Hyperbole

Homework! Oh, Homework!

By: Jack Prelutsky

(poem from gather.com)

Homework! Oh, Homework!
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink,
if only a bomb
would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You're giving me fits.


I'd rather take baths
with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework,
my teacher assigns.


Homework! Oh, homework!

you're last on my list,
I simple can't see
why you even exist,
if you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!

Biographical Information

     Jack Prelutsky is a creator of inventive poems for children and adults alike. He served as the Poetry Foundation’s Children’s Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2008. Prelutsky grew up in the Bronx, and when he was young he studied classical music; though he gave up pursuing a career as an opera singer to concentrate on writing, he continues to sing. 

   In a Scholastic.com interview, when asked where his ideas come from, Prelutsky said, “Everywhere! Everything I see or hear can become a poem. Several toys in my studio have turned into poems. I remember things that happened when I was a kid [. . .] Or I write about things I like or don’t like. I love spaghetti and wrote a poem about it.” He has written more than 40 children’s books, often working with well-known illustrators such as Garth Williams, Arnold Lobel, and Marilyn Hafner. Prelutsky has also edited collections of poetry for children, including The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury (1999). 

(biographical information from poetryfoundation.org)

Explanation of Technique

        Hyperboles are poems that usually contain exaggeration of ideas to support emphasis of the poem. The author can use hyperboles to establish contrast in the poem. Also, hyperboles can create a humorous effect in a poem. Often, hyperboles are used in our everyday speech. Jack Prelutsky uses hyperboles throughout this poem, like the student hating homework so much that he or she would rather take a bath with a man-eating shark. That is why his poem is a hyperbole poem.

Interpretation of Poem

       This funny poem talks about how mad homework can make students. The student in the poem hates homework so much that he would rather wrestle a lion, take baths with a man-eating shark, and other crazy things. Sometimes homework can just drive you insane. Being funny, this poem can tell the reader to just take a break when homework is stressing you.

(picture from parenting.kidspot.com.au)

Visual Explanation

     The picture above represents the student's mood in the poem. In the picture the boy is mad at his homework, and from reading the poem I can infer that the student in the poem is mad also. This picture to me, does a good job showing how the boy in the poem is acting.