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Poem
January 3, 1879
The True Northerner
Paw Paw, Van Buren County, Michigan
What is this article about?
A poem depicting the exhausting daily tasks of a housewife, from cleaning and cooking to sewing and dishwashing, expressing frustration and a desire for patient endurance.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Housework.
Washing, mopping, baking, churning;
Next day ironing must be done,
And the busy housewife findeth
Little rest till set of sun,
Then the knitting and the sewing,
With the buttonholes to make:
Oh! the patching and the darning,
How they make our fingers ache.
But of all the varied duties
That we busy housewives find,
I do think that washing dishes
Is the most provoking kind.
Why, the times they must be handled
O'er and o'er, day after day,
Almost makes one wish the china
Were in bits for children's play.
Now, don't tell me I am wicked—
I know that as well as you;
But somehow when I am weary,
Dishes make me feel so blue.
And the only cure I've found yet
Is a paper or a book,
When my family are settled
Each in his own cozy nook.
I know well that very many
Have obtained the needed grace,
With a patient, cheerful spirit,
All life's petty ills to face.
Oh, that I were of that number!
Then, with heart for any fate,
I might, with a cheerful spirit,
"Learn to labor and to wait."
Washing, mopping, baking, churning;
Next day ironing must be done,
And the busy housewife findeth
Little rest till set of sun,
Then the knitting and the sewing,
With the buttonholes to make:
Oh! the patching and the darning,
How they make our fingers ache.
But of all the varied duties
That we busy housewives find,
I do think that washing dishes
Is the most provoking kind.
Why, the times they must be handled
O'er and o'er, day after day,
Almost makes one wish the china
Were in bits for children's play.
Now, don't tell me I am wicked—
I know that as well as you;
But somehow when I am weary,
Dishes make me feel so blue.
And the only cure I've found yet
Is a paper or a book,
When my family are settled
Each in his own cozy nook.
I know well that very many
Have obtained the needed grace,
With a patient, cheerful spirit,
All life's petty ills to face.
Oh, that I were of that number!
Then, with heart for any fate,
I might, with a cheerful spirit,
"Learn to labor and to wait."
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Housework
Housewife Chores
Washing Dishes
Domestic Drudgery
Patience Virtue
Poem Details
Title
Housework.
Subject
Trials Of Housework
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
But Of All The Varied Duties
That We Busy Housewives Find,
I Do Think That Washing Dishes
Is The Most Provoking Kind.
Why, The Times They Must Be Handled
O'er And O'er, Day After Day,
Almost Makes One Wish The China
Were In Bits For Children's Play.
Oh, That I Were Of That Number!
Then, With Heart For Any Fate,
I Might, With A Cheerful Spirit,
"Learn To Labor And To Wait."