ref –

https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/analysis-of-the-tale-of-custard-the-dragon-by-ogden-nash/
https://allpoetry.com/The-Tale-of-Custard-the-Dragon
https://poemanalysis.com/ogden-nash/the-tale-of-custard-the-dragon/

Introduction 介绍

hook

The story of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash is a humorous poem that playfully looks at hypocrisy through a girl and her pets.

merge

# of stanza?
stanza lines?
theme?
Rhythm scheme?

thesis 非常重要

The poem explores bravery, cowardice, and hypocrisy by using figurative language to describe Belinda, her animals, and Custard the Dragon.

用来写每一个 paragraph 的第一句：
– bravery
– cowardice
– hypocrisy

Paragraph One – 勇敢 Bravery (Belinda and the pets)

In untested times, the animals loved to show their bravery.

similes:
– Mustard the dog： as shard as mustard (taste). Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage.
– Belinda: as brave as barrel full of bears.

Imagery:
– the pets were over-confident and made fun of Custard
– Custard feinted shyness and weakness by always asking for a cage.
– repetitive usage of ‘little’ to describe the mouse, dog, and kitten.

Hyperbole:
– Belinda giggled until she shook the house.

metaphor:
– chased lions down the stairs (Ink and Blink)

personification:
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival. (animals can’t talk)

Paragraph Two – 懦弱 Cowardice (Custard the Dragon)

On the other hand, the dragon is described to have an intimidating appearance, but is weak and cowardly.

Imagery
– Used to describe Custard the Dragon to be intimidating in appearance…

Simile
– Mouth like a fireplace

Metaphor:
– chimney for a nose.
– daggers on his toes.

Imagery –
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth.
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
cried for a nice safe cage.

…but cowardly in personality.

Name describes who he is:
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

oxymoron:
– “pet dragon”. belittles the dragon.

————– Revision 3/21 2pm ————–

Introduction

The tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash is a humorous poem that playfully looks at hypocrisy through a girl and her pets. In this poem there are 14 stanzas with 4 lines of each. The rhyme scheme is AABB. The theme of this poetry is everyone has his own capabilities and should never be judged on the basis of his appearance. The poem explores bravery, cowardice, and hypocrisy by using figurative language to describe Belinda, her animals, and Custard the Dragon.

Bravery

Blinda’s little pets love to show their bravery. The author uses metonymy to name Belinda’s dog Mustard in order to compare his sharpness to the taste of mustard. He also uses the simile of a raging tiger to emphasis Mustard’s bravery. Furthermore, the metaphor of Mustard and Blink chasing lions down the stairs paints a clear picture of their courage. We feel Belinda’s presence through the comparison to a barrel full of bears. The word little is used repeatedly to emphasize the cute appearance of all her pets compared to her. She even keeps a dragon as a “little pet dragon”. This oxymoron hints that the courageous Belinda can domesticate even dragons. Finally the imagery of her giggles shaking her house completes her description as a character with courage and fortitude.

Cowardice

Custard the dragon is described to be a coward but with an intimidating appearance. Ogden uses intimidating imagery to describe the dragon. He uses sturdy word choices, similes, and metaphors such as a fireplace, a chimney, and daggers. The contrast here is that while Custard’s appearance may be intimidating, the author chooses an almost infantile imagery for the dragon’s personality. For example, Custard is a coward, which means the absence of bravery. This is obvious when Custard cries for a nice cage to feel safe in. These are the very definition of an infant’s characteristics. The author also named him Custard, which has the same consistency and color as mustard, but just does not have the same sharpness and kick that Mustard has. Rather, its ingredients are eggs and sugar, which personifies babies and a lack of courage.

Paragraph Three – 伪善 hypocrisy (Pirate’s arrival)

The arrival of the pirate unveils hypocrisy. False bravery melts, and this is exactly what happens to the pets. Onomatopoeias fill the stanza as they run for cover. The seriousness of reality sets in when the author uses words such as fled, paled, terrified, and trickled. We see a clear contrast to what was described in the first few stanzas. Our infantile dragon changes also, but in a positive way. The dragon who just moments before cried for a safe cage to hide in is now a dungeon crawling, charcoal smoke snorting, hungry bird that is looking for his first meal. We see similes instill Custard with brave innuendos. For example, the way he snorts like a locomotive suggests he is bearing down on an unwavering goal. His tail clanging aloud shows his impenetrable determination. And his hungry aggressiveness, when he lunges at the pirate, bares his bravery. His actions are the exact opposite of his personality.

Another way we see hypocrisy is how the pets treat Custard after he eats the pirate. They accept and celebrate with him, but in the end everything returns to how it was. The last two stanzas and the two stanzas in the beginning almost mirror each other. This shows the hypocrisy of what Belinda and the animals think of Custard. Even though he was the only one who showed bravery, they accepted it only momentarily. Truth stared them in the eye, but Blinda and her pets insisted on going back to their old ways and continued to uphold their hypocrisy.

Conclusion

You decide