In Praise of a Whole Week by Ruth Collie
"In Praise of a Whole Week" is a light, comic verse by Ruth Collie that turns the seven days of the week into a company of personified friends, borrowing its central conceit from Robinson Crusoe and his companion Man Friday. The speaker opens by noting that Crusoe had only one friend, Friday, to keep him from loneliness, but declares that she herself is never so badly off: she has "a whole good week" of companions, Friday and his six brothers, each ready to keep her company and lift her spirits when she feels low. The poem frames the days as loyal, dependable characters—"companions brave and strong"—deserving their own tribute and song, and toasts each one in turn as the week unfolds, treating the shift from day to day, and even from morning to afternoon, as a source of comfort and renewal rather than monotony. The recurring joke is one of reassurance: if a particular day proves dull or gray, another is always waiting close behind to brighten the outlook, so that Monday's grayness gives way to Tuesday, and a tedious morning is redeemed by its afternoon. The verse closes on the same wry, affectionate logic with which it began: even if one "Friday" were to vanish, six other days remain to take its place, so the whole week itself functions as an inexhaustible supply of good fellowship. Structurally and tonally, the poem belongs to a genre of cheerful didactic or nursery verse that personifies abstract or calendrical concepts—here the days of the week—as characters with individual moods and virtues, in the manner of much of Collie's other work, which often addresses everyday domestic subjects with wit, rhyme, and a brisk, sing-song meter suited to being read aloud or set to music. The poem's larger structure (of which the passage supplied is the opening section) appears to move through the week's individual days, elaborating the "tribute" promised at the outset by giving each day-companion its own brief characterization or verse, continuing the light personification established here: each day is treated less as an abstract unit of time than as a distinct member of a supportive household of friends. The overall effect is consolatory and buoyant—an argument, delivered with deliberate whimsy, that no one who has a full week ahead of them need ever feel as isolated as Crusoe on his island, because time itself, broken into its seven named days, supplies an endlessly renewing circle of companionship. The poem's charm rests on its extended metaphor and its brisk internal rhyme scheme, using the comparison to a famous literary castaway to elevate an otherwise mundane observation—that days pass and moods change—into a small, affirming celebration of the ordinary structure of a week.
By Ruth Collie · First published 1928 · Genre: Poetry, Children's Literature, Allegorical Literature · 180 words
First lines
Poor old Robinson Crusoe, a lonely man was he, with not a soul but / Friday to keep him company. So when I'm feeling lonely, humble, sad / and meek, I just remember that for friends I have a whole good week! / Six days as well as Friday, companions brave and strong; it really / seems they all deserve a tribute and a song. So here's to good Man / Friday, and to his brothers six. There's always one to help me / should I be in a fix. Suppose that Monday's greyish -- there's Tuesday / coming soon, and if the morning's boresome -- there is the afternoon! / A toast, then, to "a whole week" which has such friendly ways, for / should one Friday disappear -- it sends six other days.
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In Praise of a Whole Week is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ruth Collie, dated 1928 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Ruth Collie
- Date: 1928 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Children's Literature, Allegorical Literature, Inspirational Literature, Philosophical Literature
- Length: 180 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for In Praise of a Whole Week by Ruth Collie
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured as a rhyming verse with distinct rhythmic and lyrical qualities, employing poetic devices such as rhyme scheme, meter, and musicality throughout.
- Children's Literature — The whimsical tone, simple accessible language, playful personification of days of the week as companions, and lighthearted message about friendship align with children's literature conventions.
- Allegorical Literature — The poem uses days of the week as personified characters to convey broader messages about friendship, resilience, and emotional comfort through extended metaphor.
- Inspirational Literature — The central message celebrates finding joy and companionship in everyday routine, offering an uplifting perspective on overcoming loneliness and emotional vulnerability.
Tags
poetry · Canadian literature · lyric poetry · contemporary poetry · feminist themes · daily life · time · memory · nature · love · relationships · womanhood