Literary Technique: Acrostic
A Boat, Beneath a Sunny Sky
By Lewis Carroll
A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July—
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear—
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream—
Lingering in the golden gleam—
Life, what is it but a dream?
Biographical Information: Born on January 27, 1832 in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, Charles Dodgson wrote and created games as a child. At age 20 he received a studentship at Christ Church and was appointed a lecturer in mathematics. Dodgson was shy but enjoyed creating stories for children. His books including "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" were published under the pen name Lewis Carroll. Dodgson died in 1898.
Explanation of Technique: An acrostic poem is one that uses the first letters of each line to spell out a word or phrase. The poem's theme is centered around the word or phrase. In this acrostic poem, the first letters of each line form the name Alice Pleasance Liddell. Carroll's famous book, "Alice In Wonderland", was inspired by Liddell.
Interpretation of Poem: The narrator of this poem describes himself relaxing on a boat beneath a sunny sky, with three children. The children are eagerly listening to the narrator tell the tale of 'Alice In Wonderland'. He reminisces about Alice's experiences, even though she is long gone. They drift through the water for ages and ages, dreaming about Alice.
Visual Representation:
Explanation of Visual: I selected this image because it represents the first three lines. The image has a very warm and dreamy mood in it, like the poem does.
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