I think, in my heart of hearts, that's what Dylan Thomas always intended, really.
I found this comic kind of offensive, actually. The poem is about a guy dealing with the death of his father, which you're making light of in service of a joke that just doesn't make much sense if you read more than the part about Sheldon raging against going to bed.
To a kid, sleep is a little bit like death . . . death of all that possibility, all those things you'll miss out on . . ..
This is what I get for living on the East Coast and getting up four hours before the artist has a chance to start a discussion topic. But anyway...
Please, please, PLEASE make this one available as a poster!!!! I can't afford the original at this time, but I'd buy half a dozen copies of a good poster version and have one mounted, framed and hung in my living room (plus send them to various friends and neighbors!)
This has been a slice of my life for the last 20+ years, since the second year that the original Nintendo came out. And it gets damned rough once the boys pass six feet and two hundred plus pounds to pry that controller out of their hands and get those footie pajamas on them.
I try to laugh about it now, but I usually want to cry.....
The death of my father is still fresh in my mind. Being unfamiliar with Thomas' work, this strip brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, Dave, for reminding us of what is important.
P.S.: I second the vote for a poster; I tried too late to buy the strip within a minute of seeing it.
Oh my gosh. As an English teacher, I am always trying to make poetry, stories and other aspects of literature relatable to teens. This is one of the perfect examples of how you do this. Thank you so much for this. I've already taught this poem this year. But I guarantee that next year I will be showing this comic.
Check out the John Cale CD "Fragments of a Lonely Season" (I think). He covers this poem, "A Child's Christmas in Wales", "Lie still, sleep becalmed", and quite possibly some others. They're quite powerful set to music.
This is my absolute favorite poem, but I love what you've done with it here. As an English and creative writing teacher, I hope you don't mind if I print this out and display it on my classroom wall. And yes, a poster of this would definitely be awesome. I'd buy IT and display it in my classroom. ^_^
Anyone that has taken High School English and has an 8-to-16 yr old son lives this EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I nearly snarfed my mocha when I read this. [Snarf: to laugh hard enough with liquid in one's mouth that it comes out one's nose as one attempts to not spray the computer, your tablemates, the book, etc.]
MommaMackie - you were braver than I. I gave up trying to get the footies on him when he beat my 5ft 6inches, never mind the 200lbs . . .
I'm less than 5 feet tall and most of my adult life have weighed less that 110 pounds, but still have all three of the little scamps convinced that I can take them if sufficiently PO'd. And it's a bitch trying to find footie pajamas in their sizes.
They are firmly convinced that small women are more dangerous than the other kinds.
And this is a truly wonderful poem. I loved it long before Dave worked his magic with it.
This remembers me of my youth :-) And now my son is 6 years old, so it won't take long until I get that experience from the other side ;-)
