Summary: The Walrus and the Carpenter
The poem, ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’, is an extract from the novel
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. The Walrus and the Carpenter go
for a walk on the beach. They invite the oysters there to accompany them for a
walk and a talk. The Walrus tempt them by saying it will be a pleasant walk
along the salty beach. But they want only four oysters to walk side by side
with them. First, a set of four oysters follow them, and then another four join
in. Then many more join them. They walk a long distance and then decide to
take rest. The Walrus and the Carpenter sit on a low rock and the oysters
stand in rows directly below them. The Walrus says it they need a loaf of
bread and some vinegar and pepper will be just perfect and announce that
they are now ready to feed. The oysters are shocked to hear this and feel a bit
afraid. They say that it will not be right for the Walrus to feed on them after
they being so kind as to have invited them for a walk and a talk. The Walrus
continues to speak kindly to the oysters, acknowledging that he and the
Carpenter played a cruel trick on them. The Walrus sheds a few insincere
tears for the oysters, sorted out the largest ones and ate them up. The
Carpenter, however, shows no sympathy for the oysters and only talks about
bread and butter. Some time later, the Carpenter asks the oysters if they think
it is time to go home. There is no answer because all of the oysters have been
eaten.
This is a narrative poem that is darkly humorous. The speaker sets the tone of
the poem with paradox of the sun shining at night. There are a number of
poetic devices, including simile, metaphor and personification in this poem to
make it vivid and entertaining. Alliteration and repetition help to make the
poem rhythmic.
POEM: THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER
Comprehension
A. 1. The oldest oyster said he would not go with the walrus and the carpenter because he did not want
to leave his oyster-bed. It is also possible that the oldest oyster, who was more experienced and
hence wiser than any of the other oysters, probably gauged what the walrus and the carpenter
had in mind.
2. The young oysters, who were eager for a treat, hurried to get ready. They brushed their coats,
washed their faces and tidied their shoes. In groups of four, all of them rushed to join the walrus
and the oyster.
3. The walrus and the carpenter chose a rock that was ‘conveniently low’ so that they would be able
to sit and easily reach for the oysters that were standing in front of them. They needed bread to
make sandwiches with the oysters as filling and vinegar and pepper as seasoning.
4. One day, while walking along the beach, the walrus and the carpenter, on reaching the place
where the oysters lived, invited the oysters to join them for a walk along the beach and a friendly
talk afterward. The young oysters trusted the walrus and the carpenter and eagerly accepted
the offer. They quickly got ready and set off with the walrus and the carpenter. After the walrus
and the carpenter had led the oysters a mile or so and the oysters were tired after the long walk,
the walrus and the carpenter sat on a low rock as the oysters stood in front of them. The oysters
thought that they were going to have a good chat with the walrus and the carpenter. However, to
their horror, they realised that the walrus and the carpenter were planning to eat them up. Very
soon the walrus and the carpenter had devoured all the oysters with bread, adding pepper and
vinegar as seasoning.
5. The first two stanzas talked about how there was something amiss in the surroundings as the
sun was shining brightly at night. The moon thought that it was unfair for the sun to be shining
when it was her time to be shining. So, it not only showed that anything was possible, with the sun
shining at night but also that nothing could be trusted and depended upon.
B. 1. a. The sun was shining brightly during the night, when it was time for the moon to shine.
b. The moon is given human qualities, as it is said to be sulking.
c. The moon said that it was very rude of the sun to be shining brightly when it was her time to
shine brightly.
2. a. The oysters said these words to the walrus.
b. The walrus and the carpenter had been kind to the oysters by inviting the oysters to join them
for a walk along the beach and a friendly talk afterwards.
c. The ‘dismal thing’ would be for the walrus and the carpenter to eat up the oysters after
pretending to be kind and friendly towards them.
C. 1. Free response
2. a. The events take place on a beach on an evening when the sun is shining brightly instead of the
moon.
b. The characters were the walrus, the carpenter, the old oyster and the young oysters
c. The plot is how the walrus and the carpenter decide to eat the young oysters and how they go
about it. The climax is when the walrus declares that they would ‘begin to feed’ and the oysters
feel frightened of the walrus and the carpenter eating them up.
D. The poem opens with the sun shining at night and the walrus and the carpenter walking along the
beach. They invite oysters to join them for a walk along the beach and a talk afterward. The eldest
oyster was not interested in joining them but the young oysters were excited and hurriedly got ready
to join the walrus and the carpenter. First a set of four oysters followed them, then another four joined
in, and then came the rest. The walrus and the carpenter walked a long distance and then decided
to take rest. The walrus and the carpenter sat on a low rock and the oysters stood in rows in front of
them. The walrus said that they would need a loaf of bread and some vinegar and pepper and would
soon start eating. The oysters began to feel afraid and said that it would not be right for the walrus
to feed on them after they had been so kind to the oysters. The carpenter seemed disinterested in
what the oysters were saying and was eagerly waiting to start eating them with bread. The walrus
pretended to be thinking about the oysters, as he said that it was a shame to trick the oysters and eat
them up after having made them walk such a long distance. The walrus shed a few insincere tears for
the oysters, sorted out the largest ones and ate them up, while the carpenter finished the remaining
ones.
THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER POEM
A. Answer in brief.
1. Why did the Walrus invite the Oysters to follow him? What was his plan?
Ans: The Walrus and the Carpenter were walking on the sea shore when they saw the Oysters.
Both the Carpenter and the Walrus were hungry having walked a long distance. So with a plan to
feed on the Oysters, the Walrus cunningly invited them to join them for a pleasant walk along the
salty beach. They invited only four Oysters but many followed.
2. What is our first impression of the Walrus and the Carpenter?
Ans: We are impressed by their kindness in inviting the Oysters for a walk on the beach. We are
also touched by their concern when they offer to hold the Oysters’ hands during the walk.
B. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. “But not on us!” the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue,
After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!”
a. Why did the Oysters turn blue?
b. What was the kindness shown to them?
c. What is the meaning of the word dismal? Use the word in a sentence of your own.
Ans: a. The Oysters turned blue because they became suspicious of the Walrus’s intention. They
realised that the Walrus and the Carpenter were intending to eat them.
b. The Walrus and the Carpenter had very kindly invited the Oysters to join them for a walk
along the beach.
c. ... dismal means miserable, gloomy. Eg. It was a dismal performance by the team in the
Olympics. Free response for the second part.
2. “You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?”
But the answer came there none
a. Who says the above lines?
b. Where is home? Who should be trotting home again?
c. Why was there no response?
Ans: a. The Carpenter says the above lines.
b. They are Oysters and their home is near the sea. The Walrus and the Carpenter had
brought them far away from their home. So they had to trot back home.
c. There was no response because the Walrus and the Carpenter had eaten all of them.
C. Answer in detail. (Think an answer)
The Walrus invited only four Oysters to join them for a walk. But many fours followed them. How does
this reflect on the nature of the Oysters?
Ans: The Oysters were innocent. When the Walrus invited them to join them for a walk they were
excited like children and in fours they followed them hopping and jumping happily. This shows
their innocent child-like nature. They were also foolish. The Walrus and the Carpenter were huge in
comparison to them; they should have been cautious before following them. They followed the two
and when they rested, the Oysters also waited in a row . By the time they understood the ulterior
motive of the Walrus and the Carpenter, it was too late. The Oysters had to pay the price for not being
cautious.
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