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Thu 2 Mar, 2006 03:19 pm
What do you think happened to Little Boy Blue and why do you think that? Did he die? your thoughts would be much appreciated
Little Boy Blue
by Eugene Field (1850-1895)
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue---
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place---
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.
I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing you would do your own homework :wink:
I'm not like a poetry expert, but I think it's talking about little Boy blue growing up and becoming a man. I don't know thats just what it seems like to me.
All this reminds me of my mother, not easily talked about - I still have her Eugene Field's book.
Quote:So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue---
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Spitting Venom--
Welcome to A2K.
You don't wake to angel song in this world. Furthermore, Eugene Field was writing before sulfa drugs, let alone antibiotics. Children died and poetry was written for children about dead children.
@Noddy24,
he died in his sleep because it said that and he dreamed an angle song came to him... its so sad, i cry every time i read it!
i have to present this poem to my class in a few weeks....
@supasierra,
he wrote this song about one of his sons that died at a young age.... angels song is when the angels came to take the boy away... thats why the toys are waiting for him, he told them to stay until he came back and he never came back...
@supasierra,
That was an era when many young childred died and I believe the author wrote this in reverence to a child in his life who had gone on. I love this poem; learned it in jr. high and still remember it at age 83. Shirley
@Noddy24,
My grandmother used to mesmerize my siblings and me by reciting this poem when we were little. I didn't realize until much, much later that it was indeed about a boy who had died, and whose room and its contents had become a bit of a shrine to him. Strangely, this poem is one of my favorite moments of my childhood!
@Audra73,
My grandmother read me this poem when I was a young child and many years (almost 50) later I can still recite it. A sad but beautiful poem. Brings back many memories.
@supasierra,
I think the angles awoke him and took him away.....to heaven .
@luna143,
hey can u pls explain this poem..how the child died...pls explain
Being the story from Jugoslavija
the toys ordered an expensive gem
an old set of black magic quija
so the boy's ghost to play with them
@mahima,
at the time this was written medicine was very basic and it was not uncommon for children to die from something like SIDS, unrecognized birth defects or even something as simple as an alergy
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