Frustration
If I had a shiny gun,
I could have a world of fun
Speeding bullets through the brains
Of the folk who give me pains;
Or had I some poison gas,
I could make the moments pass
Bumping off a number of
People whom I do not love.
But I have no lethal weapon-
Thus does Fate our pleasure step on!
So they still are quick and well
Who should be, by rights, in hell.
Commentary
As part of our ongoing theme, hate rhymes.
This poem from Dorothy Parker is exactly the sort of thing we worry about the kids reading. My open question is, what do we get from a poem like this, what kind of pleasure does it give us? I’m not suggesting any answers. I’m just curious to how we respond to such poems. The first time I read these things I’m impressed with the vigor and force of the poet’s wrath, and a bit bemusedly shocked, and vicariously pleased. The second and third readings are somewhat more disturbing…
— David
Minstrels Links
Dorothy Parker:
Poem #150, Resume
Poem #192, Comment
Poem #486, Epitaph for a Darling Lady
Poem #560, Chant for Dark Hours
Poem #638, Song of Perfect Propriety
Poem #697, A Well Worn Story
Poem #878, Frustration
Hate Rhymes:
Poem #185, A Glass of Beer – David O’Bruadair
Poem #266, The Litany for Doneraile – Patrick O’Kelly
Poem #876, I Wish My Tongue were a Quiver – Louis McKay
Poem #877, I Do Not Love Thee, Dr Fell – Tom Brown
Poem #635, Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister – Robert Browning
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From the Wondering Minstrels mailing list, 1999–2008.
Kerri Clarke · 23 October 2003
David asks what kind of pleasure we derive from poems about hate, like this one. I think they put a voice and substance to that little ugly voice we hear in our heads and hearts when we encounter people we really, really don¹t like. Simply put, she unashamedly trumpets what we¹re all afraid to say out loud, or even think to ourselves. Did I mention the word Shadenfreude??
Kerri
Jessica Schnell · 24 November 2003
I think the poem is just humorous, personally I would never take it seriously enough to go around killing the people who annoy us to no end, and just reading something like that really does express our inner thoughts, as Kerri said. I think in that way, it’s similar to her other poems, #150 Resume and #1090 Unfortunate Coincidence. I’m a newly converted fan of hers now!
Amit Batra · 3 August 2004
I would say that I tried not to take the poem seriously, tried to look at it as if a small little girl is saying it… but reading it again, it is infact quite violent… even though its funny and nice, think she’s gone overboard, which she has all the rights to do anyways. So what is it that I am saying. Nothing.
Amit Batra
Rebecca Gluski · 2 April 2005
oh lord. Dorothy Parker was probably the most talented and notable woman of the 20th century. Certainly she was a true talent, a celebrity with both grace, wit, and a loose toungue quick to strike out at anything that could ail her.She had the unique talent of making you both sympathize with and dislike her at the same time. If this poem is being read by your youngsters, then I eagerly applaud their progressive reading abilities. But I shall not worry too much. A child with enough diminished intellectual capacity to become violent by reading something would not be reading a poem by Ms. Parker anyway. That was a velied insult at the way of thinking the first post set the tone with. I believe the only way to raise a socially conscious and aware child is to trust them with their own minds. And reading Dorothy Parker and understanding her, before college is something I would be proud of in my daughter.
OMalley Brian · 26 September 2006
When I was a kid we used to sing
“Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the burning of the school!
We have tortured ev’ry teacher
We have broken ev’ry rule!”
…but we really didn’t burn down the school or torture any teachers.
There may be a point at which it becomes alarming if a child will only read or write about murder and arson, but if all the child is doing is getting a little entertainment then I think we should be OK with it.
BTW my own son got in trouble with a nun in 3rd grade for singing the above-mentioned song, which I taught him. He’s quite a well- behaved young man, really!
Brian J. O’Malley, Sr.
Veronica I · 1 February 2008
dave who?? why do all dave have to pretend?