Casey at the Bat
By: Ernest Thayer
Ernest Thayer
Ernest Thayer is an American writer and poet born on August 14, 1963 in Lawrenceville Massachusetts. Thayer attended Harvard University and graduated manga cum laude in philosophy in 1885. While at Harvard, he was the editor of the Harvard Lampoon and a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatrical Club. Although Thayer has written many poems, he is most known for his last piece: "Caset at the Bat". Many renditions of the poem famous poem have come about throughout the years, even an animation by Walt Disney. Ernest Thayer died in 1940 at the age of 77.
Literal
The poem has a very literal interpretation. The poem tells the story of an arrogant man named Casey who is the star player for his team. With his team down 2 runs, Casey gets a chance to win the game for his team. However, Casey is overconfident and strikes out to end the game.
Situation
The poem "Casey at the Bat" tells a narrative of a batter named Casey who attempts to win a baseball game for his team. The poem does not describe a specific tone or mood. The speaker in the poem seems to be a spectator or bystander observing the game. The speaker in not directly involved in the game and is depicting the action he sees taking place. The speaker can be trusted as he/she does not show signs of deception. The speakers sounds very excited and passionate about the game. When reading this aloud, a very intruiged and descriptive tone would be appropriate.
Structure
- Form: The poem is in traditional form. Theyer chose this form to keep the reader intrigued throughout.
- Movement: The poem begins with a tone of sadness and hopelessness. However, as the poem progresses, the tone becomes more hopeful and excited. This tone remains until the end where sadness reappears. The attitude of the poem changes, but returns back to the original.
- Syntax: The sentences in the poem follow the traditional noun, verb setting. There are complicated sentences that use a variety of sentence types and breaks in the sentence.
- Puntuation: There's a multitude of punctuations used in the poem. The main types used consist of commas and periods. Many semi-colons are also in the poem. Often times periods do not signify the end of a poetic line. Thayer uses enjambments in the poem for emphasis.
- Title: The title, "Casey at the Bat" has a very literal meaning. It refers to the narrative told in the story about a man named "Casey" who is at bat in the game.
Language
- Diction: The language used is very simple and informal. Thayer uses very common words such as "the outlook wasn't brilliant" to envoke a sense of despair.
- Allusion: Thayer references a town called "Mudville" which references a town in Massachusetts.
- Imagery: There is a good amount of imagery in the poem such as "upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat".
Musical Devices
The poem has a regular pattern of AABB. This gives the peom a musical effect. The tonal effect of the rhythm is upbeat
Citations
"American National Biography Online: Thayer, Ernest Lawrence." American National Biography Online: Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
"Bibliophilopolis." Bibliophilopolis. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
"The Origins of Casey at the Bat." Books on Baseball RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
Walt Disney 1946 - Casey at the Bat HQ