THE LONELY SCARECROW

My poor old bones-I've only two

A broom shank and a broken stave

My ragged gloves are a disgrace

My one peg foot is in the gave

I wear the labourer's old clothes

Coat,shirt and trousers all undone

I bear my cross upon a hill

In rain and shine, in snow and rain

I cannot help the way I look

My funny hat is full of hay

O wild birds, come and nest in me !

Why do you always fly away ?

Comprehension Questions

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?

2. Describe the dress of the scarecrow.
3. What are the duties of a scarecrow?
4. Why is he inviting the wild birds to nest in him?
5. Why don’t the birds make nests on him?
6. What are the bones that the scarecrow is talking about?
7. Is he happy to be standing on the hill?
8. To whom is he speaking?
9. Make a list of things that make him unhappy.
10. Explain the line “I bear my cross upon a hill”

The Poet :

James kirkup was an English poet.He was born in 1918 in Britain.He served as a lecture in several universities in
USA and Japan.He was the author of many novels ,poems, plays and travel books.

Content:

This is a poem written about the plight of a scarecrow.A scarecrow is a lifeless figure of a hiuman being made
from old clothes and sticks it is ficked in paddy fields and chenas in order to scare the birds and other animals away
from the crops.The poem is written as if the scarecrow is speaking.in the first poems is describes how it is made."My
ragged gloves are a disgrace"This line shows that the scarecrow feels shame for itself.It complains that it is ill-treated
by the man who made it.Although this poem appears to be a simple poem, it has a deeper meaning.

Theme :

loneliness

Techniques :

Simple language

Using symbols - poor old bones,grave,cross

assonance - old , bones , only , broom , broken , ragged, disgrace , grave

Rhyme Pattern:

Very simple rhyme pattern.In each verse the end word of the aecond line rhymes with the end word of the
fourth line.

Rhyming Words

stave - grave

undone - sun

hay - away