William Wordsworth Group

Question:

mark1966
mark1966
Teacher
High School - 12th Grade

poem 'Anecdote for Fathers shewing how the art of lying may be taught' by Wordsworth in the 'Lyrical ballads, please explain the last 2 stanza

I do not understand the reference to the weathercock or the last stanza where the father says he has learnt from his child. What has he learnt? Why is the weathercock significant? Also do they have two homes or not?

Rate question:

Posted by mark1966 on Monday June 1, 2009 at 2:05 AM and tagged with literature, lyrical ballads & anecdote for fathers & analysis.

Answers:

  1. poodle88
    poodle88 Student
    Graduate School

    I believe that the poem has two houses, a current one and their old one.   Not sure why weathercock is there though.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by poodle88 on Sunday December 6, 2009 at 4:36 PM

  2. grrrrrr
    grrrrrr Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    The point is that the child is merely saying that this is the reason he prefers the home in Kilve instead of Liswyn Farm. In reality the child has no particular reason for prefering one place to the other. However, by asking the child so many questions, by providing so many logical alternatives (and we all know that feelings and preferences are not always based on logic) and pushing the child to the point where an answer has to be provided, the child claims his preference is based on something he sees now and does not remember seeing at Kilve. He has based his answer to the question on what is in front of him rather than what he truly feels or remembers. Thus, the "art" of lying has been taught as we teach children to lie by forcing them to answer a question to which there is no definitive answer, by backing them into a corner where there wish to provide an answer (either because they do not want to annoy the adults or just because they are bored of the conversation now).

     

    Hope this is useful

    Rate answer:

    Posted by grrrrrr on Wednesday December 9, 2009 at 12:31 PM