• Edward Lear (May 12,1812—January 29, 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet. He is best known for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose especially his limericks. He began his career as an artist at the age of 15.
• His father, a stockbroker of Danish origins, was sent to debtor’s prison when Lear was only 13. So, he was forced to earn a living. He quickly gained recognition for his work and in 1832, he was hired by the London Zoological Society to execute illustrations of birds.

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The Duck and the Kangaroo

By Edward Lear

Introduction to the poem

• In this poem a duck wants to be able to jump around in the world like a kangaroo. So he asks a kangaroo to take him on its back.
• The poem elaborates the desire of a duck confined within the limits of the pond to go beyond and travel the world like the kangaroo did. The duck requests the kangaroo to take it on a trip and find a solution to the problems which the kangaroo would face.
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• Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
• “Good gracious! how you hop!
• Over the fields and the water too,
• As if you never would stop!
• My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
• And I long to go out in the world beyond!
• I wish I could hop like you!”
• Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

• WORD MEANINGS
• Hop : To Jump
• Nasty : unpleasant, bad
• Beyond : on or to the farther side

The Duck and the Kangaroo

 Rhyming scheme : ababccaa

• “Please give me a ride on your back!”
• Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
• “I would sit quite still, and say nothing but ‘Quack’,
• The whole of the long day through!
• And we’d go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,
• Over the land, and over the sea;
• Please take me a ride! O do!”
• Said the Duck to the Kangaroo

• WORD MEANINGS
• Ride : to make journey on back

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• Quack: sound made by the duck

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• Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee : imaginary distance places.

The Duck and the Kangaroo

 Rhyming scheme : ababccbb

• Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,
• “This requires some little reflection;
• Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck,
• And there seems but one objection,
• Which is, if you’ll let me speak so bold,
• Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,
• And would probably give me the roo-
• Matiz!” said the Kangaroo.

• WORD MEANINGS
• Reflection : thought

Unpleasantly: not enjoyable

roo-Matiz : it is a disease which is related to the bone disorder.

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The Duck and the Kangaroo

 Rhyming scheme : ababccdd

• Said the Duck, “As I sat on the rocks,
• I have thought over that completely,
• And I bought four pairs of worsted socks
• Which fit my web-feet neatly.
• And to keep out the cold I’ve bought a cloak,
• And every day a cigar I’ll smoke,
• All to follow my own dear true
• Love of a Kangaroo!”

• WORD MEANINGS
• Worsted : Worsted is a high-quality type of wool yarn.
• Cloak :a sleeveless outdoor over garment that hangs loosely from the shoulders.

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The Duck and the Kangaroo

 Rhyming scheme : ababccdd

• Said the Kangaroo, “I’m ready!
• All in the moonlight pale;
• But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady!
• And quite at the end of my tail!”
• So away they went with a hop and a bound,
• And they hopped the whole world three times round;
• And who so happy — O who,
• As the Duck and the Kangaroo?

• WORD MEANINGS
• Steady : not shaking or moving

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• Bound : run with leaping strides.

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The Duck and the Kangaroo

 Rhyming scheme : ababccdd

Summary of the poem

• In this poem, the duck tells the kangaroo that her life is bore in the pond and she wants to visit the beautiful world. But she is unable to do so as she cannot hop like the kangaroo. She requests the kangaroo to allow her a ride on his back. She assures the kangaroo that she would not speak anything except ‘quack’.
• The kangaroo tells the duck to let him consider about this. Then the kangaroo tells the duck that her wet and cold feet can cause him roo-Matiz.
• The duck sits on the rock and think about the solution of the problem. Then she buys four pairs of woollen socks and a cloak to make herself warm. She also assures the kangaroo that she would smoke cigar too.
• Eventually, the kangaroo accepts the request of the duck. He tells the duck to sit steady and quite at the end of his tail. They hopped the whole world three times and both felt very happy.

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Answer the following questions

1. How does the kangaroo run?
2. Where did the duck live ?
3. What was the duck’s wish?
4. How would the duck sit?
5. Where does the duck wish to go?
6. What fear was there in the kangaroo’s mind?

THANKS…� Prepared By…� Mr. Kalpesh kumar Chauhan� TGT-ENGLISH� JNV DAHOD-II� (GUJARAT)