Stanza Structure of the poem "Nose Versus Eyes

The poem has eight stanzas of four lines each. The poet uses different poetic devices to create imagery and meaning. There is regular rhymes scheme in the poem where the first line rhymes with the third and second with the fourth, hence it abab.

The poem satirizes the judiciary system through a whimsical tale where the nose and eyes engage in a legal battle over ownership of a pair of glasses. Acting as a lawyer, the tongue skillfully argues that the nose deserves the glasses since they snugly fit on it, akin to a saddle on a horse. Moreover, the lawyer points out that every face has a nose, implying the natural association between noses and glasses.

Unexpectedly, the tongue shifts allegiance, advocating for the eyes. Despite its efforts, the arguments in favor of the eyes fall short, and the judge, Chief Baron Ear, remains unconvinced. Ultimately, a seemingly absurd verdict is reached: the nose is granted possession of the glasses, and the eyes must close as the nose enjoys the spectacles.The poem cleverly mocks the legal system by portraying a comical and irrational resolution to a dispute, highlighting the unpredictability and quirks within the judicial process.

Characters and Their Introduction:

1. Nose:-  The character of Nose is one of the major and  friendly characters in our story. It's one of the five sense orange. In this poem, the Nose gets into a funny competition with the Eyes over a pair of glasses.

2. Eyes:- Another important character in the poem is the Eyes! The eyes are in agreement with the Nose over the position of glasses. Both of them have disagreement about who should own a pair of glasses.

3. Tongue:- The tongue, playing the role of a talkative lawyer. It speaks for both the Nose and the Eyes in the competition. The Tongue adds a lot of humor and clever arguments to the story.

4. Ears:- Ears play an important role here, the Chief Baron Ear, the judge in our story. It's a wise and discerning character. The Chief Baron Ear makes a funny decision at the end, adding a surprising twist to how the Nose vs Eyes dispute gets resolved.

Story of The Poem"Nose verses Eyes"

The poem "Nose vs Eyes" by William Cowper tells a funny story about the Nose and Eyes arguing over a pair of glasses. It's like a playful competition with characters acting like lawyers and judges. The poem makes fun of the legal system by using it as a funny way to solve a silly disagreement. The Tongue, acting as a lawyer, strongly says the Nose should have the glasses because it's used to them and they fit well, comparing it to a saddle. But when the Tongue tries to argue for the Eyes, it doesn't work out and becomes a bit silly. In the end, the Chief Baron Ear, like a judge, says that when the Nose wears the glasses, the Eyes should be shut. The poem uses humor to make us think about how sometimes arguments and decisions can be a bit silly and not make much sense.

Stnaza wies Analysis of the poem.


Stanza 1

The poem begins with a whimsical competition between the Nose and the Eyes over a pair of spectacles. The disagreement arises because the spectacles are wrongly placed, setting the stage for a playful dispute.

Stanza 2

The Tongue is personified as a lawyer presenting arguments. It skillfully argues on behalf of the Nose, emphasizing its historical use of spectacles. The Chief Baron Ear is introduced as a judge known for discernment(showing good judgement) in balancing the laws.

Stanza 3

 The Tongue argues that the Nose has always worn spectacles, establishing a claim based on historical use. The phrase "time out of mind" suggests a long-standing association with the Nose.

Stanza 4

The Tongue holds up the spectacles, pointing out their design to the court. The comparison of the design to a saddle cleverly reinforces the argument that spectacles are meant for the Nose.

Stanza 5

A hypothetical scenario is presented, suggesting that without a Nose, wearing spectacles would be impractical. This strengthens the argument that spectacles were specifically designed for the Nose.

Stanza 6

The Tongue summarizes the argument, stating that the spectacles were made for the Nose, and vice versa. The reasoning is presented as solid and one that the court should not condemn.

Stanza 7

The Tongue shifts its argument to support the Eyes, but the details of the arguments for the Eyes are left intentionally vague. The court's perception is that the arguments for the Eyes are not equally wise.

Stanza 8

The Chief Baron Ear delivers a decisive and clear verdict. Whenever the Nose wears spectacles, the Eyes should be shut. The tone is described as grave and solemn, concluding the whimsical dispute in a surprising and humorous way.


The figures of speech in The poem "Nose verses Eyes"

The poet used various figures of speech in the poem like, 

Personification is used to give human qualities to non-human things. In this case, the eyes and nose are portrayed as characters fighting over spectacles, with the tongue as the lawyer and the ear as the judge.

Alliteration, the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of nearby words, is present in phrases like "Spectacles set" and "said spectacles."

Metaphor is used when there is two unlike with the similar quality are indirectly compared without using the words like "like, so, as"

Inversion, a figure of speech where word order is changed for effect, is seen in lines like "But what were his arguments few people know."

Legal language is used, with words like "Your lordship," "Decreed," "Pleaded," and "Arguments" giving the poem a court-like atmosphere.

Hyperbole, exaggeration not meant to be taken literally, is used in phrases like "time out of mind."

Simile, a comparison using "like" or "as," is present in lines such as "As wide as the ridge" and "just like a saddle."

Tautology, unnecessary repetition, is seen in the use of synonyms like "visage or countenance."

Poetic Appreciation of "Nose Versus Eyes". 

The poem with the title "Nose versus Eyes" is a satirical poem composed by William Cowper. The poem has eight stanzas of four lines each with the regular rhyme scheme of abab.  

The theme of the poem is about the general human tendencies and attributes of greediness. people generally grab the things which do not belong to them and keep the real needy depriving those who really deserve them. The present poem is a satire on the judiciary system. It also mocks at the stone blind justice in a humorous manner emphasizing the lack of empathy and common sense. The language of the poem though figurative is easy to understand. The poem has many words and phrases associated with the field of law and judiciary like 'Your lordship'

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For Std 11th 

Poetic Appreciation of all Poems Together

The poetic device in the poem is the use of figures of speech like personification, imagery, inversion. Almost all human sense organs are personified.

The poem inculcates very interesting moral values among the readers all the verdicts made by the judges should not be purely based on the books of law but while giving the decision the human values must be kept in mind.

I personally like this poem very much as it inculcates moral values among the readers in a humorous way. Though it is a humorous poem it deals with the most serious issues of human life.  


Activities on the poem.

A1 Complete the following statements with the suitable words or phrases from the poem.

  1. The four human oragans mentioned in the poem are.............,  ..........,   ..........., and  ..........
  2. The role of the lawyer in the poem is played by ..................
  3. The Judge is .....,....,,..,.....
  4. The argument is over the possession of....................
A2. State whether the following statements are True or False.
  1. Tongue made convincing argument in favour of Nose.
  2. The judge Ears was about to made the verdict in favour of Mouth.
  3. The two organs are at arguments are Eyes and Nose.
  4. The skin was the audience in the poem.
A3. What is your opinion on the judiciary system of our country.

A4. Write the rhymes Scheme of the all eight stanzas?

A5. Compose the poem on "Law and Orders in our Country"

Try to Answer the above questions.




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