Master of puppets

Hear hear, said the master,

For the show was about to begin,
There was applause,
The puppets plotted,
It was a great night for sin.

For too long had the puppets faced disaster,

Doom was brought to them and their kin.
The curtains revealed,
The puppets trotted,
The crowd made an awful din.

Danced the puppets, faster and faster,

Each puppet holding a pin,
Jump said the master,
While the puppets allotted,
Their plan to steal the torturer's ring

Jumped the puppets they surrounded the fire,

All jumped but one puppet stood still,
This angered the master,
He cursed the puppet,
Who turned to a vulnerable humanling.

The human stabbed the spell caster,

Stabbed him with his metal pin.
Came the wife
Her hair knotted,
Her husband the master she killed.

She threw him into the fire,

She was part of this plan until,
Changed was the story,
For his own glory,
By the human who betrayed his kin.
Fell the master, into the fire,
All was gone of him but his ring,
It was worn by the human,
He guffawed until,
The others saw his treacherous wind.

The human was the new master,

He had committed a sin.
The doomed puppets,
Could see the master,
Moving his treacherous pin.

Across the heads of the puppets,

One by one they fell,
Into the fire.
While the master,
Wore a devilish grin.

You may still hear the master,

And see him holding a bottle of gin.
On rainy nights,
in crowded streets,
You can see him holding a pin.
 Rationale

This poem uses a number of literary devices in an effective manner. This poem is a

ballad/narrative poem. This poem tells us a story about a puppet master. This poem tells us that

the puppets owned by this particular master are living puppets.

Later in the poem, there are lines about the ‘sorcerers ring’, and a line where the master is

referred to as ‘the spell caster’. This leads us to believe that either the master has used magic to

bring the puppets to life, or the master has used magic to turn humans into puppets.

The line ‘For too long had the puppets faced disaster’ and the reference of the master as

‘the torturer’ tells us that the master has been abusing and subjugating the puppets. Throughout

the poem, we can see that the puppets are trying to take revenge from the master and are trying to

kill the master. They are making a plan to kill the master and steal his ring which is the source of

his magic. The puppets get ready to kill the master and their plan is ready to be implemented

(Also, the lines about the master's wife tell us that she is part of the plan to kill him and that even

she knows he is a bad person who has probably abused her). The poem later tells us that the plan

of the puppets is successful and the master is killed, but there is a twist in the tale and we later

find out that one of the puppets wanted to torture all the other puppets and become the new

master. The old master had turned this puppet into a human. This is because the master thought it

was easier to torture the puppet while in human form. The human took advantage of his new
form and with the help of the master's wife, he killed the master. When the human became the

new master, he killed all the puppets and threw them into the fire.

There are a number of literary devices used in this poem. These include:

Personification:

In this poem, personification is used quite often to describe the actions of the puppets.

Some instances are shown in the lines- “The puppets plotted”, “The puppets trotted”, “The

doomed puppets, Could see the master”, “Jumped the puppets”, etc.

This use of personification to describe the actions of the puppets tells us that the puppets

are functioning as if they are living and breathing human beings. This gives a creepy and

haunting effect.

Alliteration:

There are a few instances where alliterations are used in this poem. These are- “puppets

plotted”, “the torturer”, “her hair”, etc. The alliteration used in this poem doesn't have much of

an effect on the overall image of the poem. However, it does give a certain flow in the stanza or

line where it is used.

Imagery:

Imagery is perhaps the most used literary device in this poem.

Lines which appeal to our sense of hearing are - “‘hear, hear’ said the master”, “there was

applause”, “The crowd made an awful din”, “he guffawed until”. The line “hear, hear said the

master” gives us the effect the master is calling for our attention, and that he is telling us to listen
to this poem. The lines talking about the noise made by the crowd give the effect that the night

was full of confusion and uncertainty. The line “he guffawed until” is said by the human when he

wears the ring. This also gives a creepy effect and makes us feel a wave of certain anger towards

the human for betraying the puppets and enjoying it. This also gives the effect that the human is

a sadist and takes pleasure in betraying his companions. Guffawing gives this effect because

unlike laughing or giggling, guffawing is usually associated with the evil villains in a story.

Lines which appeal to our sense of sight are- “The curtains revealed, The puppets

trotted”, “danced the puppets”, “each puppet holding a pin”, “and see him holding a bottle of

gin”, “they fell, into the fire ….. wore a devilish grin”, etc. The first three examples which talk

about the actions of the puppets give us a haunting effect. This is because, in these lines, we can

see the puppets carrying out human-like actions, thinking like humans, and also plotting to kill a

human. The line about the master holding a bottle of gin gives the effect that since we can see

him, he is still alive and is still carrying out his sinful deeds. The line talking about the puppets

falling into the fire and the master wearing a devilish grin has the effect of filling the readers

with a sense of anger, fear, and helplessness. This is because the master is killing the helpless

puppets in a very sadistic manner and the fact that he is amused by his monstrous acts shows that

he truly is a sadist. In this poem, the imagery makes the poem more vivid and makes the

characters come to life.

Imagery is also used in the lines “on rainy nights”, “in crowded streets”. These lines

appeal to our sense of sight, touch, and our sense of hearing. We can hear people talking,

walking, etc. we can also hear the sound of raindrops falling around us. We can feel the
raindrops falling on us. We can also feel the people who walk past us or hit our shoulder. Thus in

both lines, the effect of confusion, fear, uncertainty, and frustration is induced.

Conclusion-

In conclusion, we can say that when we read the poem, it isn't difficult to identify the use

of literary devices in the poem. Literary devices in this poem are used well and effectively. The

poem is well written and holds on to the attention of the reader. It tells a short story which has a

twist in the middle of the tale. The poem is an excellent example of a narrative poem and a

ballad. It is an exciting poem with a good plot.