The+Tale+of+Custard+the+Dragon

This has got to be the poem that turned me on to ballads. Rhyming "Belinda" with "winda," "household" with "mouseholed," and "gyrate" with "pyrate," was great because poetry is generally so stiff and serious that it showed a refreshing change of pace. The ballad is proof that poetry can be funny and that simplicity has nothing to do with quality. I think that the reason the poet got away with ridiculous rhyming was entirely because of the ballad form, and because ballads were meant to be sung. This is a musical piece, and it's all about how each word sounds. Even though it seems like a simple silly poem, it really took a lot to make it what it is for this reason. I wonder why other poetic forms are not musical where the ballad is. 1202259985

Most definitely! I loved period G's performance of The Tale of Custard the Dragon, because it did precisely that, it made the ballad humorous. There is absolutely nothing wrong with humor, and Kent dressed up as a dragon, with Lynn as a pyrate conveyed exactly what Custard was all about. Not forgetting to mention the rapp rhythm that they recited it to. Popular poems are often very silly, such as Green Eggs and Ham and other Dr. Seuss favorites, and the books of humorous poems by Shell Silverstein. But, it is not just the child authors that are silly, Shakespeare is loaded with clever inuendoes and silly anecdotes. 1202262270

I don't know about period G, but period F certainly had a noteworthy performance of this piece. Melinda (yes, she played Belinda), Kath, and I performed it using puppets. Kathleen also wore an eye patch as the pirate. To best fit the the theme of the ballad, we decided to put it to the tune of Turkey in the Straw (aka Ice cream truck Song, The Chicken Laid a Hard-boiled egg, etc.). It was very humorous to realize that the lyrics synched so well with the tune; it was as if that was supposed to happen. This is my favorite ballad out of all the ones we read. It makes very little sense when you think about it, but it tells a good story and is highly entertaining.1202262640

I really enjoyed reading this ballad, I suppose mainly because it was quite amusing, but also because it showed how much poetry, and literature in general, can change over time. A post was started about how, in the earlier ballads, there seemed to be a theme of death/seas. But look how far ballads have come! I thought it was amazing how they have evolved from being a means of relaying news to just pure entertainment. 1202266928

Thanks Nick for mentioning I wore an eye patch...that's cool. I must say though that I did enjoy this ballad also. It was just so different from most of the other ballads. I mean while a mother is mourning for the lose of her son in "My Boy Willie," Custard the dragon is devouring a pirate. I just think its fascinating to see that ballads don't all have to be sorrowful or full of truly deep themes; they can be playful and creative too. 1202270914

I for one thought my performance as the dragon in period G was nothing short of oscar-worthy, but hey that's just my bloated self-opinion of my brilliant masterwork of performance. Now that I'm done pointlessly gloating, I will say that I rather liked this poem and enjoyed working with it.

I think too often that humor gets pushed to the back at least in the poems that we read in class and the poems that are often discussed in school. As someone who loves humor, this kind of gets on my nerves because I just like silly stories and goofy shenanigans as opposed to always being sad and dreary(not saying all poems are sad and dreary, but hey a lot of the one's we've read this year have been). If anything, this poem is refreshing because it tells this rediculous irreverent tale of a dragon in a girl's house who ends up eating a pirate. It's also refreshing simply because it's a different twist on the basic ballad form of telling a simple story throughout the poem in that this poem tells a story, but the story is just rediculous and comical. I don't know how anyone could get through this poem without laughing. I like though how this story actually goes absolutely nowhere; stanza four is identical to the last stanza and the first stanza is the same as the second to last stanza. This lack of any actual movement to me points out the humorous pointlessness of the battle amongst the characters as they end back where they started with nothing really changed.1202274738

I could dwell on how humor is an important part of poetry too, but my classmates have done a satisfactory job on that. My guess is that there is a lot more to this poem than its humor. For instance, there are many lines that really don't make much sense. For instance:

18 Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,

Why is that rude - because it isn't his name? Now you could make the argument that Nash just needed a rhyme, but my guess is he would be offended and at the very least make up a bogus explanation if you pressed him. My guess is that these lines that don't fit have a specific meaning that isn't obvious. What is the importance of this line, and others? And why do the characters end up back where they started. Is it a statement on life (that's my guess), or is it simply a refrain to the ballad. For that matter, is the story itself as simple as it seems. Maybe it is nothing more than a child's story, but I doubt it. The mocking of Custard at the end is too indicative of other, bigger things (France always mocks America until they need us, right?). 1202280195

I would normally say that the subject matter of this ballad is what makes it funny, but I think that the use of language is also a very important part. For example, I think that a ballad could be written about a dragon eating a pirate in a very depressing and mourning tone. But the way this ballad rhymes and bounces along makes it so much more light-hearted and quirky for me and most likely for all the readers. 1202304087

I agree with KRi that yes, his performance was award-worthy (haha), and that this ballad is a refreshing twist on the classic ballad. The simplicity, the clever rhyming, and the overall humor of the ballad make for an enjoyable read and performance. Teenagers especially appreciate humor and a little light-hearted fun. Honestly, the ballad brought back memories of my childhood—reading nursery rhymes and Shel Silverstein poems. Maybe it is just the nostalgic part of me that drew me towards choosing this ballad to perform. The other ballads are beautiful in their own way, but “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” is witty and exciting. All of its elements come together for a simple yet great ballad. Although we come across a humorous passage such as this not as often as I and others would like, it is nevertheless memorable. We like tales of dragons and catchy ballads like “We Real Cool.” What I am saying is, bring on the humor! 1202310757

I have to disagree with you for a bit on this one, Tim. I agree that there's probably more to it than being just a children's story, but I don't think that it has quite the undertones that you stated. First off, I didn't see any sign of them mocking him in the end. He went back to being a coward, but I don't think they continued to mess with him. They just returned to the status quo of who was strong and who was cowardly. I think that they were underappreciative of Custard, but in the end learned to be thankful for him despite his usual cowardice. This story reminds me a lot of the old Disney short "Lambert the Sheepish Lion." It's about a lion that accidentally gets delivered to a flock of sheep by the Stork. He's raised to think he's just a very bad sheep that isn't good at anything. All the lambs make fun of him and head butt him, etc, and call him a Sheepish Lion. One night, a wolf comes and starts dragging away Lambert's mother. All the tough lambs run and hide. Lambert just cowers. Suddenly, something inside Lambert snaps, and he head-butts the wolf off a cliff and saves the day. It ends with all the lambs carrying him and praising him. I think that this message of the meaningfulness of every individual (even if they are cowards) is the theme of Custard, as well. 1202327841

This was also my favorite of the ballads, because it really reminded me of a picture book. The rhymes all worked nicely, and it had a nice, bouncy rhythm, making it, all in all, a very happy, upbeat poem. The most important thing to me was the humor as others have mentioned. However, I think that it was the specific type of humor that made this poem so endearing. While it was a funny little story, it would have been nowhere near as enjoyable without the clever plays on words and intelligent twists--the humor was smart and clever. Any kid would enjoy the story, but older readers are able to pick up on the witticisms that are thrown in, making it even more enjoyable.1202335461

I too enjoyed this ballad. It showed the versatility of the ballad form, but also the versatility of poetry in general, especially with rhyming. It brought a more modern view of the ballad, recalling the storyteller aspect of the original style, but without losing any part of the essence of the ballad. I contrast this with "We Real Cool," which for me veered so far away from the original style of the ballad that I would hardly classify it as one. Even with its unique childlike story elements (a dragon, kitten, witch, pirate, etc.), I wonder if something more came across. The ending is what really stands out for me and leaves me wondering. Even with Custard scaring off the pirate, he still longs for a small safe cage at the end. Essentially nothing has changed for him through the experience, or has it? This is the question that remains in my mind. I know this is probably silly for a poem like this, but I just keep wondering if Custard changed or should he have changed if he didn't? What does everyone else think? 1202342618

I remember that Disney episode Nick!! It actually had a great moral to it, just as this ballad has a great moral. Even if you may appear to be a coward, or are a coward, you can still be brave when the time calls for it. When I first read this ballad I took it as many of us did, as a children's story. I thought it was a cute little anecdote made up to entertain kids. It had humor, the rhyme scheme, everything a child could ask for. But after reading all your posts, I found that there was more to this ballad than meets the eye. It has a hidden message for kids. Yes it is wrapped up in humor, but that is the best way to teach them. Even though Custard was a coward, he still managed to save the day. Children can learn that they don't have to always be brave, they will prevail when the time comes. I guess we can say that almost all of these ballads have a "moral to the story." Perhaps some don't because they had a different intention, but most of the time we can find a hidden message, even in the funniest poems. 1202358477