Hiawatha's Photographing
The poem is a satirical commentary on the Victorian era's obsession with photography and the notion of capturing reality through images. It describes a series of absurd scenarios in which Hiawatha, a Native American figure from Longfellow's epic poem, attempts to take photographs of various subjects, including his own face, a landscape, and a group of people. The poem pokes fun at the idea that photography can capture the essence of reality, highlighting the artificiality and constructed nature of photographic images.
By Lewis Carroll · First published 1871 · Genre: Humor, Poetry, Satire · 1,539 words
First lines
[In an age of imitation, I can claim no special merit for this slight attempt at doing what is known to be so easy. Any fairly practised writer, with the slightest ear for rhythm, could compose, for hours together, in the easy running metre of ‘The Song of Hiawatha. ' Having, then, distinctly stated that I challenge no attention in the following little poem to its merely verbal jingle, I must beg the candid reader to confine his criticism to its treatment of the subject.]
What this Textopian page supports
Hiawatha's Photographing is listed on Textopian as a poem by Lewis Carroll, dated 1871 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Lewis Carroll
- Date: 1871 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Humor, Poetry, Satire, Narrative, Lyric
- Length: 1,539 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Hiawatha's Photographing by Lewis Carroll
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Hiawatha's Photographing?
- How does this poem by Lewis Carroll fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Humor first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- The Broom The Shovel The Poker And The Tongs by Edward Lear
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Genres
- Humor — The poem employs satire and comedic elements to critique the absurdity of family dynamics and the challenges of photography.
- Poetry — The work is structured as a poem, utilizing rhythm and meter to convey its narrative.
- Satire — It satirizes the pretensions of its characters and the failures of their attempts at posing for a photograph.
- Narrative — The poem tells a story about a character's experience with family members during a photography session.
Tags
Fantasy · Poetry · Nonsense Verse · Satire · Social Commentary · Literary Fiction · Children's Literature · Illustrated Book · Wordplay · Language Play · Rhetorical Device · Irony