Limericks
By Domenic Toth
What are Limericks and Where Do They Originate From
- Limericks are types of poems in which the 1st, 2nd, and 5th line of the poem rhyme with each other and 3rd and 4th line rhyme with each other
- The 1st, 2nd, and 5th line are longer than the 3rd or 4th line.
- Limericks developed in England during the 18th century and became popular in the 19th century after Edward Lear wrote more of them.
Famous Limerick Writers
- Rudyard Kipling______ 5. Salmon Rushdie
- Mark Twain ________6. James Joyce
- Dixon Merrit _______ 7. Erica Jong
- Johns Galworthy ____8. Lewis Carroll
Fun Facts on Limericks
- Did you know that when Edward Lear used limericks, he called them something totally diffrent
- It is right now a debate on if Shakespear wrote limericks, however this is very unlikly as limericks are quite specific and were devoloped in the 1800's, when he had already passed.
Examples of limericks
1. A man hired by John Smith and Co.
Loudly declared that he’d tho.
Men that he saw
Dumping dirt near his door
The drivers, therefore, didn’t do.
by Mark Twain
2.There was a small boy of Quebec
Who was buried in snow to his neck
When they said, "Are you friz?"
He replied, " Yes, I is —
But we don't call this cold in Quebec"
by Rudyard Kipling
3. T. S. Eliot is quite at a loss
When clubwomen bustle across
At literary teas
Crying, “What, if you please,
Did you mean by The Mill On the Floss?”
by W. H. Auden
How To Write Your Own
When writing a limerick, you must know the basic rules.
1. The first, second, and third line must rhyme with each other.
2. The third and fourth line must rhyme with each other.
3. The first, second and fifth line are usually longer than the third or fourth line.
4. A limerick is only five lines long
5. Don't forget your title and name.