The Tale of Custard the Dragon

• Poet & Genre
  • Poet: Og Nash
  • Genre: Ballad (humorous, story-like poem with a bouncy rhythm)
• Setting & Characters
  • Setting: Belinda's little white house
  • Belinda: The young owner of the pets
  • Pets & Their Bravery:
    • Ink: Little black kitten (brave as a barrel of bears)
    • Blink: Little grey mouse (chased lions down the stairs)
    • Bandust: Little yellow dog (brave as a tiger in a rage)
    • Custard: Big cowardly dragon (cried for a nice safe cage)
• Character Traits of Custard
  • Appearance: Big sharp teeth, spikes on top, scales underneath, mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose
  • Personality: Coward (constantly cried for a safe cage)
  • Mocked by others: Percival comparison, tickled unmercifully, called cowardly
• Climax: The Pirate Attack
  • The Threat: Pirate climbs the window (pistol in left hand, right hand, cutlass bright, black beard, wooden leg)
  • Reactions of the Brave Pets:
    • Belinda: Cried for help ("Help! Help!") and grew pale
    • Ink & Blink: Fled to safety (hole, basement)
    • Mustard: Fled with a terrified yelp
• The Turning Point & Heroism
  • Custard's Action: Jumps up, snorts like an engine, tail like irons in a dungeon, clashing scales
  • The Clash: Attacks the pirate like a robin eating a worm
  • Resolution: Pirate swallowed whole by Custard
• Aftermath & Irony
  • Belinda's Reaction: Hugs Custard
  • Ink, Blink, Mustard: Celebrate, claiming they were twice as brave
  • Custard's Humble Response: Agrees everyone is braver than him
• Ending & Cyclic Nature
  • Belinda still lives in her little white house
  • Ink, Blink, Mustard, and cowardly Custard still cry for a nice safe cage
• Literary Devices
  • Ballad rhyme scheme (AABB)
  • Simile ("brave as a barrel", "mouth like a fireplace")
  • Metaphor ("chimney for a nose")
  • Oxymoron ("pet dragon")
  • Onomatopoeia ("weegh", "clatter", "jangling")