The poem “Upside-Down” is a humorous poem by Alexander Kushner who has published 15 collections of poetry as well as two prose works. The central character of the poem is an eccentric person called “Upside-Down”. As the name suggests, he acts in a very absurd manner, making everything upside down.
The character Upside-Down is introduced as a jester or a
laughingstock in the town who does the exact opposite to what he is told. Why
would one do the exact opposite of what they are expected to do? All the people
talk about him, that means he is the center of attraction in the society. Can’t
this be the reason for his behavior or is he a rebellious
character?
He is
introduced as a person who cannot understand simple logics like how a boat
floating on water. Does this create humor? or should we
feel sympathy about this character? The jumbled rhyming pattern may question
this mind set of the people in the society.
The poet
introduces Upside-Down as the ‘dunder-head’ means the foolish person. He does
this because of the disorderly manner he writes and read. Can’t this be a
reason of a mental disorder? There are people who read in reverse order and
there are some people who write backward; that is because of a mental disorder
which has to be tackled carefully and cure it. By introducing this kind of
character, the poet may be trying to give the message to the reader to
understand the people around us not to laugh at their weaknesses.
Here, the
character is introduced as a funny person who wades across rivers or canals
when there is a bridge to cross. What would you do when you see someone doing
this? (You exactly know that this person is such a character) The incident, of
course creates humor, you should laugh! However, if we sit back and think about
phobias the people have in the world, you will sympathize this poor fellow. The
poet sounds ironically humorous, but he seems to be doing the same thing. The
poem may have the upside down meaning!
Upside
Down enters a restaurant and requests the opposite things which are not
available in a restaurant! (that is too wrapped in a box; humorous it is!) Why
someone do something like that? He may be actually absurd in behavior or he is
propagating new news about him to earn the attraction. Or else, he likes people
getting angry!
According
to the stanza, it is obvious that this person attracts to audience like a nail
to the magnet and he succeeds, because all the people who came to the circus
talk about him.
Upside-Down is introduced as a person who is uncertain about
himself. He is not sure the letter to be read or not, or he can or cannot.
After reading the poem up to now, the reader should start sympathizing about
this character who is over brimmed with social and mental disorders. The
disorderly rhyming pattern may suggest that fact.
Final two stanzas summarize the poem about the boy and social
expectations. People expect others to behave according to social norms. If not,
they are annoyed about the behaviors which are against the social order. If
someone constantly violates them, people laugh at them calling them lunatics.
Therefore, the poet may urge to impart the message of sympathizing about the
people who behave differently against social norms.
Source: https://www.litspring.com/2020/04/analysis-of-upside-down-by-alexander.html
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