The Box Poem Book

Monday, June 17, 2013

the box


INTROHello, I am Sammy. This is a book is a poem by Lascelles Abercrombie called “The Box”. It is about war and the trouble it causes. Abercrombie tells of the bad things that come with war in a very unique way. He compares war to a box. He says that war is a big, bouncy ball that bounces around and hurts people. He tells us of how war affects people and how nobody does anything to stop it. Since the poem is only one long stanza, what I did was paint a picture for every part of the poem that I thought a page could compromise of and then I put it together in one book. I painted the box covered in locks, tape, and chains.

This poem is actually sort of advocating and protesting against war. He is making a statement by writing this poem and expressing his opposed views on war. It is an interesting thing-‐ poems like these-‐ especially when so many poems are about love and nature and things like that.

I actually enjoyed paintings these paintings the most, though I am not sure why. I am guessing that it was because there was a lot of variation between the pictures and the poem was already pre-‐split into separate stanzas. There are a lot of different things happening in this poem so it was fun to pick the best parts and illustrate them. Also it was really interesting to imagine what the box and ball would look like in my head.

I hope you enjoy it!

Sammy W


1


Once upon a time in the land of Hush-a-byeAround about the wondrous days of yoreThey came across a sort of boxBound up with chains and locked with locksAnd labeled, “Kindly Do Not Touch - It’s War.


2


Decree was issued round aboutAll with a flourish and a shoutAnd a gaily colored mascot tripping lightly on before“Don’t fiddle with this deadly boxOr break the chains or pick the locksAnd please don’t ever play about with war.


3


Well the children understoodChildren happen to be goodAnd they were just as good around the time of yoreThey didn’t try to pick the locksOr break into that deadly boxThey never tried to play about with war.


4


Mommies didn’t eitherSisters, Aunts, or Grannies neitherCause’ they were quiet and sweet and prettyIn those wondrous days of yore.Well, very much the same as nowNot the ones to blame somehowFor opening up that deadly box of war.But someone didSomeone battered in the lidAnd spilled the insides out across the floor.


5


A sort of bouncy bumpy ballMade up of flags and guns and allThe tears and horror and deathThat goes with war.It bounced right outAnd went bashing all aboutAnd bumping into every thing in store.And what was sad and most unfairIs that it really didn’t seem to careMuch who it bumped or why, or what, or for.


8


It bumped the children mainlyAnd I’ll tell you this quite plainlyIt bumps them everydayAnd more and more.And leaves they dead and burned and dyingThousands of them sick and cryingCause’ when it bumps it’s really very sore.


9


Now there’s a way to stop the ballIt isn’t difficult at allAll it takes is wisdomAnd I’m absolutely sureThat we could get it back into the boxAnd bind the chains and lock the locksBut no one seems to want to save the children anymore.


10


Well, that’s the way it all appearsCause’ it’s been bouncing round for years and yearsIn spite of all that wisdom wiz’Since those wondrous days of yore…In the time they came upon a box Bound up with chains and locked with locksAnd labeled, “Kindly Do Not Touch - It’s War”


Analyses


The Box was the most fun and interesting poem to illustrate. The cover was meant to not give much away. By the cover-‐ you can hardly tell what the poem is going to be about. Solely by this cover-‐ I do not think anybody could tell that is going to be about war. The ?irst picture just shows the box covered in the chains, rope, and locks just like the poem suggest. Notice how the sky is blue here-‐ that will change later on. This may be my favorite picture in the book. I drew all sorts of people looking at the box, but still keeping their distance. I think that it looks cool how I only outlines in the box, making it seem like we, too, are focused solely on that box, just as the crowd is. This picture just shows the children playing near the box, being all innocent, though not touching it either. Here is a picture of a mother, sister, aunt, and granny-‐ in that order-‐ not touching the box either. They area all just standing there in a row. The box, here, is already opened, though it is clear that none of these girls did it. This is the ?irst glimpse of the “ball” that we have. I had a lot of fun imagining what this metaphor of war would be like. At ?irst I did not imagine it to look like this at all, but once I started sketching I realized that a literal ball of the horrors and things of war would be the best. I included things like bombs, guns, ?lags, missiles, swords, and jets. I tried to make it dark and ?illed with all sorts of things that would trigger bad feelings of war. Here you can start to see the sky getting darker. Here you can see the children, playing, unaware about what is about to hit them-‐ war. This is sort of playing with the metaphor as well-‐ how the ball hit people or how war affects people without caring who gets affected. This picture does not directly correspond with the words either, but I think that it ?its. It shows people-‐ which are supposed to look like authority-‐ sitting at a desk confused, scratching their head, shrugging, and even on their phones, not paying attention-‐ while the huge “ball of war” rolls part behind them. Just like in real life-‐ how people let wars happen and act oblivious so they do not have to deal with it. I think that this picture ends the book really well. I chose to draw the open box, sitting there open. With a dark sky. All the chains are open-‐ almost as if to suggest that there is no way to put the contents back in.

Painting Analysis


“The Box” by Lascelles Abercrombie is about the dangers of war and how it is hurting different people. Abercrombie makes “war” more accessible for people of all ages-‐ and more importantly people of younger audiences. He does this by incorporating metaphor into his poem. He tells us of a box that is locked with all types of chains and locks. Written on the box is a sign that says “Kindly do not touch; it’s war.” Nobody dares to touch the box but one day somebody does and it opens and the contents come bouncing out. He describes war as a big bouncy ball that bounces around and hurts everybody. He says that it most often bumps the children who deserve it the least. Abercrombie ends by telling us that there is a way to stop that ball-‐ we just need to think and use our wisdom-‐ but nobody even tries anymore. Abercrombie is making a statement by telling us the troubles and encumbrances that war creates-‐ almost as if to urge us to stop it. He is trying to teach us let us to relate to war so we know how bad it really is.

Abercrombie uses many different poetry techniques to convey his message to all of us. One way that he really lets us understand his message is using rhyme scheme and repetition. The way that he writes the poem makes it almost sound like a children’s story. The poem reads just like a story that is written speci?ically for children. He uses very easy to understand words and ideas. His poem features a lot of repetition. The line “They came across a kind of box / Bound up with chains and locked with locks” comes up three times throughout the poem, once at the beginning, once in the middle, and once at the end. The whole ?irst stanza also appears once again at the very end of the poem-‐ giving it closure. The whole poem seems like a Dr. Suess-‐like story. Abercrombie uses alliteration as well in the poem. He describes war as a “bouncy, bumpy ball” which is a very obvious alliteration. This brings attention to his description of war, as well as keeping it like a storybook.

Poem Analysis


The Box Poem Book

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Transcript of The Box Poem Book