Inventory
Four be the things I am wiser to know:
Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.Four be the things I’d been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.
Summary of Inventory
- Popularity of “Inventory”: This succinctly advising poem by Dorothy Parker, a satirist, and poet, appeared first in her collection Enough Rope. This collection hit the markets in 1926 when Boni & Liveright published it. The poem presents an inventory of things that Dorothy likes or dislikes. The popularity of the poem, however, lies in that it has shown the list of all things that matter in life.
- “Inventory” As a Representative of Significance of Feelings and Things in Life: The poet believes that four things have made her wiser than before. She knows idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe but interestingly, this list seems odd. Following this list, she goes on to say that she would have been better without love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt. Now, this list shows how non-serious she has become, as it is clear that people cannot live without love, but the insertion of freckles in this list shows her casual attitude toward life.
After listing four things, she comes to three things, among which she puts envy, contentment, and champagne that she would not be able to get in her life. The presence of champagne with two abstract feelings shows her casual attitude toward life, as the first two are feelings while the third one is a material thing. Similarly, the poet wants to have hope, laughter, and a sock in the eye, which seems an odd way of pairing things. This inventory shows how serious the poet is toward life though the odd one out shows her how she takes life. - Major Themes in “Inventory”: The significance of different things in life, the list of these things, and the importance of odd things in life make up three major themes of the poem “Inventory.” The poem shows the list of four things in the first two couplets and three things in the last two couplets. However, the interesting thing is she has inserted one odd thing among the list of important things that she must know. or better without them. and the same goes for the next. It means that even odd things become important to be included with the most significant things in life. This shows that a person must have a list of things that they should give priority or should have or should not have.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Inventory
Dorothy Parker used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of her poem. Some of the major literary devices have been analyzed below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “Three be the things I shall never attain” and the sound of /o/ in “Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /b/ in “been better.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Four be the things I’d been better without” and the sound of /s/ and /f/ in “Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The poem shows the irony that she has referred to champagne with feelings and a sock in the eye with fun and enjoyment.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Dorothy Parker used imagery in this poem, such as “Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt”, and “Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.”
- 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 a friend and foe to point out the seriousness of the poet.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Inventory
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.
Four be the things I’d been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.
- Diction and Tone: Diction means the type of language and tone means the voice of the text. The poem shows formal and poetic language while the tone is lively and casual.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Dorothy Parker has used end rhyme in this poem such as know/foe and without/doubt.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an AABB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when making things light in conversation.
Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.
