Tag: Clerihews

I thought it might be interesting and the results amusing, to ask Charioteers to write some Clerihews. I am sure most are familiar with the form, but if not, here is some background, pinched shamelessly from Wikipedia.

Form

A clerihew has the following properties:

• It is biographical and usually whimsical, showing the subject from an unusual point of view; it pokes fun at mostly famous people
• It has four lines of irregular length (for comic effect); the third and fourth lines are usually longer than the first two
• The rhyme structure is AABB; the subject matter and wording are often humorously contrived in order to achieve a rhyme
• The first line consists solely (or almost solely) of the subject’s name.

Clerihews are not satirical or abusive, but they target famous individuals and reposition them in an absurd, anachronistic or commonplace setting, often giving them an over-simplified and slightly garbled description (similar to the schoolboy style of 1066 and All That). Continue reading “5th Poetry Competition”