The house that Jack built

This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat that killed the rat
That ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the farmer sowing his corn
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the horse and the hound and the horn
That belonged to the farmer sowing his corn
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This interesting poem shows how everything is related to each other. Personally I had never heard of it before Ms Huang told me about it and now I have finally read it. I felt that this poem should have linked the "chain" back to Jack so that it could really show the co-relation with everything around us. This poem shows us how one thing will lead to another hence we should not do anything stupid or it may result in us getting hurt in the end. Overall I feel that this poem is rather funny.

Blog Prompt 8

Pick a poem or prose extract that has left a deep impression on you. Write about why it left such a deep impression on you. Write about why it left such a deep impression and what you learnt from it. Include the poem/prose extract in your post.

I chose Childhood by David Bates

Childhood, sweet and sunny childhood,
With its careless, thoughtless air,
Like the verdant, tangled wildwood,
Wants the training hand of care.

See it springing all around us --
Glad to know, and quick to learn;
Asking questions that confound us;
Teaching lessons in its turn.

Who loves not its joyous revel,
Leaping lightly on the lawn,
Up the knoll, along the level,
Free and graceful as a fawn?

Let it revel; it is nature
Giving to the little dears
Strength of limb, and healthful features,
For the toil of coming years.

He who checks a child with terror,
Stops its play, and stills its song,
Not alone commits an error,
But a great and moral wrong.

Give it play, and never fear it --
Active life is no defect;
Never, never break its spirit --
Curb it only to direct.

Would you dam the flowing river,
Thinking it would cease to flow?
Onward it must go forever --
Better teach it where to go.

Childhood is a fountain welling,
Trace its channel in the sand,
And its currents, spreading, swelling,
Will revive the withered land.

Childhood is the vernal season;
Trim and train the tender shoot;
Love is to the coming reason,
As the blossom to the fruit.

Tender twigs are bent and folded --
Art to nature beauty lends;
Childhood easily is moulded;
Manhood breaks, but seldom bends.


This poems talks about how childhood is just like a free spirit, roaming and exploring. I feel that childhood should be unrestrained, just as how this poem has depicted it. This poem talks about what a wrong it is to instill a child with terror and fear, and even relates childhood to a flowing river using a metaphor. It is true that no matter how much we try we would not be able to stop a child from having fun and moving forward. Curiosity and determination will drive the child forward and keep him/her moving forward.

Blog Prompt 7

As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? Least? Explain.

I empathize with Atticus the most. Even though Tom Robinson may have had a big burden on his shoulders because of being convicted as a murderer, Atticus had to carry his burden too despite having nothing to do with the case at all. Atticus had to find a way to lure Mayella and Bob Ewell to make a mistake and tell the truth, something that was not easy to do. Alot of pressure was put on him and he had to face it calmly and think of a solution. What was more pressurizing then having an innocent life in your hands and only you can find a way out for that innocent life. Atticus was also at risk of danger and faced it bravely, all in the name of justice.

I emphathize the least with Bob Ewell because he is the mastermind behind everything. This evil character deserves nothing from anyone because of his cunning lies and his manipulative ways. I despise him because he does not dare to face his mistake and correct it and yet makes use of Tom's skin colour to make the jury and the judge turn against Tom.

Blog Prompt 6

Did the ending of the novel surprise you? If you were the author, would you have ended the story differently? Explain.

The ending of the novel did surprise me. I did not expect Arthur to come out and defend Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell's murderous intentions. I also did not expect Mayella Ewell to commit suicide. If I was the author, I would have placed more emphasis on the court case as that was actually the main gist of the story and that is where most values are learned. Other than that I thought that the story was very good, especially the reality of the story where Tom Robinson still died despite the truth being told. In reality the good guys may not always win and injustice is bound to happen. This can be related with the present situation many countries are in now, where crimes are committed everyday and not all criminals are caught.

Blog Prompt 5

What do you think is involved in making a fair judgment about a person or situation? Explain.

I believe that a certain background of knowledge in the situation is very important in a fair judgment of someone or something. Without knowledge of the situation, it is very easy for our limited human view to affect our judgment and thoughts. For example, if there was a murder at a house, and someone went there but not at the time of the murder. Without knowing the fact the he/she did not go at the time of the murder, it is very easy for one to judge him/her just because he/she stepped into the crime scene.

Another thing that is very important on making a fair judgment on someone is to see the evidence. We cannot allow our own perceptions of the person affect us in any way of our judgment, or else it would be a biased one. We have to pose to judgment based on evidence and evidence alone. It would not be fair if you are the judge and the murderer was your good friend and you always had a good impression of him. Just because of this impression, it would affect your judgment and justice would not be carried out.

Blog Prompt 4

What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read Scout’s experiences?

As I read on Scout's experiences, I came to remember my own Primary school experiences where I was carefree and played soccer with my friends everyday. I had no tuition nor Co-Curriculum Activities (CCA) and everyday was fun. However, there was 1 contrasting difference between my experiences and Scout's experiences. Scout was rather resentful of school, but after school she would play and play for the whole day. She dreaded school and that was something I liked in my childhood. I looked forward to lessons at that time because everything was so easy at that point of time. This is a contrast feeling with Scout because her teacher was discouraging her to go ahead of her syllabus whereas I was encouraged to perform my best.

Blog Prompt 3

Harper Lee’s novel is full of interesting and richly paint characters. Which character was your favourite and why?

Personally I liked Scout the most. At the start of the story, she is painted as an innocent girl and a girl whos yearns for her brother's acceptance, whether be it in games or daily activities. However, she has a contrasting personality whenever she goes to school. She seems rebellious and hates school, while at home she listens to her father and gives him the respect he deserves.

She also has alot of moral values, such as when Jem wanted to go into Arthur's yard to explore more in the middle of the night, she threatened him to tell her father which was the right thing to do. Even though this may be bad in certain cases, I respect her for this.