The Magnet and the Churn
A MAGNET hung in a
hardware shop,
And all around was a loving crop
Of scissors and needles, nails and knives,
Offering love for all their lives;
But for iron the Magnet felt no whim,
Though he charmed iron, it charmed not him,
From needles and nails and knives he'd turn,
For he'd set his love on a Silver Churn!
His most aesthetic,
Very magnetic
Fancy took this turn -
"If I can wheedle
A knife or needle,
Why not a Silver Churn?"
And Iron and Steel expressed surprise,
The needles opened their well-drilled eyes,
The pen-knives felt "shut up," no doubt,
The scissors declared themselves "cut out,"
The kettles they boiled with rage, 'tis said,
While every nail went off its head,
And hither and thither began to roam,
Till a hammer came up - and drove it home,
While this magnetic
Peripatetic
Lover he lived to learn,
By no endeavour,
Can Magnet ever
Attract a Silver Churn!
And all around was a loving crop
Of scissors and needles, nails and knives,
Offering love for all their lives;
But for iron the Magnet felt no whim,
Though he charmed iron, it charmed not him,
From needles and nails and knives he'd turn,
For he'd set his love on a Silver Churn!
His most aesthetic,
Very magnetic
Fancy took this turn -
"If I can wheedle
A knife or needle,
Why not a Silver Churn?"
And Iron and Steel expressed surprise,
The needles opened their well-drilled eyes,
The pen-knives felt "shut up," no doubt,
The scissors declared themselves "cut out,"
The kettles they boiled with rage, 'tis said,
While every nail went off its head,
And hither and thither began to roam,
Till a hammer came up - and drove it home,
While this magnetic
Peripatetic
Lover he lived to learn,
By no endeavour,
Can Magnet ever
Attract a Silver Churn!
There are two sections below. First one is mainly
intended for teachers who plan the class on the poem at the level, senior
secondary or above.
Section two targets teachers, self-learners and evaluators.
Now read both sections.
1. Classroom process for the poem
Time
required: 2 hours (in a day or two)
Objectives:
a)
Students analyse the poem so as to note the sarcasm.
b)
They find out the message of the poem.
c)
They appreciate the poem, in which a science theme has been effectively
blended with human nature.
First hour/day
Teacher asks the students to draw a hardware shop.
They draw the shop with all the details, some objects hanging down
and others are kept on the racks.
They write the list of objects, exhibited in their drawings.
Compare the
list with others.
Teacher interaction:
In the shop there are many
objects.
One magnet is hung in the middle
of the shop.
Around the magnet there are
objects, that magnet can see and smile at.
Leaving all iron objects, magnet strikes
interest on Silver churn (can).
All iron objects show their
dissatisfaction towards the magnet in their own manners.
At last, the magnet understands
its foolishness. Silver can’t be attracted.
Can you expand this plot into a
short story?
They write the story.
Two or three stories written by them are presented.
Students read the poem in their text books or on the screen.
Who are the characters in the
poem? (Objects are the characters)
Make a list.
Compare the list of
objects with the list of characters.
Do you feel any human comparison
of the characters in the poem?
What are compared with what/whom?
Second hour/day
Teacher interaction:
Magnet and the Silver churn are
the central characters.
What human nature is analysed in
the poem?
What real life nature is
described here, indirectly?
Teacher asks
the above questions one by one for which students answer or open up discussion.
This is a story-telling poem.
It is also a comic verse.
Comic verse means, amusing poem.
In the poem there are certain
funny moments.
It is like an amusing film which
arises laughter.
What are the scenes that arise
laughter?
Students
draw the following table to fill-in the data after reading the lyric.
Scene
arise laughter
|
Characters
in the scene
|
Description
of the scene
|
1.
|
||
2.
|
||
3.
|
After
filling up the table, two or three students speak about the funny moments, with
the help of the table.
Teacher
interaction:
The poem is one that speaks science
theme.
What is that science theme?
(Magnet
won’t attract silver. Though shining than iron, silver has no interest at all
towards magnet.)
Poet has at least one message to share
with the readers.
What is the message, the poet
likes to share with the readers?
Shall I say two proverbs to you?
a) Only desire what you deserve
b) Desire has no rest
Which one is
more relevant to the meaning of the poem? Why?
2. Testing your analysis of the poem
Following
are certain minor tasks to test yourself, to know how far you analyse the poem ‘The Magnet
and the Churn.’
Try to answer these
questions:
a)
Is it a poem dealing science theme or a poem dealing social issue?
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
Give
arguments for your option.
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
b)
William Schwenck Gilbert, author of
the poem liked caricature in his life. Can you make an attempt to draw the
comic scene of the poem?
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
c)
The poem ‘The Magnet and the Churn’ is a satire, a literary piece with
witty expressions. Which is the wittiest expression in the poem according to
you? Why?
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
can you also give a brief summary please?
ReplyDeleteWilliam s.Gilbert is famous for his poems and plays that abound in humour.Though his poems apparently appear simple very often they hide deeper meanings.The magnet and the silver churn is an example.
DeleteThis poem appears in the opwra 'patience, or bunthorne's Bride'.Grosvenor is young and handsome and there are lots of beautiful maids who long for the magnet and the silver churn.
The magnet is hanging in hardware shop in the midst of iron and steel tools like needles, nails scissors and knives.Naturally they are all attracted to the magnet.But the magnet is not attracted by them.UT has a fancy for the silver churn in the shopmIts rgo is boosted by the love of the needles,nails and knives and scissors.It feels that it is strong and handsome enough to get the silver churn to love him.
This knowledge makes the needles and knives mad with despair.The scissors and nails too are in a rage of disappointment.
But soon the magnet realizes that it is born to attract only iron and steel No amount of effort would make him get attracted to a churn made of silver.
Firstly the poem teachesvus the science that magnets are made to attract only iron and steel.It also tries to imply that one should not try to attain what it is impossible.it would only lead to disappointment.
Thank you Binny George
DeleteThe poem is one that speaks a scientific knowledge.
Magnet won’t attract silver. Though shining than iron, silver has no interest at all towards magnet.
Poet has more than one message to share with the readers.
a) Desire what you deserve, especially in love and conjugality
b) Desire has no rest
Which one is more relevant to the meaning of the poem? Both?
Please read other posts also for teaching plans.
I just wonder if WS Gilbert is very cleverly hinting at the difficulties of that period of homosexual relationships. Magnet attracting iron being the norm ie heterosexual, but the magnet wants something completely different. WS Gilbert could not have a magnetic churn (too obvious and would get him in trouble) so he compromises with silver, to let the reader deduce it.
ReplyDelete