Question

Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.

Answer 1

Though The Tale of Custard the Dragon has been written in the style of a serious ballad, it is actually a light-hearted poem. The poet has used a fixed rhyme scheme throughout the poem, which makes it easy and fun to read. He has also deliberately misspelt certain words like “winda” and “realio trulio” which adds rhythm and humour to the poem. The names and descriptions of the various animals in the poem are also humorous. The poet further makes extensive use of onomatopoeia in the poem which adds to the experience of reading the poem aloud. Moreover, the poet also uses contrasting ideas to create humour. He presents a dragon who is a coward, though dragons are usually described as being fierce. Then he describes an incident where this cowardly dragon was the only one who showed true courage when faced with danger. All of this makes this a very humorous and light-hearted poem.