Limericks / An Obama Limerick (April 9, 2009) (Analysis)

Thank you for reading it.

1. It all depends on how you pronounce it. In the South, it rhymes.
2. It is always permissible to extend or to shorten the line by half measure – read Lear himself.
3. The format of any poetic form, old or modern, is not set in stone.

1. It’s Barack, not “Baruck”. That’s how you pronounce his name. It shouldn’t matter where you’re from.
2.) oh boy here we go…
3.) You can break the rules, but it still has to “work”

1. Regional differences in pronunciation still matter.
2. You got a better reference?
3. It did work – for about 80-90% of those who read it, on and off Urbis. I have written over 300 of them – and every one of them has gone through some testing, prior to the release.

1. OK well, I’m from Illinois. We pronounce his name Barack here… as it is supposed to be pronounced. Regional differences aside, If you pronounced my name as “Scutt” I would definitely correct you.
2. uuuhhh just about every rule I’ve ever read about limericks. I’ll look for the specific quote by Edward Lear though. If you’d so kindly point me to a website or reference I will more than willingly give you the point on this. I have no problem with creative liberties. Everything I’ve ever read about limericks though has been a strict adherence to 99669, 33223, and AABBA.
3. How can I argue with a majority rule? When 4 out of 5 dentists tell you to chew Dentine then you better start chewing gum or move to Canada.

1. Closed.
2. I have, in front of me, “Edward Lear: The Complete Verse and Other Nonsense” ISBN 0-14-200227-5.

Compare the following first lines from limericks on pp.
328,330,333:
“There was a Young Person of Bantry”
“There was an Old Man of Thermopylae”
“There was an Old Person in black”
(all caps are Lear’s).
Even wider variations are observed on the lines 3-4 of his limericks (sometimes, printed on the same line, and sometimes together as one line) – pp.332, 333, 335:
“Of lobsters and spice,/pickled onions and mice”,
“When it chirped in his ear,/he was smitten with fear”,
or even
“When he’d gone out a mile,/he observed with a smile”.
3. Majority does not rule, not for an appreciable length of time – never has, never will (mathematically speaking, the majority rule produces an unstable system, and evolution takes care of it).

However, as with any political satire, some things are suitable for some people, and some are not. I am getting ready to publish a book with first 250-300 limericks, and up until now (the manuscript is going through the actual book layout now), I have been testing it (not to find out if I am right – I know I am – but for a simple market test prior to the book release).

P.S. And overall, chewing gum (Dentine or not) is good for you – keeps moving the blood to the brain.

Thank you for reading it.

I would not dare to take this compliment at its face value – have to stay humble – but thank you!

Thank you! You may have here a solution which bugged the <> out of me… How about a semicolon then, instead of the first ellipsis? And “best of luck” – is a gem, thank you! (Most people would not appreciate such nitpicking little things, but – we do, oh, yes, we do!

How about “Now he will” instead of “He will now” – would this sound smoother? By changing time in the beginning of the line, as opposed to a little tumble in the middle?

Of course, it could go:

There is now a guy named Barack.
He will gladly repair your truck etc.

but it seems to hold just a bit more punch in the previous version – does it?

As for the ellipsis… I dunno. Occasionally, a (possibly, stupid) thought crosses my mind that there is nothing wrong with injecting a bit of old (but blue) blood into the current orwellian language flow. I know, punctuation is the least of problems – but when we firmly hold the price for understanding everywhere, sometimes, we get a better sort of buyer… maybe?

Thank you for spreading our words… that’s why we share them in the first place… (it is not royal “We”, all 200+ limericks on www.obamafu.com belong to one author – but the site is a labor of love for the entire team).

Or
There once was a guy named Barrack
Who would gladly repair your old truck,
Mow your lawn, cook your food
And if you’re in the mood
He may do other things—best of luck.

Small changes for sure but it creates tense consistency in the first three lines and the shift in the last two involve a hypothetical future.  Again your call but something along those lines make for smoother transition.  

Howard, I think we definitely differ in the way we speak aloud – I find the “old” in the second line of yours and “and if” in the fourth breaking the rhythm completely… but I’ll try and see… Thank you

Thank you. There are more of these (200+ more) at www.obamafu.com – take a look. BTW, there is one for him and Clinton, too, a double:

Not too far from the Capitol Hill,
our president is standing still,
contemplating the time,
when — and this is sublime! —
little Monica blew Uncle Bill…

Why we think that this time was sublime?
This is obvious: it was the time,
when our president did
this unfortunate kid,
while our country was next one in line…

LMAO…well, I’m one of those left-winged, tree-huggin’ liberal types…but I have actually seen advertisement for the website elsewhere (perhaps a bumper sticker or five?). I’ll check it out for shits n’ giggles though :) I’m not above good jokes…

You may want to read most if not all comments to other reviews of this limerick – there, we already went through some reasoning… But, just for clarity’s sake: some people see this as 1) an image of a benevolent guy who is just happy to help you more and more. Others, with no less reason, see this as 2) an implied progression from “this guy doing reader’s stuff” to “this guy eventually, if reader permits, doing the reader”. So far, the proportion between 1) and 2) tested informally in a general population is about 1:10.
The main principle of all psychology of perception – in my own formulation – is “We see what we know”, not the other way around…
As far as the choice between laughing or killing oneself goes: they can be combined, if needed. And if this choice has to be made, it is hard to advice you one way or another…

Sorry for the typo: should be “advise” instead of “advice”.

First, thank you.
Then… well… I am not an Obama fan (just check our site www.obamafu.com…), not even by the largest possible stretch of a very pliable and elastic imagination. I do not believe that he is or ever will be a hero or a savior… in fact, my opinion of him is exactly opposite. But I am absolutely delighted in the fact that two reviewers of the same 5 rhymed lines had found within them two exactly opposite points of view: a racist point of view (look at the review from Spriglief below), and support for Obama (as you did). This proves to me, beyond any doubt, the power of the Word – which is the ultimate sovereign to whom my loyalties are paid…

Firstly, I don’t see the racism angle at all.  And I am black!!!  I always find it interesting that the first people to shout racism are the people who have never ever experienced it.

And I agree with you re: the power of the Word.

Ignore that idiot below, he/she’s probably one of those that reviews everyone else but never brave enough to put their own stuff out there.

Thank you for your encouragement and understanding – considering all stated  ideological differences, the opportunity to have our exchange in full civility is still remarkable (and not found very often…). As for the comments below, I think he/she is simply confused. And in cases of confusion, the best cure is patience – and I think I can handle that… (having raised two kids and raising a third one…).

No problem at all.  Good luck for the future

We read it aloud, several times. Mood-food? Barack-truck-luck? seems to rhyme ok (and any rhyming dictionary will confirm this). Rhythm – if you chart the rhythm and pronounce the words rhythmically, as they should be pronounced – is without any flaws. We cannot scrap it either – the limerick is already published on the web, and soon will be published in a book. So, what exactly does not fit your idea of poetic harmony here?