Write in a 5th grader’s response

Like all literary texts, both "The Walrus and the Carpenter" and "The Cop and the Anthem" are products of the time in which they were written:

• Lewis Carroll lived in England during the reign of Queen Victoria (from 1837 to 1901), a time of industrial and technological growth.
• O Henry wrote most of his works around the turn of the twentieth century while living in New York City-again, a time of great change and growth.
In an essay of 300 to 400 words, analyze the language of each text and share your thoughts about what it indicates about the historical and cultural surroundings of the author. Use specific quotations and evidence from the texts to support your analysis.

1 answer

Both "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll and "The Cop and the Anthem" by O. Henry are interesting stories that tell us a lot about the times they were written in, which were very different from each other.

Lewis Carroll wrote "The Walrus and the Carpenter" during Queen Victoria’s reign in England, a time when factories were popping up everywhere and things were changing fast. The poem has a playful and silly tone, which is typical of children's literature of that time. For example, Carroll uses fun and rhythmic verses, like "The sun was shining on the sea." This shows that people enjoyed lighthearted stories, especially in a period where adults might be stressed from work in factories or new inventions. The characters in the poem—like the Walrus and the Carpenter—represent different parts of society. The Walrus is tricky, eating the young oysters, which could symbolize how some adults take advantage of children or the innocent.

On the other hand, O. Henry wrote "The Cop and the Anthem" during the early 1900s in New York City when the city was bustling with immigrants and new ideas. The story is about a homeless man, Soapy, who wants to get arrested to stay warm over the winter. O. Henry uses a lot of street language and clever dialogue to show the realities of urban life. For instance, when Soapy thinks about “facing the judge,” it tells us that he knows what it’s like to live in a tough city where people are struggling. The humor in the story and the way Soapy tries to get arrested shows how people sometimes have to be clever to survive in harsh conditions.

Both authors used their writing to reflect their environments. Carroll’s playful verses create a world of imagination, while O. Henry’s realistic dialogue paints a picture of survival in a busy city. This tells us that during these times, stories were a way for people to escape their problems or understand the world around them. Each story reflects its own culture: the innocence of children in Carroll’s time and the tough life of city dwellers in O. Henry’s story. Through language, both authors give us a glimpse into the historical and cultural surroundings of their lives, making their stories engaging and significant.