Thornton Wilder - "Our Town"

Author, Poet, Playwright Thornton Wilder

Iris Dement - Our Town

Our Town
Song by Iris DeMent ‧ 1992

And you know the sun's settin' fast
And just like they say nothing good ever lasts
Well, go on now and kiss it goodbye but hold on to your lover
'Cause your heart's bound to die
Go on now and say goodbye to our town, to our town
Can't you see the sun's settin' down on our town, on our town
Goodnight

Up the street beside that red neon light
That's where I met my baby on one hot summer night
He was the tender and I ordered a beer
It's been forty years and I'm still sitting here
But you know the sun's settin' fast

And just like they say nothing good ever lasts
Well, go on now and kiss it goodbye but hold on to your lover
'Cause your heart's bound to die
Go on now and say goodbye to our town, to our town
Can't you see the sun's settin' down on our town, on our town
Goodnight

It's here I had my baby's and I had my first kiss
I've walked down Main Street in the cold morning mist
Over there is where I bought my first car
It turned over once but then it never went far

And I can see the sun settin' fast
And just like they say nothing good ever lasts
Well, go on now and kiss it goodbye but hold on to your lover
'Cause your heart's bound to die
Go on now and say goodbye to our town, to our town
Can't you see the sun's settin' down on our town, on our town
Goodnight

I buried my Mama and I buried my Pa
They sleep up the street beside that pretty brick wall
I bring them flowers about every day
But I just gotta cry when I think what they'd say

If they could see how the sun's settin' fast
And just like they say nothing good ever lasts
Well, go on now and kiss it goodbye but hold on to your lover
'Cause your heart's bound to die
Go on now and say goodbye to our town, to our town
Can't you see the sun's settin' down on our town, on our town
Goodnight

Now I sit on the porch and watch the lightning-bugs fly
But I can't see too good, I got tears in my eyes
I'm leaving tomorrow but I don't want to go
I love you my town, you'll always live in my soul

But I can see the sun's settin' fast
And just like they say nothing good ever lasts
Well, go on I gotta kiss you goodbye but I'll hold to my lover
'Cause my heart's 'bout to die
Go on now and say goodbye to my town, to my town
Can't you see the sun's settin' down on my town, on my town
Goodnight, goodnight

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Iris Dement
Our Town lyrics © ME Gusta Music

Author, Poet, Playwright Thornton Wilder

Comparing Thornton Wilder's

The Bridge of San Luis Rey & Our Town

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by Tappan Wilder

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts

Our Town

The fame and wealth that Thornton Wilder received from his fiction—especially The Bridge of San Luis Rey—allowed him to return his attention to his first love, theater.

During his years of writing novels, he experimented with one-acts such as The Long Christmas Dinner, The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, and Pullman Car Hiawatha—all plays that embody some of the themes and techniques in Our Town. His full-length play The Trumpet Shall Sound was produced off-Broadway in 1926, and by the 1930s, he had turned his attention to play translations such as Lucrèce (1932) and adaptations such as A Doll’s House (1937).

On January 22, 1938, the first performance of Our Town took place at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. The first New York performance occurred less than two weeks later, a now-famous production at the Henry Miller Theatre directed by Jed Harris. Now, more than seventy years later, it is said that a production of Our Town is performed somewhere in the world every night.

What is so special about Our Town, a play often heralded as the great American drama, and which made Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, an internationally famous address?

“Our Town” is Anytown, U.S.A., but it is not in any way a historical reflection of small-town life. The townspeople know many pleasures: seeing the sun rise over the mountain, noticing the birds, watching for the change of seasons. Wilder himself said that the play "is not offered as a picture of life in a New Hampshire village; or as a speculation about conditions of life after death... It is an attempt to find a value above all price for the smallest events of our daily life.”  

The audience encounters these events through the point of view of the Stage Manager—a character in the play who functions as the narrator and a sympathetic director. While he sometimes talks directly to the actors, he maintains his distance. Most of his lines are delivered as an address to the audience. He freely says they are watching a play written so “people a thousand years from now” will know that “this is the way we were: in our growing up and in our marrying and in our living and in our dying.”

The opening stage directions are clear and radical, especially for 1938: “No curtain. No scenery.” The costumes are simple; the lighting instructions, complex. The three acts mostly follow two characters, Emily Webb and George Gibbs, who go to school together in Act I, marry in Act II, and experience tragedy in Act III.

Our Town marked the beginning of Wilder’s success in the dramatic arts. He would go on to win his second Pulitzer Prize in drama for The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), write the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943), and write The Matchmaker (1955)—which would later bring him even more renown when it became the musical Hello, Dolly! (1964).

But perhaps the sometimes overlooked complexity of Our Town keeps audiences mesmerized year after year. In Emily's final epiphany—[the] wisdom she has learned through suffering—we seem to hear Thornton Wilder's voice speak to us: "Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you."

Major Characters: Our Town

The Stage Manager is the play’s narrator, who both directs the play and addresses the audience. Always descriptive, sometimes didactic, often funny, he begins the play on May 7, 1901, and ends it twelve years later in the summer of 1913.

The Webb Family

Mr. Webb is the publisher and editor of the town newspaper, the Grover’s Corners Sentinel.  

Mrs. Webb’s dour demeanor contrasts with her beautiful garden of sunflowers and her maternal devotion.

Emily, the brightest girl in Grover’s Corners, dreams of living an extraordinary life. In Act II, she marries George Gibbs after realizing that his opinion means more to her than anyone else’s.

Wally, the Webb’s youngest child, dies after his appendix bursts while on a Boy scout camping trip.

The Gibbs Family

Dr. Gibbs is the town doctor. He will die in 1930; the new hospital will be named after him. 

Mrs. Gibbs, Dr. Gibbs’s wife, dies from pneumonia during a visit to Ohio.  Even as a teenager, George Gibbs wants to be a farmer and marry Emily.

Rebecca Gibbs, George’s older sister, marries and leaves Grover’s Corners for Ohio.

Other Townspeople

When the play begins, Joe Crowell is the town’s 11-year old newsboy. He later gets a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Simon Stimson, the organist at church who secretly drinks too much, “has seen a pack of trouble.” 

"Our Town" by Thornton Wilder is not a poem, but a play. The play is a three-act exploration of life, love, and death in the fictional small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. While it doesn't have a poem within the text, it's known for its philosophical dialogues and lyrical prose, particularly in the moments of reflection and contemplation.

Here's a more detailed look at "Our Town" and why it's not a poem.

What "Our Town" is

• A Play: "Our Town" is a drama written by Thornton Wilder, not a collection of poems.

• A Philosophical Exploration: The play delves into universal themes of life, love, death, and the meaning of existence, rather than focusing on poetic imagery or rhythm.

• A Unique Theatrical Experience: It's known for its minimalist set design, the use of a Stage Manager who narrates and interacts with the audience, and the way it allows the audience to connect with the characters on a deep emotional level.

• A Celebration of Ordinary Life:
• The play explores the beauty and importance of the everyday moments of life, emphasizing the value of simple relationships and the human experience.

Key Themes in "Our Town"

• The Preciousness of Life: Emily Webb's reflection on her life after death highlights the importance of appreciating the present moment and the fleeting nature of time.

• The Importance of Connection: The play emphasizes the power of human connection and the bonds of family, friendship, and love.

• The Nature of Love: George and Emily's love story serves as a microcosm of the complexities and joys of romantic love.

• The Cycle of Life: The play portrays the journey of life from birth to death, from childhood to adulthood, and from love to loss.

Why it's not a Poem: While the play contains moments of lyrical beauty and poetic language, it is not structured as a poem.

•  It has: A Narrative Structure: The play follows a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

• Characters and Dialogue: The play is driven by the interactions and conversations of its characters.

• A Dramatic Setting: The play takes place in a specific setting, Grover's Corners, and at a particular time period.

In short, "Our Town" is a powerful and moving play that explores the depths of the human experience through the lens of ordinary life in a small town, but it is not a collection of poems.

Author, Poet, Playwright Thornton Wilder

Emily Webb's Soliloquy at the end of "Our Town"

Emily: I can’t bear it. They’re so young and beautiful. Why did they ever have to get old? Mama, I’m here. I’m grown up. I love you all, everything. – I can’t look at everything hard enough. Oh, Mama, just look at me one minute as though you really saw me.

Mama, fourteen years have gone by. I’m dead. You’re a grandmother, Mama. I married George Gibbs, Mama. Wally’s dead, too. Mama, his appendix burst on a camping trip to North Conway. We felt just terrible about it – don’t you remember?

But, just for a moment now we’re all together. Mama, just for a moment we’re happy. Let’s look at one another.

I can’t. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. I didn’t realize. All that was going on in life, and we never noticed. Take me back – up the hill – to my grave.

But first: Wait! One more look. Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s Corners. Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking. And Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths. And sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you.

Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? – every, every minute?

Stage Manager: No. The saints and poets, maybe they do some.

Emily: I’m ready to go back. I should have listened to you. That’s all human beings are! Just blind people.

- Thornton Wilder

Eugene Field - Children's Poems, Bios & Resources

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

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by Eugene Field (1850 –1895)

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night

Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—

Sailed on a river of crystal light

Into a sea of dew.

"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"

The old moon asked the three.

"We have come to fish for the herring-fish

That live in this beautiful sea;

Nets of silver and gold have we,"

Said Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,

As they rocked in the wooden shoe;

And the wind that sped them all night long

Ruffled the waves of dew;

The little stars were the herring-fish

That lived in the beautiful sea.

"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—

Never afraid are we!"

So cried the stars to the fishermen three,

Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw

To the stars in the twinkling foam,—

Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,

Bringing the fishermen home:

'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed

As if it could not be;

And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed

Of sailing that beautiful sea;

But I shall name you the fishermen three:

Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,

And Nod is a little head,

And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies

Is a wee one's trundle-bed;

So shut your eyes while Mother sings

Of wonderful sights that be,

And you shall see the beautiful things

As you rock in the misty sea

Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—

Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod

- by Eugene Field

* * * * * * * *

Eugene Field was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 2, 1850. His father was Roswell Martin Field, an attorney who once represented Dred Scott, an African American man known for the 1857 United States Supreme Court case in which he sued for his freedom. After Field’s mother, Frances, died in 1856, he and his brother, Roswell, were sent to Amherst, Massachusetts, to live with Mary Field, their aunt. 

Field attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts; Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois; and the University of Missouri in Columbia, but left without graduating. In 1873, he began working at the St. Louis Journal. His humorous column “Funny Fancies” gained popularity among readers and, in 1880, he moved to Denver, where he worked as managing editor of the Denver Tribune and continued to pen a column. According to the Denver Public Library, “Eugene was known throughout Denver for his practical jokes. His office at the Denver Tribune included a chair with a false bottom. An unsuspecting person would attempt to sit in the chair and fall to the floor instead.”

In 1883, Field moved to Chicago to write a column for the Chicago Daily News. Throughout his career, his columns would occasionally feature his light verse for children, and he became known as the “Poet of Childhood.” His poems were published in A Little Book of Western Verse (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1903); The Tribune Primer (Henry A. Dickerman & Son, 1900); and Love-Songs of Childhood (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1894). 

Field died on November 4, 1895, in Chicago. 

* * * * * * * *

Japanese Traditional Song

"Takeda Lullaby" Acapella

Japanese Lullaby

by Eugene Field (1850 –1895)

Sleep, little pigeon, and fold your wings,—
Little blue pigeon with velvet eyes;
Sleep to the singing of mother-bird swinging—
Swinging the nest where her little one lies.

Away out yonder I see a star,—
Silvery star with a tinkling song;
To the soft dew falling I hear it calling—
Calling and tinkling the night along.

In through the window a moonbeam comes,—
Little gold moonbeam with misty wings;
All silently creeping, it asks, "Is he sleeping—
Sleeping and dreaming while mother sings?"

Up from the sea there floats the sob
Of the waves that are breaking upon the shore,
As though they were groaning in anguish, and moaning—
Bemoaning the ship that shall come no more.

But sleep, little pigeon, and fold your wings,—
Little blue pigeon with mournful eyes;
Am I not singing?—see, I am swinging—
Swinging the nest where my darling lies.

- by Eugene Field

* * * * * * * *

The Sugar-Plum Tree

by Eugene Field (1850 –1895)

Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?

'Tis a marvel of great renown!

It blooms on the shore of the Lollypop sea

In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;

The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet

(As those who have tasted it say)

That good little children have only to eat

Of that fruit to be happy next day.

When you've got to the tree, you would have a hard time

To capture the fruit which I sing;

The tree is so tall that no person could climb

To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!

But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,

And a gingerbread dog prowls below -

And this is the way you contrive to get at

Those sugar-plums tempting you so:

You say but the word to that gingerbread dog

And he barks with such terrible zest

That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,

As her swelling proportions attest.

And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around

From this leafy limb unto that,

And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground -

Hurrah for that chocolate cat!

There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,

With stripings of scarlet or gold,

And you carry away of the treasure that rains,

As much as your apron can hold!

So come, little child, cuddle closer to me

In your dainty white nightcap and gown,

And I'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree

In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.

- by Eugene Field

* * * * * * * *

Dream Lady, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago

Eugene Fields Bio

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For fifty dollars a week, the Chicago Morning News lured popular newspaper columnist Eugene Field to relocate from Denver. In 1883, Field was already widely known, and his new column, Sharps and Flats, would continue his reputation for humorous essays. Living near the intersection of North Clarendon and West Hutchinson in the Buena Park neighborhood, Field chided current events and people, often in the arts and literature, and made a habit of criticizing his new city’s materialism. He called Chicago, “Porkopolis.” Soon, Field’s production of children’s verse increased, and his audience broadened. Field’s first poetry publication was in 1879, and more than a dozen volumes followed. Though Field’s intended audience appeared to be largely adults, his nostalgic recollections of growing up earned him the nickname “Poet of Childhood.” He also wrote a substantial number of short stories. Field died of a heart attack in Chicago at the age of 45, and is buried at Kenilworth’s Church of the Holy Comforter. The Eugene Field Memorial in the Lincoln Park Zoo features “Dream Lady,” an Edwin Francis McCartan sculpture based on the poem, “The Rock-a-By Lady from Hush-a-By Street.” The granite base depicts scenes from other Field poems, including “The Fly Away Horse” and “Seein Things.” His famous “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” as well as parts of “The Sugar Plum Tree” are carved into the sides. Other local memorials include an Albany Park field house named after the writer; Chicago, Elmhurst, Park Ridge, Wheeling, Rock Island and Normal elementary schools bearing his name; and Field Park in Oak Park.

* * * * * * * *

Eugene Fields Poems

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At the Door

Armenian Lullaby

Ashes on the Slide

Ballad of the Jelly-Cake

Bambino (Corsican Lullaby)

Beard and Baby

Buttercup, Poppy, Forget-me-Not

Christmas Eve

Christmas Treasures

Cobbler and Stork

The Cunnin' Little Thing

The Dinkey-Bird

The Duel

Father's Letter

The Fire-Hangbird's Nest

The First Christmas Tree, 1912

Ganderfeather's Gift

Garden and Cradle

Gold and Love for Dearie, Cornish Lullaby

Hi-Spy

In the Firelight

Jest 'fore Christmas

Jewish Lullaby

Kissing Time

To a Little Brook

Little Boy Blue

Little Croodlin' Doo

Little Mistress Sans-Merci

Lollyby, Lolly, Lollyby

Long Ago

Marcus Varro, on a Roman book-lover

To Mary Field French

Morning Song

The Night Wind

Norse Lullaby

Oh, Little Child (Sicilian Lullaby)

The Peace of Christmas-Time

Pittypat and Tippytoe

Rock-a-by-Lady

Seein' Things

The Sugar Plum Tree

Telling the Bees, The International Folk-Lore Congress of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, July, 1893

A Valentine

With Trumpet and Drum

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, Dutch Lullaby

The Dream Ship

* * * * * * * *

Eugene Field (1850 - 1895)

Poet Eugene Fields

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Poet, newspaper writer, and humorist whose poetry for and about children is still widely read today.

Early Life

Eugene Field was born September 2nd, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, Roswell Field, was a famous lawyer.

Roswell Field was best known as the attorney for Dred Scott in the Dred Scott Case. He argued for the rights of African Americans to earn United States citizenship.

Eugene was mostly raised by his mother, as his father was very busy. However, Eugene's mother passed away when he was only six years old. Eugene's father did not have time to take care of the children, so Eugene and his brothers were sent to Amherst, Massachusetts to live with an aunt.

College and Europe

Eugene was a notoriously poor student who barely graduated high school. He was able to get into Williams College in Massachusetts based mostly on family connections.

Eugene was at Williams College for only a year, as he dropped out in 1868 to return to Missouri. His father was very sick, and Eugene stayed in St. Louis until his father passed away in 1869.

Eugene inherited quite a bit of money from his father, but was not allowed to have any of it until he turned twenty-one.

Later that year, nineteen-year-old Eugene enrolled at Knox University in Illinois. He was expelled from Knox after a practical joke went wrong.

Eugene returned to Missouri for his last two years of college. He enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia where his brother Roswell Jr. was a student. Eugene studied Journalism, but was much better known for his outrageous pranks than his academics.

Although Eugene attended three colleges, he never earned a diploma. Eugene hated mathematics and failed his required math courses at the University of Missouri, which kept him from graduating.

Eugene was able to use his inheritance after his senior year of college, so he decided to travel to Europe rather than go back to school and try to graduate. He and his good friend Edgar Comstock traveled for six months, until Eugene realized he had spent his entire (large) inheritance in less than a year!

Writing for Newspapers

Invitation to wedding of Eugene Field and Julia Comstock.

Back in Missouri, Eugene took a job writing for the St. Louis Evening Journal. He spent quite a bit of time with Edgar Comstock and his family in St. Louis. Eugene soon fell in love with Edgar's fourteen-year-old sister, Julia.

Julia's father would not let her get married before she turned eighteen, so Eugene dedicated himself to his work at the St. Louis Evening Journal while he waited.

He was promoted to editor in only six months. He spent the rest of his time trying to convince Julia's father to let them get married earlier.

Two years later, he was successful. In 1873, twenty-three-year-old Eugene and sixteen-year-old Julia were married.

They had a very happy marriage, and their family grew to include eight children. Eugene prided himself on being an excellent father, and his children were the inspiration for many of his poems.

Eugene spent the next three years working at newspapers around Missouri as a writer and editor. In 1876, he was hired by the St. Louis Times-Journal. Eugene wrote a column called "Funny Fancies" that included humorous articles, short stories, and poems. "Funny Fancies" was so popular that newspapers around the country began reprinting the column.

Eugene Comes to Denver

Francis Wilson, a famous actor of the 1880s (left) and Eugene Field (right)

Eugene's popularity as a writer led to many job offers.

In 1880, he accepted the position of managing editor of the Denver Tribune. Eugene's most popular columns in the Denver Tribune were titled "The Current Gossip" and "Odds and Ends."

Both columns satirized daily life in early Denver. For instance, Eugene poked fun at the city's Wild West atmosphere in an article warning little girls about the dangers of chewing tobacco daily.

Eugene was known throughout Denver for his practical jokes. His office at the Denver Tribune included a chair with a false bottom. An unsuspecting person would attempt to sit in the chair and fall to the floor instead.

In the 1880s, Denver was a popular place to rest for a few days when traveling between the East and West Coast. Because of this, Eugene became friends with the many important people who stopped in Denver. Famous writers, actors, and artists were among Eugene's personal friends, and they helped promote Eugene's writing.

Eugene used his growing fame to publish his first two books while in Denver. His first collection of poems was called The Tribune Primer. While only a few copies were published, the Tribune Primer circulated throughout the country. Eugene's second work, A Little Book of Western Verse, contained poems as well as articles from his newspaper column "The Current Gossip."

These two books made Eugene a literary celebrity. He received many job offers to write for newspapers throughout the country.

In 1883, Eugene decided to take a job writing for the Chicago Morning News.

Sharps and Flats

Original Printing of Sharps and Flats Column 'An Event of Note'.

In Chicago, Eugene continued writing "The Current Gossip" for the Chicago Morning News, though after a few weeks Eugene renamed the column "Sharps and Flats."

"Sharps and Flats" became the most popular column of its time, and was reprinted in hundreds of newspapers daily. Eugene became known as the "father of the personal newspaper column." This meant that people read "Sharps and Flats" just because they were interested in what Eugene had to say.

Eugene wrote many satirical articles about life in Chicago.

He nicknamed the city "Porkopolis," in reference to the many wealthy people in the city who made fortunes from meat packing. Eugene disliked the factory-filled, dirty city which seemed to be constantly under construction.

He also realized that while the salary he was offered at the Chicago Morning News would have made him rich in Denver, in Chicago it was not enough to support his large family. For many years the Fields, despite Eugene's fame, were on the brink of starvation.

However, Eugene's years in Chicago were the peak of his creativity. He published hundreds of poems and several books.

Most of his poems were about childhood and children - specifically his own children. Eugene's 1888 poem "Little Boy Blue," one of the most known poems even today, is based on the death of his son. His other most famous poem, "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" was written to entertain his children.

These many poems made Eugene famous as "The Poet of Childhood."

Ironically, Eugene hated the nickname. While Eugene loved being a father, he admitted he didn't like children that weren't his own. In fact, more than once he was caught making scary faces at children when he thought their parents weren't looking.

The Death of Eugene Field

Statue of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod in Denver's Washington Park

By 1895, things appeared to be going well for Eugene and his family.

His books and columns had begun to earn him real money, and for the first time in years the Fields enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. They were able to move into a much larger house, and Eugene began collecting beautiful rare books with his extra income.

He was an in demand speaker, and was invited around the United States and Europe to read his poems and give speeches. Eugene started writing his autobiography in 1894, and continued working on it through 1895.

In November of 1895, Eugene was invited to give a reading of his work in Kansas City. Eugene ended up postponing the trip until later in the week, as he was not feeling well.

The night before Eugene was scheduled to leave for Kansas City, his fourteen-year-old son heard Eugene groaning and went to check on him. He was shocked to find his father dead.

Doctors determined that Eugene had lived for many years with an undiagnosed heart condition, which led to his completely unexpected death. Eugene was only forty-five, and had children ranging from ages nineteen to just under a year old.

The world was horrified and saddened to learn of Eugene's death, and the Chicago Morning News wrote "All the children of the land mourn their laureate."

Eugene inspired countless memorials throughout the United States.

In Denver, Eugene Field's house in Washington Park is on the Register of Historic Places. A statue of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, inspired by Eugene's poem of the same name, stands in Washington Park.

The Eugene Field Library in Washington Park and the Eugene Field apartment building on Denver's Poet's Row are named in his honor as well.

Eugene Field has been one of the most recognized names in poetry for over one hundred years, and his many poems about and for children are still read and loved today.

Word Bank

Dred Scott Case – In 1857, a black slave named Dred Scott sued the United States government for his freedom since he had moved with his master from a state where slavery was legal to a state where it was illegal. The Supreme Court rejected the case because they claimed slaves were not U.S. citizens and could not have their cases heard by the Supreme Court. Many people were angered by the Supreme Court's decision, and historians believe the Dred Scott Case helped lead to the Civil War that broke out between slave owning and non-slave owning states in 1861.

notorious – famous or well known, especially for a bad reason

practical joke – a trick played on others to make them look foolish

outrageous – bold, unusual, or startling

inspiration – the person or thing that motivates another person to creative action

satirize – using irony and exaggeration to draw attention to issues in society

circulate – to move from place to place and person to person

satirical – a creative work that uses satire (see 'satirize' definition above)

undiagnosed - a disease or condition not identified by a doctor

laureate - someone who has special recognition as being the best at what they do, especially in poetry or the arts

Get Thinking!

• How do you think the Denver Eugene Field lived in during the 1880s is different from Denver today? How might it be the same?

• Have you ever read a poem by Eugene Field? What did you like about it? What didn't you like?

• Eugene Field used satire in much of his writing (see definition above!). What would you write satire about in your daily life?

More Eugene Field Information

At the Denver Public Library

• Eugene Field Manuscript Collection (primary sources including photographs, letters, manuscript drafts, and drawings by and about Eugene Field. The Eugene Field Manuscript Collection can be seen in person on the 5th floor of the Denver Central Library.)
• Eugene Field Cottage Manuscript Collection (scrapbooks and letters about the preservation of Eugene Field's house in Denver.)
• Biography Clipping Files (Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles by and about Eugene Field. The Biography Clipping Files can be seen in person on the 5th floor of the Denver Central Library.)
• The Denver Tribune is on microfilm on the 5th floor of the Denver Public Library Central Branch.
• Eugene Field in the Denver Public Library Digital Collections

Books By Eugene Field at the Denver Public Library

• The Tribune Primer
• A Little Book of Western Verse
• Eugene Field: An Auto-Analysis (Eugene Field's unfinished autobiography)
• The Stars: A Slumber Story
• The Writings in Prose and Verse of Eugene Field (12 volumes, includes an introduction by Eugene's brother Roswell Jr.)
• Verse and Prose
• Eugene Field in Denver: Gleanings from His Humorous Writings (includes writing by Eugene Field, and humorous stories about him by his friends in Denver)
• The Poems of Eugene Field (a complete collection of his poetry)
• Love Letters of Eugene Field (from Eugene to his wife Julia)
• Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field: Tales They Told to a Fellow Correspondent
• Little Book of Nonsense

Books about Eugene Field at the Denver Public Library

• Eugene Field: The Children's Poet (a biography for younger readers)
• The Story of Eugene Field (a biography for younger readers)
• Eugene Field and His Age (a more advanced biography)

Around the Web

• Eugene Field Biography from The Poetry Foundation
• Eugene Field: A Study in Heredity and Contradictions (Google eBook of the first biography of Eugene Field, written by his friend Slason Thompson)
• Eugene Field Obituary in the San Francisco Call from Chronicling America
• Eugene Field Obituary in the New York Times

Candyland Poems

CANDYLAND POEMS

Candy Land

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by Mark Zellner

@2009

Just drop your worries; grab my hand.

Let's go, get out. Let's leave today.
This charming place called Candy Land's
Where problems fade and float away

Like butterflies upon the breeze.
It's there you'll find the chocolate road
That leads down to the soda seas
which fizz and bubble, then explode

As teams of gummy fishes swim
Around a ribbon candy reef.
We'll take our time, then on a whim
Sail on a giant spearmint leaf.

Lollipop paddles should suffice
To help us reach the Sugar Shore.
Be careful round the massive ice
cream glaciers! Next we can explore

The Waffle Way. You'll soak your shoes,
So dodge the syrup puddles there.
(Or stomp in them if you should choose.
Your mother might, but I don't care!)

Then we can ski down Sundae Slopes;
Tour ooey-gooey Mallow Marsh;
Or swing on sticky licorice ropes
In Jelly Jungle, hot and harsh.

Cotton candy clouds are soaring
Across a maraschino sky.
If we're lucky they'll start pouring
Gum drop showers while they float by.

Last we'll walk through Cinnamon Wood;
Pluck candied apples from the trees.
And this I promise if you're good:
We'll take some home and plant the seeds.

So drop your worries; grab my hand.
Let's hurry, leave, do not delay!
There's a magic place called Candy Land
Where problems fade and float away.

Candyland
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by David Pekrul

@ 2017


While walking by a candy shop,

The sight of gumdrops made me stop,

And with a penny in my hand,

I entered into Candyland.

The smell of chocolate was distinct,

And then a sight caused me to blink,

As if in answer to my prayers,

I saw a million chocolate bears.

Some were dark and some were light,

And some were very, very white,

Some were standing six feet tall,

And some were very, very small.

Some were wide and some were thin,

Some wore frowns and some wore grins,

Some were round and some were flat,

Some wore shoes and some wore hats.

I was rather mystified,

I could not quite believe my eyes,

But when they all began to dance,

I walked right in and took a chance.

I danced with one and then with two,

Then three with hats and one with shoes,

I was the belle of Candyland,

My life was chocolaty and grand.

But visions faded into night,

When I awoke and saw my plight,

My chocolate vision was a dream,

So I got up and had ice-cream.

Candy Land
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by Ashley Gauthier

@ 2011

Follow me to a wonderful place,

Where sugar and frosting stick to your face.

There is a peppermint house and a chocolate town clock.

There are gumdrops for grass on every town block.

The children play dodge ball with a ball made of sweets,

While cars made of jolly ranchers dance in the streets.

A sour key unlocks each and every door.

When you come to Candy Land, you'll never want more.

The sun in the sky is a lemmony yellow,

And the white fluffy clouds are giant marshmallows.

Street lamps stand tall, made of yummy red licorice.

They make your belly feel warm and ticklish.

The side walks are lined with tasty sweet tarts,

A place to stroll with you favourite sweet hearts.

The people are not people, but cute gummy bears.

This magical place is where everyone shares.

Out comes the milky way moon and candy bar stars.

It's time to park those jolly rancher cars.

On come the tall red licorice lights.

In Candy Land the days are as sweet as the nights!

Candyland Dreams
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by Teresa

Fantasy Dream Land © Sep 2010 contest


Little one lay your head to sleep
dream of what will be
a land where trees are lollipops
and pink lemonade fills the sea
where you sit to dine on
a gumdrop chair
at marshmallow table
and spun sugar your silverware
your home is made
of gingerbread
and chocolate frosting
on the roof is spread
cheddar cheese is the moon
and way up hign in the azure sky
watch real close as
cotton candy clouds float by
sleep on my little one
until your candyland dreams are done.