So they bought you
And kept you in a
Very good home
Central heating
TV
A deep freeze
A very good home -
No one to take you
For that lovely long run -
But otherwise
‘A very good home’
They fed you Pal and Chum
But not that lovely long run,
Until, mad with energy and boredom
You escaped – and ran and ran and ran
Under a car.
Today they will cry for you -
Tomorrow they will buy another dog.
mind of mufasa
the not so secret diary of dan milward
The main point of this poem is to get across the fact that dog owners are not taking care of their dogs well enough, and Spike Milligan has done this based around sarcasm, or irony. The language of the poem is simple, straight-forward and conversational meaning it is probably aimed at a wider range of people to read, but more precisely, current dog owners who are mistreating their dogs.
Some words are repeated, such as “very good home”. This emphasises the fact that it Milligan obviously didn’t think that it was a good home. The same applies for putting the word “very” in italics. This too emphasises emotion and makes the poem even more sarcastic. Milligan says that the home is very good for the people that live there – but not the animals. “Central heating, TV, A deep freeze, A very good home”. It has lots of luxuries, yet nothing a dog would benefit from.
One day, the dog runs away from home, fed up of being mistreated. It runs in search of a better life, but ends up as road kill. This is very ironic, as it was searching for a better place but gets run over. Maybe the dog has gone to a better place, after all.
The use of a hyphen at the end of some lines is effective, because it makes the reader think that there is more to come- it keeps them on the edge, eager to find out what happens next. It also adds contrast to the poem. The hyphen makes the poem stop abruptly – then they get hit by a hard-hitting, climatic line. For example, “Today they will cry for you – Tomorrow they will buy another dog”.
The last three lines are effective. The line “under a car” is on a separate line because it is a climatic event – being on its own adds more effect. Also, the last two lines are effective – “Today they will cry for you – Tomorrow they will buy another dog”. It shows just how much the owners care for the dog. They mourn for only a day, but get over it so quickly and buy another dog to mistreat.
This poem is directed to the dog, but in reality it is pinpointing pet abusers. It conveys the reality of a situation that happens all too often in the common household.
its a metaphor…. for society….
Pingback: Ethan
Pingback: Madison
this is excellent it is really compassionate
Yo!!!!1
This poem is so gay!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
That was Catie
Yo I hate yu hahahahahaha pay bakk bitch =)
naaaaa ily.xx
<3
HAHAHAHAHA catie tell me are yu upset coz he sed no yu can tell me the truth babe i dont care i will stop talking bout him if yu just tell me if yu do!!!
plz hun i miss yu not talking to me!!1
wat is the matter babe!!!
ily.xx
but i like him heaps hunnii
ikk well ily.xx
<3<3<3
no it is not coz he sed no!!!
well wat is it then babe coz i didnt quite get it
is that all it was!!!
Pingback: Dog Lovers E-Book Products. | 7Wins.eu
i felt sorry 4 this poem.yesterday my pet was died.so i’m really sad.i will never 4get that incident for the rest of my life, coz i love animals very much…..