That is the funniest Argyle Sweater I’ve seen in a very long time (possibly ever), but it would have been even better if Hilburn had gotten the scansion right. I wonder how long it has been since he read the book. The contractions in the first two lines should have been written out (“do not”), and “island” should have been shortened to “isle”.
Hilburn should also have dropped “the” before ladies. But, yeah, otherwise a really good one.
No one seems capable of writing in proper meter anymore, especially when parodying Dr. Seuss.
Changing “don’t” to “do not” in the second line would make the scansion even worse. As it is, you have to put the emphasis on the wrong syllables (‘don’t’ and ‘like’), but you can make it fit. Adding another syllable would throw the whole line off.
As for the Hades/Ladies line, while removing “the” would help, the feet would still be trochees instead of iambs. I believe the original was written in strict iambic tetrameter, but the third line in this parody would be trochaic.
The fourth line is even worse. As written, it’s dactylic, a triple meter (except for the last foot, which is just a single stressed syllable). But if you change “island” to “isle”, it lets you shift into a duple meter (iambs), as long as you don’t mind switching “Not on” from a trochee to an iamb. But there’s also an extra syllable (“on”), turning the third foot into an anapest.
It’s bad and ugly. No praise from me.
For examples of cartoonists who understand poetic meter, try Bill Watterson or Dana Simpson.
I should have said “as long as you don’t mind switching ‘not as'”.
I was worried the Bizarro was going to drop into “My Way”.
Knowing absolutely nothing about ballet, I didn’t get the barre pun. But it was clear from the guy’s position and the fact that the comic is here.
Some may call that comment irrelevant, but I say it is entirely en pointe.
@ Powers – My suggestion for you is the same one that I would make to Hilburn: read the original text, which does not contain the contraction.
Also, I’m pretty sure the Bizarro is a repeat. I seem to remember a lengthy discussion about the tape.
. . . and please note that I submitted it the first time, not the second ‘-)
@ DemetriosX – Pete provided a link to the first appearance (@1), but given the recent WordPress shenanigans it is possible that you may not have seen it.
Could have been “I do not like them, good madame’.
Andréa is totally off the hook: I seem to have neglected to delete her email.
Kilby: I’m aware of the words used in the original. My comment was purely about scansion.
I think reproducing Seuss’s scansion would have been better than trying to invent a new wording that doesn’t fit any better.
Well the second line does scan properly in iambic tetrameter with “don’t”. It’s the only line that does. I’m willing to give credit for that.
It does no such thing- trochee trochee iamb iamb.
I just saw yesterday’s “This Week Tonight with John Oliver” and they had a rather good “I do not like that man Ted Cruz” short bit.
(This link is an older one, not the one from last night! But still shows the right way to do this. https://youtu.be/Ll8el-AIBbQ )
@ Mitch4 – To really do it right, you have to add an “Arlo” or possibly “NSFW” warning after the link.
Okay, sorry.
@ Mitch4 – I wasn’t offended, but I was worried about other people who might open that link in a room with other people in it.
Really I know I wasn’t paying enough attention!
It was only at the very last moment that I realized the clip I found, and was about to link to, was not the most current one, which I had just watched and enjoyed. But I included it anyway, as an equal example of somebody getting the Green Eggs and Ham prosody right, and didn’t think about what it actually said.
Comics I Don't Understand 
Repeat from August.
https://godaddyandthesquirrelmustbothdie.wordpress.com/2019/08/10/saturday-morning-oy-august-10-2019/
That is the funniest Argyle Sweater I’ve seen in a very long time (possibly ever), but it would have been even better if Hilburn had gotten the scansion right. I wonder how long it has been since he read the book. The contractions in the first two lines should have been written out (“do not”), and “island” should have been shortened to “isle”.
Hilburn should also have dropped “the” before ladies. But, yeah, otherwise a really good one.
No one seems capable of writing in proper meter anymore, especially when parodying Dr. Seuss.
Changing “don’t” to “do not” in the second line would make the scansion even worse. As it is, you have to put the emphasis on the wrong syllables (‘don’t’ and ‘like’), but you can make it fit. Adding another syllable would throw the whole line off.
As for the Hades/Ladies line, while removing “the” would help, the feet would still be trochees instead of iambs. I believe the original was written in strict iambic tetrameter, but the third line in this parody would be trochaic.
The fourth line is even worse. As written, it’s dactylic, a triple meter (except for the last foot, which is just a single stressed syllable). But if you change “island” to “isle”, it lets you shift into a duple meter (iambs), as long as you don’t mind switching “Not on” from a trochee to an iamb. But there’s also an extra syllable (“on”), turning the third foot into an anapest.
It’s bad and ugly. No praise from me.
For examples of cartoonists who understand poetic meter, try Bill Watterson or Dana Simpson.
I should have said “as long as you don’t mind switching ‘not as'”.
I was worried the Bizarro was going to drop into “My Way”.
Knowing absolutely nothing about ballet, I didn’t get the barre pun. But it was clear from the guy’s position and the fact that the comic is here.
Some may call that comment irrelevant, but I say it is entirely en pointe.
@ Powers – My suggestion for you is the same one that I would make to Hilburn: read the original text, which does not contain the contraction.
Also, I’m pretty sure the Bizarro is a repeat. I seem to remember a lengthy discussion about the tape.
. . . and please note that I submitted it the first time, not the second ‘-)
@ DemetriosX – Pete provided a link to the first appearance (@1), but given the recent WordPress shenanigans it is possible that you may not have seen it.
Could have been “I do not like them, good madame’.
Andréa is totally off the hook: I seem to have neglected to delete her email.
Kilby: I’m aware of the words used in the original. My comment was purely about scansion.
I think reproducing Seuss’s scansion would have been better than trying to invent a new wording that doesn’t fit any better.
Well the second line does scan properly in iambic tetrameter with “don’t”. It’s the only line that does. I’m willing to give credit for that.
It does no such thing- trochee trochee iamb iamb.
I just saw yesterday’s “This Week Tonight with John Oliver” and they had a rather good “I do not like that man Ted Cruz” short bit.
(This link is an older one, not the one from last night! But still shows the right way to do this. https://youtu.be/Ll8el-AIBbQ )
@ Mitch4 – To really do it right, you have to add an “Arlo” or possibly “NSFW” warning after the link.
Okay, sorry.
@ Mitch4 – I wasn’t offended, but I was worried about other people who might open that link in a room with other people in it.
Really I know I wasn’t paying enough attention!
It was only at the very last moment that I realized the clip I found, and was about to link to, was not the most current one, which I had just watched and enjoyed. But I included it anyway, as an equal example of somebody getting the Green Eggs and Ham prosody right, and didn’t think about what it actually said.