Walrus and the Carpenter, The Analysis

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright --

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.



The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done --

'It's very rude of him.' she said,

'To come and spoil the fun!'



The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying overhead --

There were no birds to fly.



The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand:

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand:

'If this were only cleared away,'

They said, 'it would be grand.'



'If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,

'That they could get it clear?'

'l doubt it,' said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.



'O Oysters, come and walk with us!

The Walrus did beseech.

'A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach:

We cannot do with more than four,

To give a hand to each.'



The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said:

The eldest Oyster winked his eye,

And shook his heavy head --

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.



Out four young Oysters hurried up.

All eager for the treat:

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat --

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadn't any feet.



Four other Oysters followed them,

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more --

All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.



The Walrus and the Carpenter

Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low:

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.



'The time has come,' the Walrus said,

'To talk of many things:

Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax --

Of cabbages -- and kings --

And why the sea is boiling hot --

And whether pigs have wings.'



'But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried,

'Before we have our chat;

For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!'

'No hurry!' said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.



'A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said,

'Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed --

Now, if you're ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed.'



'But not on us!' the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

'After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!'

'The night is fine,' the Walrus said,

'Do you admire the view?'



'It was so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!'

The Carpenter said nothing but

'Cut us another slice-

I wish you were not quite so deaf-

I've had to ask you twice!'



'It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,

'To play them such a trick.

After we've brought them out so far,

And made them trot so quick!'

The Carpenter said nothing but

'The butter's spread too thick!'



'I weep for you,'the Walrus said:

'I deeply sympathize.'

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.



'O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,

'You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?'

But answer came there none --

And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one.

.: :.

i believe this poem is trying to display the trickery that advertisers use to get children to buy their products. the childrens parents try to warn them that they are just cheap toys, but they want them anyway. the children then go and get the toy. only to be ripped off completely.

| Posted on 2009-11-22 | by a guest

.: :.

THE MEANING IS NOT BASED OF RELIGION OR OTHER THINGS LIKE IT! This is for little kids. can;t you get that? It barley has a meaning, and the spec of meaning that it has just says "be careful of curiosity" Nothing deep and meaning full. Its a child-like song with a child-like meaning. THAT is what it truly is.

| Posted on 2009-10-17 | by a guest

.: :.

The poem is an obvious allegory to religion. The walrus, with his tusks and large body, represents Bhudda and Ganesha, and therefore Eastern religions. The carpenter, which represents Jesus, also bears a large nose and kufi, and that represents the three Abrahamic religions. These poor, unsuspecting oysters, despite the warning of the elder (possibly meaning wiser) oyster, follow the two of them without question. And what happens then? The oysters are given false promises of good times, shortly before they are betrayed and destroyed by the very thing they blindly followed in the first place.
This poem demonstrates the hazards of organized religion. It's presence in this poem is very subtle, which dissapoints me in a way, because not everyone sees it for what it is.

| Posted on 2009-05-12 | by a guest

.: :.

The Walrus and The Carpenter tells a story of trickery between predator and prey. A walrus and a carpenter are walking down a beach when they come upon some oysters. The walrus asks the oysters to walk and talk with them. After a mile or so of walking, the party stops and starts to eat bread. The Walrus then talks to the oysters but then eats them with the Carpenter. The Walrus and The Carpenter story is parallel to a government tricking and lying to its citizens. The Walrus and the Carpenter symbolize leaders and the oysters represent the citizens. Corrupt governments lie to and work its citizens until the citizens can no longer do any work, like the Walrus and the Carpenter do to the Oysters. When the citizens stop having a use, they are disposed of, much like the Oysters are. The Walrus and the Carpenter wanting to clear away the sand shows a government trying to control everything to suit itself. In having only the young Oysters leave with the Walrus and the Carpenter shows ignorance in youth. The tone of the story is humorous yet somber. The Walrus and The Carpenter is a creative and silly poem with sad undertones. One of Carroll's best.

| Posted on 2009-04-21 | by a guest

.: :.

probably because he wrote the book?....just putting that out there.

| Posted on 2009-02-20 | by a guest

.: :.

the poem shows that sympathy is a weapon in some use

| Posted on 2009-02-02 | by a guest

.: Alice in Wonderland :.

This poem is part of Alice in Wonderland when the Walrus and Carpenter go down to the beach, get the little oysters to come with them and then the Walrus tricks the Carpenter and eats them all instead of just inviting them for lunch so they could eat also.

Lewis Carrol also wrote the poem How Doth the Little Crocodile... which is also in the movie Alice in Wonderland when the big caterpillar guy is saying it to Alice and making shapes out of the smoke from his pipe to go with the poem.

I found this very interesting that both of these poems were in that same movie. I wouldn't be surprised if more of his poems were also in the movie.

| Posted on 2005-12-06 | by Approved Guest