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Little Jack Horner

I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Jerz, ''Poems: Short but Effective'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner, Eating his Christmas pie, He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum And said "What a good boy am I!"

When I read Williams's poem about tasty plums, I was reminded of the nursery rhyme above. In the poem about Jack Horner, although it appears to be a simple poem that sounds cute, it actually satirizes a historical event that occurred in the 16th century. Supposedly, Jack Horner stole the deed to a house that was hidden inside a pie. I don't know if the poem by Williams has any underlying significance, but it is enjoyable even as a simple poem about someone snitching plums from the freezer.

For more on "Little Jack Horner" see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Jack_Horner

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Comments (2)

Mike Poiarkoff:

I made fun of this poem pretty heavily. Not the one about the pie, I never make fun of pie. Especially not peach praline pie. That's my favorite. Strawberry rhubarb is a close second. Followed by bumbleberry. I know what you may be thinking, "Bumbleberry isn't a berry." I know this. I was terribly upset when I found it out. However, it is a delicious mix of many scrumptious berries that culminate into one exquisite pie.

I liked reference to the plum pie poem.
good analysis.

I never hew that about Jack Horner! Looks like it's a reference to the new Protestant religious authorities kicking the Catholic religious orders (monks and nuns) out of England, and a dispute over who ended up with their land.

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