The poem " Upside - Down " written by Alexander Kushner conveys a story bout a person with an odd behavior , sometimes with a mental disorder. Poem consisted with an irregular rhyming pattern AABB and ABAB. Poet has expressed his behavior of this innocent creature through 2nd person narrative point of view. Using quatrain form stanza has arranged conveying both humor and sympathy. Simple diction has used to convey the flow of the story in a narrative form.
Once there lived an Upside - Down
Who was the talk of all the town
If he was told to turn to right
He turned to left out of spite
The leader of this narration is " Upside- Down". People called him so because of his odd, lunatic behavior. Being a lunatic or having a mental disorder can make sympathy as well as humor at once. Second line emphasize the extent of his mental disorder . When he was told to turn left, he always turned to right. No matter what, he did the opposite of what he was asked to do.
If he went sailing in a boat
No one cold make him understand
Why he seemed to be a float
And what had happened to the land
Upside Down has a serious mental disorder. Therefore he is not ready to accept the facts of others. Normally, people who have mental disorders does not accept that a has such a abnormality. Due to their sickness they engage in odd types of work and subjected to laugh ,anger or make their people surprised. Poet mentions the situation arises after bringing him to boat riding. He can's understand the difference between moving on the land and floating on the water. He questions the logic of ending the land and beginning of water bodies.
He read his letters backside- fore,
And wrote his letters backside fore
So if a 'tan' was to be read
He read it ' not' dander head!
Third stanza implies that upside Down's mental confusion is not ended in his normal life. He used to write and read letters backward to forward. n our societies , there are children with such kind of mental disorders and so many researchers have taken place behalf of them.
All his life he was afraid
To cross a bridge, he'd always wade
( Unless the water was too deep
Or the embankment was too steep.)
Poet describes another fear that Upside Down had. He was afraid to cross the bridges in his whole life. Some people in our society has different types of phobias , showing abnormal fears towards people, places animals and things. They usually subjected to pitiless laughter of the society. People consider , weaknesses of the people as " facts to laugh" but never ponder that same destiny can be applied to themselves tomorrow.
He went into a restaurant;
The waiter said" What do you want?'
he said" I'd like a pair of socks
With clocks on them, nd in a box.
Fifth stanza describes the inability of Upside- Down to behave or manage the situation. He does not know the logical relationship between people, places and situations . He does not possess a proper understanding about what to do, where to go and what to say. Upside-Down went to a restaurant and asks for a pair of socks from a waiter. It emphasizes his inability to differentiate people, places and things.
The circus came to town one day
Of course he went without delay
And everyone said Upside-Down
Was funnier than the circus clown
Poet explains about a day , a circus came to the town. As everyone, Upside- Down has an confusion a great drive to see it. So he went there without delay. In a circus, clowns are the people who make the audience laugh, But according o the audience, Upside- Down is more funnier than clowns. People like him have no hidden feelings and the do not know how to manage emotions
Just yesterday the postman brought
A letter to him from his aunt
" Shall I read it? P' raps I ought
P'raps I will, p'raps I can't"
Upside - Down received a letter yesterday from hid aunt. He is excited o read it. Poet conveys his confusion through the lines " Shall I read it?"
he eyed it this way, eyed it that,
Then he stuck it in his hat.
His auntie wrote , " Dearest boy,
All you do is so annoy:
8 th stanza describes the way Upside- Down read his letter. Reading backward to forward might not give hi a meaning. However he stuck in his hat. Poet reads the letter for the reader. His aunty has written about the disturbance of his lunatic behavior and actions. Sometimes his odd behavior might be a trouble or his relations also.
Wearing flannels when it's hot
Going naked when it's not!
You must behave as others do
If they're have respect for you "
Last stanza describes the mental disorder as a serious one. Wearing flannels in the hot weather and being naked in cold is not appropriate. Aunt asks Upside- down to behave as others do, to win respect of the society. Obviously, a person with a mental disorder usually subjected to the sarcasm , human and underestimation of the society both physically nd mentally. The poem Upside _Down is a memorandum for all the persons subjected o such criticism.