Green Eggs and Ham
By Dr Seuss Do you like green eggs and ham?
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
I do not like green eggs and ham.Would you like them here or there?
I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.Would you like them in a house?
Would you like them with a mouse?
I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.Would you eat them in a box?
Would you eat them with a fox?
Not in a box. Not with a fox.
Not in a house. Not with a mouse.
I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.Would you? Could you? In a car?
eat them! eat them! Here they are!
I would not, could not, in a car.You may like them. You will see.
You may like them in a tree.
I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.A train! A train! A train! A train!
Could you, would you, on a train?
Not in a train! Not in a tree!
Not in car, Sam! Let me be!
I would not, could not, in a box.
I would not, could not, with a fox.
I will not eat them with a mouse.
I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
Summary of Green Eggs and Ham
- Popularity of “Green Eggs and Ham”: Seuss composed this beautiful poem back in 1960. He published it in a book form for children after Theodor Geisel illustrated it the same year. It is stated that Dr. Seuss produced such classic books based on poetic outputs from the words given by the educators, which according to them, were necessary for certain grades. Despite its being for the syllabi poetic book, its repetitions and refrains have made it popular across the globe.
- “Green Eggs and Ham” As a Representative of Life’s Lessons: The poet, who happens to be the speaker of this poem, presents what a child should not like or do certain things and then show how repetition makes this lesson creep into children’s mind. As the title of this poem suggests that it is about green eggs and ham, but it also shows that green eggs do not exist. Therefore, it shows that the speaker does not want to have green eggs or ham, disregarding the place, taste, company, packing, or venue. The main theme is that he does not like to have them. Nothing could be done to move the speaker.
- Major Themes in “Green Eggs and Ham”: Refusal, understanding, and final decisions are major themes of this poem. Although it seems that this poem is a conversation, it is just the thoughts of a single person who is Sam, and yet it is not a monolog. These are just the thoughts of a child who could be irritated. He states that he does not like this food, that he would not eat it, and that he does not want it in any packaging. Although it just shows the refusal of a child, it actually shows how a person continues sticking to his stance or position. This shows understanding as well as decision-making skills. However, the use of repetition and refrain shows that children are made to learn these lessons to apply in their lives.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss, the master of poetic writing, used various literary in this poem. His major objective is to internalize its message to children. Let us see how this analysis shows his objective.
- Anaphora: It means to repeat certain words or phrases in successive verses, such as “I do not like” or “Would you like” or “Would you eat.”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Would you like them here or there?” and the sound of /o/ in “Would you like them in a house?”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /g/ in “I do not like green eggs and ham” and the sound of /s/ in “Not in a house. Not with a mouse.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Dr Seuss used imagery in this poem such as “Not in a house. Not with a mouse”, “You may like them. You will see” and “You may like them in a tree.”
- Rhetorical Question: It is a type of device in which a question is posed to emphasize a point and not answer it. The poem shows the use of rhetorical questions, such as;
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· Would you like them here or there?·
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Would you like them in a house?·
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Would you like them with a mouse?
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as eggs, ham, a house, a mouse, and a train to show the world of children.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Green Eggs and Ham
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal, poetic, and playful diction.
- End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words. Dr. Seuss shows the use of end rhyme, such as ham/am/Sam and there/here/where, and so on.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem shows different rhyme schemes in different stanzas, such as the last one shows ABBCCDDEE.
- Repetition: It means to use certain words or phrases repeatedly to stress upon the main idea. The poem shows the repetition of green eggs, ham, Sam-I-am, and several other words such as mouse, house and fox, and box.
- Refrain: This device shows the repetition of a verse after every stanza, such as “I do not like them, Sam-I-am” is a refrain. It has been repeated after every other stanza in the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are eight stanzas, with each comprising a different number of verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an exciting and playful tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when refusing certain foods.
I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am
