Analysis of Upside-Down by Alexander Kushner

The poem “Upside-Down” is a humorous poem by AlexanderKushner 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.

Upside-Down

Once there lived an Upside-Down

Who was the talk of all the town.

If he was told to turn to right

He turned to left out of spite.

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?

 If he went sailing in a boat

 No one could make him understand

Why he seem to be afloat

 And what had happened to the land.

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.

He read his letters backside-fore,

And wrote his letters backside-fore.

So if a “ton” was to be read

He read it “not,” the dunder-head!

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.   

 All his life he was afraid

 To cross a bridge. He’d always wade

 (Unless the water was too deep

 Or the embankment was too steep.)

Here the character is introduced as a funny person who wade 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!

He went into a restaurant;

The waiter said, “What do you want?”

He said, “I’d like a pair of socks

With clocks on them, and in a box.”

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!   

 The circus came to town one day;

 Of course he went without delay.

 And everyone said Upside-Down

 Was funnier than the circus clown.

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.

Just yesterday the postman brought

A letter to him from his aunt:

“Shall I read it? P’raps I ought,

P’raps I will, p’raps I can’t.”

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.  

He eyed it this way, eyed it that,

Then he stuck it in his hat

His auntie wrote, ‘Dearest boy,

All you do is to annoy:

Wearing flannels when it’s hot,

Going naked when it’s not!

You must behave as others do

If they’re to have a respect for you!”

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 violate 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.

Topic – reminds of something disorderly, unconventional or absurd

Rhyme scheme- 2^nd and 7thstanza – ABAB and others AABB

Diction – simple, narrative

Tone- humorous /ironic?

Theme- How society consider one as a misfit, if stands out of social norms and expectations.

The character Upside Down is both funny and pathetic; therefore, his situation should evoke not only laughter but also sympathy, because though he is a social misfit, he cannot help himself. In such kind of a situation what would be the response of the society? That leaves an insight for the reader not to take the poem as a humorous poem as it carries a note of social criticism. 

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