ENGLISH LITERATURE
A WORLD OF POETRY
LITTLE BOY CRYING
Mervyn Morris' poem highlights the different reactions to punishment from the perspectives
of a father and his son. The little boy believes his father is heartless for slapping him but the
father maintains that the child is deserving of the slap because it will teach him a valuable
lesson which will lessen the chance of him repeating his actions.
Stanza 1 – The child is crying after being slapped. Before, he was laughing and relaxed but
he now has “swimming tears” in his eyes. His mouth is twisted and he is howling his
disapproval. The child hates being slapped and wants his father to express an apology or
show signs of guilt. The stanza says he is “angling for a moment’s hint” of guilt or regret
from his father.
Literary device – The stanza uses contrast to show the changes in the little boy’s body
language before and after the slap. For example, before being slapped he was laughing but it
changed to howling.
Stanza 2 - This stanza captures the little boy’s resentment in greater detail. He perceives his
father as being quite cruel and uses harsh words to describe his father. He wishes harm upon
his father in retribution for the slap. He uses words such as “ogre”, “giant”, “colossal and
“cruel” to paint the picture of an awful person. He wants to portray the father as being a very
heartless person who has hit him unreasonably. He uses the concept of size to evoke a
sympathetic response from the reader. A word such as “towers” is used to get the reader to
conclude that the father is indeed heartless to inflict such a harsh punishment on a little boy
when he (the father) is so much bigger.
Literary devices – The stanza uses an allusion to Jack and the Beanstalk. The father in the
poem is compared to the giant in that fairy tale. Metaphor is also used when the father is
referred to as an ogre and a 'grim giant'.
Stanza 3 – In this stanza the reader sees where there is an internal struggle within the father.
The father is not actually “empty of feeling” but has a “wavering hidden behind’” a mask.
The little boy’s tears scald him and he wants to comfort him by either giving him “piggy-
back” or “bull-fight”. The father really wants to give ease to his son but he does not want to
spoil the lesson he needs to learn. He should accept that actions come with their
consequences and he must deal with them.
Literary devices – metaphor(easy tears can scald him with), irony (The little boy thinks his
father is unfeeling but here it is clear that he is struggles between wanting to comfort his son
and ensuring that he disciplines him.)
Stanza 4 – The poem ends with a line that can be interpreted on two levels. It says, “You
should not make a plaything of the rain”. On one hand, it can be referring to literal rain that
the son should avoid; and on the other hand, it can have symbolic significance and represent
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tears which the little boy uses for manipulation. Either way, the rain should be avoided and,
by refraining from offering comfort, the father seeks to reinforce this.
Literary device – symbolism(rain)
Additional literary devices in the poem: imagery (visual and auditory)
Themes: childhood experiences, love and family relationships, the role of parents
Tone: angry, resentful, resolute/unyielding
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Who are the characters involved in the poem?
What has happened in the poem?
How does the little boy react to his father’s action?
What are some thoughts the little boy has towards his father?
How does the father feel and what does this reveal?
What TWO examples of contrast exist in the poem?
How are literary devices used in the poem to convey meaning?
What themes does the poem explore?
