the whole is far from gay!’
Stanza 3:
But there came to the Crumpetty Tree,
Mr. and Mrs. Canary;
And they said,- “Did ever you see
“Any spot so charmingly airy?
“May we build a nest on your lovely Hat?
“Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!
“O please let us come and build a nest
“Of whatever material suits you best,
“Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!”
In this stanza, the narration moves a little forward. Two new characters, that is, Mr. and Mrs. Canary” approaches the Quangle Wangle saying, “May we build a nest on your lovely Hat?” They are amazed to see the beautiful big Hat of the Quangle Wangle as the lines “Did ever you see/ Any spot so charmingly airy?” suggests. In the last four lines, Mr. and Mrs. Canary are requesting Mr. Quangle Wangle to “grant us (them) that!” to let them “come and build a nest on his Hat.
Stanza 4:
And besides, to the Crumpetty Tree
Came the Stork, the Duck, and the Owl;
The Snail, and the Bumble-Bee,
The Frog, and the Fimble Fowl;
(The Fimble Fowl, with a corkscrew leg;)
And all of them said,- “We humbly beg,
“We may build out homes on your lovely Hat,-
“Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!
“Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!”
In the fourth stanza, many more creatures like the “Stork, the Duck, and the Owl;/ The Snail, and the Bumble-Bee,/ The Frog,and the Fimble Fowl;” all came to beg him grant them the permission to build their “homes on” his “lovely Hat”.
Answer:
where did the quangle wangle's sit ?