Reginald Arkell’s charming poem, “A Concrete Example,” introduces Mrs. Jones, a quirky neighbour whose garden is filled with more stones than flowers. This light-hearted poem in NCERT Class 8 English (Poorvi), uses gentle humour and a surprising final twist to explore a timeless lesson: that true beauty and value are often found in the smallest, most unconventional things that others overlook.
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Poem: A Concrete Example
My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
has got a garden full of stones:
A crazy path, a lily pond,
a rockery and, just beyond
A sundial with a strange device,
which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice.
My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
puts little plants between the stones
They are so delicate and small,
they don’t mean anything at all.
I can’t think how she gets them in,
unless she plants them with a pin.
My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
once asked me round to see her stones.
We stood and talked about a flower
for quite a quarter of an hour.
“Where is this lovely thing?” I cried.
“You’re standing on it,” she replied.
– Reginald Arkell
Poetic Devices used in the Poem ‘A Concrete Example’
The poem uses simple, conversational language that makes the humour more effective. The narrator’s literal interpretation of where flowers should be found creates the humorous misunderstanding.
Major figures of speech used in the poem “A Concrete Example” are given here.
Rhyme Scheme:
The poem has a consistent, singsong rhythm that makes it easy to read aloud and contributes to its light, playful tone.
The poem follows a rhyming pattern: AABBCC (in each stanza).
Example:
- stones – Jones
- pond – beyond
- device – nice
Imagery:
The poem creates vivid visual images:
- “a garden full of stones”
- “a crazy path, a lily pond”
- “a rockery”
- “little plants between the stones”
- “you’re standing on it”
Humour:
The poem is funny.
Example: “Unless she plants them with a pin.”
The poet jokes that the plants are so small that she must use a pin to plant them.
Alliteration:
Repetition of the same starting sound.
Stanza 1:
- ‘got a garden’ – 2nd line
- ‘path, a lily pond’ – 3rd line
- ‘sundial with a strange – 5th line
Stanza 2:
- ‘puts little plants’ – 2nd line
- ‘so delicate and small’ – 3rd line
Stanza 3:
- ‘see her stones’ – 2nd line
- ‘quite a quarter – 4th line
Hyperbole:
It means saying something in an exaggerated way.
Example: “They don’t mean anything at all.”
The exaggeration in “they don’t mean anything at all” emphasizes how tiny and seemingly insignificant the plants appear to the narrator.
Refrain:
A refrain is a line or group of words that is repeated in a poem.
“My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,”
is repeated at the beginning of each stanza.
It gives a musical effect.
It creates rhythm in the poem and keeps the focus on Mrs. Jones. It makes the poem more interesting and easy to remember.
So, refrain is also an important figure of speech used in the poem.
These devices work together to create a charming, humorous poem that celebrates finding beauty in unconventional places and highlights how our perspectives shape what we consider valuable or beautiful.
Irony/Situational Irony:
It means saying something but meaning the opposite.
The poet talks about a flower for fifteen minutes but cannot see it. In the end, he is standing on it. This creates a surprising and funny ending.
Example: The poet cannot see the flower and is told, “You’re standing on it.”
The central irony is that the narrator looks for the “lovely flower” that Mrs. Jones has been talking about, only to discover that the flower is actually beneath their feet, growing between the stones.
Another irony in the poem is:
The poet says the tiny plants
“don’t mean anything at all.”
Why is this irony?
The poet thinks the plants are not important but later, Mrs. Jones talks about one small flower for fifteen minutes.
For Mr Jones, tiny plants don’t matter but for Mrs. Jones, even the smallest flower is very special.
So, what seems useless to one person is valuable to another.
This difference in thinking creates irony in the poem.