Poem
They said the house was haunted , but
he laughed at them and said, ‚Tut, tut!
I never heard such tittle-tattle
as ghosts that groan and chains that rattle;
And just to prove I’m in the right,
please leave me here to spend the night.‘
They winked absurdly, tried to smother
their ignorant laughter, nudged each other,
and left him just as dusk was falling
with a hunchback moon and screech owls calling.
Not that this troubled him one bit;
in fact, he was quite glad of it,
knowing it’s every sane man’s mission
to contradict all superstition.
But what is that? Outside it seemed
as if chains rattled, someone screamed!
Come, come, it’s merely nerves, he’s certain
(but just the same, he draws the curtain).
The stroke of twelve — but there’s no clock!
He shuts the door and turns the lock
(of course he knows that no-one’s there,
but no harm’s done by taking care!);
someone’s outside the silly joker,
(he may as well pick up the poker!)
That noise again! He checks the doors,
shutters the windows, makes a pause
to seek the safest place to hide —
(the cupboard’s strong — he creeps inside).
‚Not that there’s anything to fear‘
he tells himself, when at his ear
a voice breathes softly, ‚How do you do!
I am the ghost. Pray who are you?´
Poet
Dr. Raymond Wilson is a well-known author who has written five books, including Ohiyesa: Charles Eastman, Santee Sioux. He is the editor of Natives Americans in the Twentieth Century and Indian Lives: Essays on Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Native American Leaders. Dr. Wilson has published over 50 essays, articles, or chapters in books, encyclopedias, and dictionaries and has published over 15 articles in professional journals. Additionally, he has more than 185 book reviews in scholarly journals and many presentations at scholarly conferences.
Dr. Wilson is Professor of History and former chair of the Department of History at Hays University, Kansas. He received the fourth President’s Distinguished Scholar Award. He joined the faculty in 1979. Dr. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Lewis College, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. A native of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Dr. Wilson, and his wife, call Hays home.
He is a member of several professional organizations and has been accorded numerous honors and awards. In 2002, he received the Fort Hays State University Pilot Award for outstanding teaching and is listed in the International Directory of Distinguished Leadership and in Who’s Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian.
Summary
The poem satirizes people who are sure that
there are no such things as ghosts. The humor comes from the contrast between what ‘he’ says at the beginning and what he says and does later.
He decided to spend the night in a haunted house just to prove to his friends that there are no such things as ghosts. But as night falls, strange things happen which frighten him. The way he tries to convince himself that there are no ghosts.
Analysis
The poem satirizes people who are 100 percent sure that there are no such things as ghosts. The persona in the poem is such a person. The humor comes from the contrast between what ‘he’ says at the bginning and what he says and does later.
Our ‘hero’ has decided to spend the night in a haunted house just to prove to his friends that there are no such things as ghosts. But as night falls, strange things happen which frighten him. The way he tries to convince himself that there are no ghosts, while at the same time taking care to protect himself is very funny:
“Come, come, it’s merely nerves, he’s certain
(But just the same he draws the curtain.)”
There are many instances of this which show that as night falls he gets more and more frightened; so much so, that he hides himself inside a cupboard:
“To seek the safest place to hide-
(The cupboard’s strong – he creeps inside.)”
Even then he tells himself that there is nothing to fear. But to his great shock, the ghost who was also ‘living’ inside the cupboard, speaks politely in his ear, introducing itself. The ghost’s polite tone evokes humor:
“….How do you do? I am a ghost. Pray who are you?”
This certainly contributes to the humor as normally we do not expect such politeness from a ghost.
The poet creates a frightening atmosphere that increases the tension and the fear in the mind of the persona in the poem.
“and left him just as dusk was falling
with a hunchback moon and screech owls calling.
… But what is that? Outside it seemed
as if chains rattled, someone screamed!”
The comedy of the situation arises from the rising fear of the self-assured protaganist who doesn’t believe in ghosts and his final encounter with the ghost whom he finds in the same cupboard he wanted to hide himself. The surprise also adds to the humor. The sub-title of the poem which says ‘The sad story of a man who didn’t believe in shosts’ is also humorous as it turns out to be a comedy in the end.
The use of the rhyming couplets give a quick movement to the poem in tune with the dramatic situation presented by the poet. It also highlights the comic quality of the poem. This poem also reminds me of another humours poem about ghosts called ‘Colonel Frazerkerly’ where the protagonist really outsmarts the ghost.
Question & Answers
It is a funny poem that is composed in a serious style. Some friends (I think they were all boys) were talking about a haunted house in the neighborhood. One of them said that there was no such thing as ghost. He didn’t believe that ghosts do not haunt houses. To establish that, he decided to stay in that house for a night. What happened then?
“They said the house was haunted, but
he laughed at them and said, ‘Tut, tut!’
I never heard such tittle-tattle
as ghosts that groan and chains that rattle;
And just to prove I’m in the right,
please leave me here to spend the night.”
Meaning
They said – The friends told among themselvesThe house was haunted – The house had ghosts in itTut, tut! – An expression of disapproval; unbelievable!Tittle-tattle – Meaningless talk; gossipGroan – Cry with painChains that rattle – Chains of the ghosts that shake as the ghosts walkI’m in the right – I am right
Questions
Why did the brave boy decide to stay alone in the haunted house?
The brave boy decided to stay alone in the haunted house to prove that ghosts do not exist.What does the brave boy refer to as ‘such tittle-tatle?’
With ‘such tittle-tatle,’ the brave boy refers to his friends’ talking about the presence of ghosts in the house.The brave boy is not only brave but over confident as well. Explain.
“They winked absurdly, tried to smother
their ignorant laughter, nudged each other,
and left him just as dusk was falling
with a hunchback moon and screech owls calling.”
Meaning
Winked – Closed an eyeAbsurdly – FoolishlyIgnorant – Unaware; without knowledgeSmother – Control (one’s laughter)Nudged each other – Prod someone gently with one’s elbow in order to attract attentionDusk – Early eveningHunchback moon – New moonScreech owls – Kind of owlsCalling – Crying; hooting
Questions
Does the poet support the existence of ghosts? Support your answer based on the above stanza.How did the friends react to the brave boy’s readiness to stay alone in the haunted house?How does the hunchback-moon add to the eeriness of the situation? What else adds fear to the situation?
“Not that this troubled him one bit;
In fact, he was quite glad of it,
Knowing it’s every sane man’s mission
To contradict all superstition.”
Meaning
Not that this troubled him one bit – This did not trouble him at allIn fact, he was quite glad of it – He was in fact very happy and comfortable to be aloneSane – Mentally fit; sensible; rational (Antonym – Mad/insane)Contradict – Question; Prove something wrongSuperstition – False beliefsKnowing it’s every sane man’s mission to contradict all superstition – He knew that it is the duty of a sensible person to prove that ghosts do not exist
Questions
Why was the brave boy quite glad of being left alone in the haunted house?
The brave boy was quite glad of being left alone in the haunted house because he was of the opinion that it was his duty to disprove ghosts. Being a nonbeliever in ghosts, he hoped to teach his friends that ghosts were only fictitious.
“But what is that? Outside it seemed
as if chains rattled, someone screamed!
Come, come, it’s merely nerves, he’s certain
(but just the same, he draws the curtain).”
Meaning
But what is that?Outside it seemed as if chains rattledSomeone screamed!Come, come! – Let me see!Merely – Just; simplyNerves – Nervousness; fear; anxietyIt’s merely nerves, he’s certain – He is sure that it was not any ghost but he was growing nervous(but just the same, he draws the curtain)
Questions
What did the brave boy hear outside? What was its effect on him?How did the brave try to calm himself down?
The brave boy tried to calm himself down by telling to himself that the sounds he had heard were not real but just feelings. He believed that he was becoming nervous.How do we get to know that the brave boy is scared?
The brave boy really got scared while he stayed back in the haunted house. From his act of drawing the curtain, we get to know that he was scared.
The stroke of twelve — but there’s no clock!
“He shuts the door and turns the lock
(of course he knows that no-one’s there,
but no harm’s done by taking care!);
someone’s outside — the silly joker,
(he may as well pick up the poker!)”
Meaning
The stroke of twelve — but there’s no clock! – A wall clock somewhere struck midnightHe shuts the door and turns the lock(of course he knows that no-one’s there, but no harm’s done by taking care!);someone’s outside — the silly joker,(he may as well pick up the poker!)
Questions
What was peculiar/remarkable about the clock’s sound?With what excuse did the brave boy shut the doors?Why does the poet think that the brave boy might pick up the poker?What is the tone of the poet? Why?
The poet sounds sarcastic. He is sarcastic because he is now sure that the brave boy is now scared of ghost in the house although he had initially bragged that he could stay alone in the haunted house.
“That noise again! He checks the doors,
shutters the windows, makes a pause
to seek the safest place to hide —
(the cupboard’s strong — he creeps inside).”
Meaning
The stroke of twelve — but there’s no clock! –He shuts the door and turns the lock(of course he knows that no-one’s there, but no harm’s done by taking care!)someone’s outside — the silly joker,(he may as well pick up the poker!)That noise again! He checks the doors, shutters the windows, makes a pauseto seek the safest place to hide —(the cupboard’s strong — he creeps inside).
Literary Globe 