Tickled One Time Too Many
Colton Glover
Too
much of a good thing can lead us to trouble. "Ticklish Tom" has an
easy rhyme scheme that allows children to catch on and follow along with ease.
It is almost lyrical in the sense that you can hear the melody as you read. This
poem is a great example of children’s poetry, using a catchy storyline to
convey an underlying life lesson that when we are overexposed to things that
bring us joy they have the potential of distracting us from the more important
things in life, leading us into a troubling or, in this case, dangerous
situation where life has been taken for granted.
Tom
was tickled by everyone and everything he came across during his day. He was
tickled so often that he "wiggled and giggled and fell on the floor"
more than once. Tom was tickled by his mother, his friends, the grass, the
rain, and even the clouds until he heard the "rumble, rumble, whistle,
roar" of the train. This use of onomatopoeia seemed to distract Tom and
afterwards he was not ticklish anymore, which implies that Tom died on the
railroad tracks. He "laughed his way right out of town" because he
was enjoying being tickled so much. However, he did not take the time to
realize that there needs to be a balance between work and play. He was not
taking life seriously enough so it ended before he knew it.
The
life lesson in this poem is morbid, but it is very true. There are appropriate
times for playing around and being serious. This poem conveys that you
shouldn't take life too seriously, but at the same time you should learn to
balance work and play. Even though this poem is extremely shocking it shows us
the reality of what can happen if we take life for granted in general.
The life lesson is morbid, but it's one of those life lessons that if children learn early enough, maybe they won't have to see such dire consequences! I loved the use of onomatopoeia in this poem. --Michaelanne
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really like the message that this poem gives. It is an important thing that happens to everyone during their lifetime. I also like the repitition on the phrase "wiggled and giggled and fell on the floor," it is phrased like that, that make children remember and enjoy them.-CJ
ReplyDeleteI like the life lesson this poem teaches young children. I really like the catchy words and use of onomatopoeia. The poem is relatable and is fairly easy for children to understand the message.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is a good read as everyone of us can relate to the message. We all need to learn that there is a time to play and a time to be serious. Sometimes it is hard to remember this and a struggle at times.- Kayla York
ReplyDelete