OH I WISH I ‘D LOOKED AFTER ME TEETH
THEME : The poem is an account of how the poet ruined her teeth due to her negligence and poor eating habits. At a later stage in life when the damage had been done beyond repair, she regretted her carelessness but then it was too late. Through the poem, an effort has been made to convey to the readers not to neglect one‟s teeth.
MESSAGE : The poem conveys the message that time once lost cannot be regained. Therefore, it is important to make hay while the sun shines. Good food habits and a good sense of dental hygiene needs to be inculcated amongst the children by the adults and timely measures should be taken to preserve one‟s teeth.
TITLE : “Oh, I wish I‟d Looked After Me Teeth” conveys the poet‟s regret at having damaged her teeth due to her negligence. Pam Ayres has deliberately used a clause rather than a phrase to explicitly underline her sense of remorse at her irresponsible approach and culpable carelessness. The interjection „Oh‟ brings out a sense of helplessness that the narrator feels when there is no use crying over spilt milk. Thus the title that sounds so casual has been selected with a great care and it is a well-chosen and an apt title.
LITERARY DEVICES :
Alliteration: is “the repetition of usually consonant sounds occurring recurrently at the beginning of a word or of a stressed syllable within a word.”
Examples:
● sweet sticky food („s‟ sound occurs repeatedly)
● lollies, I licked („l‟ sound occurs repeatedly)
● cavities, caps and decay („c‟ sound occurs repeatedly)
● molars of mine („m‟ sound occurs repeatedly)
Repetition: Poets often repeat single words or phrases, lines, and sometimes, even whole stanzas at intervals to create a musical effect; to emphasize a point; to draw the readers‟ attention or to lend unity to a piece.
Example:
● Oh, I wish I‟d looked after me teeth
The above line which appears as the title of the poem is repeated thrice in the poem. This repetition highlights the poet‟s regret at having neglected her teeth and it also emphasizes their importance.
RHYME SCHEME:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is a a b b a.
1. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow-
(a) “Oh, I wish I‟d looked after me teeth,
And spotted the perils beneath.
All the toffees I chewed,
And the sweet sticky food,
Oh, I wish I‟d looked after me teeth.”
i) Why does the poet wish she‟d looked after her teeth ?
ii) What caused the damage to her teeth ?
iii) Why has the title of the poem been repeated in the first and the fifth line of the stanza ?
iv) What literary device has been used in the fourth line of the stanza ?
(b) “When I think of the lollies I licked,
And the liquorice all sorts I picked,
Sherbet dabs, big and little,
All that hard peanut brittle,
My conscience gets horribly pricked.”
i) What mood of the poet does the stanza bring out ?
ii) What poetic device does the poet use in this stanza ?
iii) Why do you think the poet ate so many lollies and sweets ?
iv) How does she feel? Why?
(c) “Oh, I showed them the toothpaste all right,
I flashed it about late at night,
But up-and-down brushin‟
And pokin‟ and fussin‟
Didn‟t seem worth the time – I could bite !”
i) What trait of the poet‟s personality is highlighted by her casual approach to her teeth ?
ii) How should „she‟ have actually brushed her teeth ?
iii) Why did she brush teeth so casually and hurriedly ?
iv) Why does she regret her negligence now?
(d) “How I laughed at my mother‟s false teeth,
As they foamed in the waters beneath.
But now comes the reckonin‟
It‟s me they are beckonin‟
Oh, I wish I‟d looked after me teeth.”
i) What does „false teeth‟ mean ?
ii) What amused the child when she saw her mother‟s „false teeth‟ ?
iii) “It‟s me they are beckonin. „Whom / What does „they‟ stand for ?
iv) What had the poet now realized?
2. Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)
(a) Explain: When I had more tooth there than fillin‟.
(b) “If you got a tooth, you got a friend.” What do you understand from the line? With reference to the poem, how can you look after these friends.
(c) In line 35 of the poem, the poet has misspelt the word „amalgum‟. Why do you think she has done that ? Discuss.
(d) “…. But up-and-down brushin‟
And pokin‟ and fussin‟
Didn‟t seem worth the time – I could bite!”
What do these lines convey ?
(e) Describe the poet‟s state of mind as she undergoes dental treatment.
3. Long answer question (100-120 words)
(a) The poet honestly holds herself responsible for damaging her teeth. Do you agree ? Give reasons in support of your answer. What values can you learn from her experience ?
(b) On the basis of your reading the poem “Oh I Wish I‟d Looked After Me Teeth,” Write an article for your school magazine on the topic “Dental Health is Vital for Overall Health.”
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 9 English Oh I Wish I looked after my Teeth Worksheet
