Mr. Nobody by Author Unknown
I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse, Who does the mischief that is done In everybody's house! There's no one ever sees his face, And yet we all agree That every plate we break was cracked By Mr. Nobody. `Tis he who always tears our books, Who leaves the door ajar, He pulls the buttons from our shirts, And scatters pine afar; That squeaking door will always squeak, For, prithee, don't you see, We leave the oiling to be done By Mr. Nobody |
He pits damp wood upon the fire,
That kettles cannot boil; His are the feet that bring in mud, And all the carpets soil. The papers always are mislaid, Who had them last but he? There's no one tosses them about But Mr. Nobody. The finger marked upon the door By none of us are made; We never leave the blind unclosed, To let the curtains fade. The ink we never spill; the boots That lying round you see Are not our boots they all belong To Mr. Nobody. |
Meaning of Stanzas:
Stanza 1
The funny little man mentioned in the poem is a little boy, perhaps three to five years old. This is because; a child within that age usually does not talk much rather than making things that require them to learn. However, they often create trouble to people around them. Like in this stanza, there are cracked plates but people tend not to scold them because they are in the learning process though people know they do it.
Stanza 2
The same thing happen mentioned in this stanza, the child creates another trouble in the house. Some of the troubles are the books have been torn, the buttons have been pulled out from the shirts and the pins are scattered. However, seeing that the little boy needs to learn, they leave the squeaking door to be oiled by the boy for him to learn.
Stanza 3
Within this age also, the child may be doing something that may annoy some other people. The examples are given in this stanza such as Mr. Nobody puts damp woods upon the fire which causes the kettle cannot be boiled, bringing the mud into the house and make the carpet soiled, and papers are mislaid. People know that no one could do such things except for Mr. Nobody
Stanza 4
However, though people like Mr. Nobody is quite troubling, they need to be directed and to be taught the meaning of life. Not to forget they become like that because they are in the process of learning. Therefore, we as adult or people that are older and already matured must show a good talent for them to follow the right role model. For example in this stanza, Mr. Nobody does not know the meaning of privacy which he lets the door and the curtain open, leaving the boots not in the right place and spilling inks.
Setting:
The poem is set in a house and the area around the house. The persona talks about the situation in the house and things happening in it. things get broken, misplaced and thrown around by an unseen person. Besides that, he also messes up the house and dirties the place.
Themes:
The main theme in this poem is family life which is full of mischievousness from the children. it is normal for a family to have someone who does mischievousness but will not admit it. In a family, we might take things done by other people for granted. We should appreciate the work done by other people. We should allocate work clearly and be responsible for our own actions. Another theme is respect for every member of the family. Cultivate good habits for everyone's sake and comfort.
Moral values:
Stanza 1
The funny little man mentioned in the poem is a little boy, perhaps three to five years old. This is because; a child within that age usually does not talk much rather than making things that require them to learn. However, they often create trouble to people around them. Like in this stanza, there are cracked plates but people tend not to scold them because they are in the learning process though people know they do it.
Stanza 2
The same thing happen mentioned in this stanza, the child creates another trouble in the house. Some of the troubles are the books have been torn, the buttons have been pulled out from the shirts and the pins are scattered. However, seeing that the little boy needs to learn, they leave the squeaking door to be oiled by the boy for him to learn.
Stanza 3
Within this age also, the child may be doing something that may annoy some other people. The examples are given in this stanza such as Mr. Nobody puts damp woods upon the fire which causes the kettle cannot be boiled, bringing the mud into the house and make the carpet soiled, and papers are mislaid. People know that no one could do such things except for Mr. Nobody
Stanza 4
However, though people like Mr. Nobody is quite troubling, they need to be directed and to be taught the meaning of life. Not to forget they become like that because they are in the process of learning. Therefore, we as adult or people that are older and already matured must show a good talent for them to follow the right role model. For example in this stanza, Mr. Nobody does not know the meaning of privacy which he lets the door and the curtain open, leaving the boots not in the right place and spilling inks.
Setting:
The poem is set in a house and the area around the house. The persona talks about the situation in the house and things happening in it. things get broken, misplaced and thrown around by an unseen person. Besides that, he also messes up the house and dirties the place.
Themes:
The main theme in this poem is family life which is full of mischievousness from the children. it is normal for a family to have someone who does mischievousness but will not admit it. In a family, we might take things done by other people for granted. We should appreciate the work done by other people. We should allocate work clearly and be responsible for our own actions. Another theme is respect for every member of the family. Cultivate good habits for everyone's sake and comfort.
Moral values:
- We must work together to look after the family home.
- We should have respect for other people's properties.
- We must value and appreciate the things at home.
- We must be willing to admit our mistakes and carelessness.
- We must not be careless when using our own things or other people's possessions.