Let’s discuss this poem.
The poet, Alan Brownjohn
Sometimes I sit with both eyes closed,
But all the same, I’ve heard;
They’re saying, “He won’t talk because
He is a thinking bird.”
I’m olive teen and sulky, and
The family say, “Oh yes,
He’s silent but he is listening
He thinks more than he says”
“He ponders on the things he hears,
Preferring not to chatter!”
And this is true, but why it’s true
Is quite another matter.
I’m working on some shocking things
In order to surprise them,
And when my thoughts are ready I’ll
Certainly not disguise them!
I’ll wait and see and choose a time,
When everyone is present,
And clear my throat and raise my beak
And give a squawk and start to speak
And go on for about a week
And it will not be pleasant.
Themes
- Criticism of caged animals - an eye opener for people who disregard animal’s love for freedom.
- False pride of humans - taking so high of the bird when they do not even understand the emotions of the bird.
What brings out the humour in this poem?
- Presentation of the parrot/ physical appearance of the parrot.
“Sometimes I sit with both eyes closed”
“I’m olive green and sulky”
When I read these lines, I can think of nothing but an old man, lost in thoughts, looking quite serious and I’m afraid, rather dull. Maybe because the colour, "olive green" appears quite dull. Usually, parrots are described in beautiful vibrant colours, bright red beaks and sometimes, with flattering necklaces. But, this parrot seems quite the opposite, especially with his “sulky” expression.
- The contradiction in the plot - The parrot and his owners hold two different ideas about the same thing and this storyline is presented amusingly in the poem. The silence of the parrot is misinterpreted by his owners as the parrot’s wisdom when in reality, the parrot is silently planning a shocking surprise for the family.
“I’m working on some shocking things
In order to surprise them,
And when my thoughts are ready I’ll
Certainly not disguise them!”
- The false pride of the owners - Usually, parrots are talkative birds, so this family might be getting a lot of questions from their visitors regarding the silent behaviour of this bird. The family takes advantage of this situation to brag about themselves, to convince others that they own something unique. This hyperbolic admiration heightens the humour of the poem.
“They’re saying “He won’t talk because
He is a thinking bird.”
- And of course, the family is not entirely lying, because the parrot here seems to do some serious thinking of his own. Even though parrots are regarded as imitators, this parrot seems to be quite wise which also adds a sense of humor to the poem.
“He ponders on the things he hears,
Preferring not to chatter!”
And this is true, but why it’s true
Is quite another matter.”
- However, the last two lines of this stanza show how the parrot is mocking the family’s false pride of him (sarcasm towards the family).
- The parrot's painstaking plan itself is quite funny, too - a speech for a whole week that “will not be pleasant”.
And give a squawk and start to speak
And go on for about a week
And it will not be pleasant”
Moreover, the way he is going to clear his throat to get the attention of the audience as if he is delivering some formal speech paints a funny dramatic scene.
- The mockery that is to take place - This is the climax. The parrot deliberately plans to do his speech at a time when everyone is present, which makes it clear that he is not completely satisfied until his speech gets to the ears of everyone.
“I’ll wait and see and choose a time
When everyone is present,”
This part of the poem signals a hidden anger inside the bird, where the mischief he is planning sounds more like an act of revenge. Even though the family speaks so highly of him, he seems to be unflattened and annoyed to be caged or with the way the family treats him or maybe, by the real nature of the occupants of the household as he says that his speech “will not pleasant.” If we add some logic to it, we can see that since parrots like to imitate and quickly catch up with the words that are most often heard in the background, this unpleasant speech is surely a composite of some unpleasant words used by the family members. Hence, it will be quite embarrassing and shocking to the family members when the parrot deliberately delivers his speech “when everyone is present”. Rather than being amusing, I find this point quite sarcastic, kind of bitter and somewhat sad, too. Sarcastic, because of the social issues underlying it and bitter, because of the shame the family members have to bear up and sad, because this shows the anger of the bird which must have been due to all the mental torture he had to bear up for being caged.
- The fact that humans are regarded as more powerful than animals, when in this poem the parrot is planning to teach humans a lesson is quite ironic in an amusing way. The victim of the situation is made to be the victor in the end.The word choice of the poem with techniques like onomatopoeia makes the poem quite dramatic making it more humorous. For example, “Chatter” which rhymes with “matter” in the 3rd stanza has onomatopoeia in it. It creates the noisy sound of people chattering in a living room and also a picture of chattering parrots, aiding visualization as well. Another example is “squawk”. The use of words from everyday life, also adds to the dramatic effect i.e. “Oh yes,” , “thinking bird”, etc.
- The overall tone of the poem - Under a frivolous light thrown at the behaviour of the family, some serious social issues are discussed in the poem such as violation of the freedom of animals, false pride of families, hypocrisy, taking revenge, etc. This makes the poem very sarcastic while bestowing some good amount of jocularity alongside it all.
People try to rationalize the actions of animals for their benefit when in reality, animals have reasons of their own. I bet this poem is an eye-opener for many of the “animal lovers”, who come in different forms such as zookeepers, pet owners, etc. Of course, there are some animals who need to be taken care of, but that is not the point here. It's high time we did some serious thinking.
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