Best journal of innovation in science, research and development

BEST JOURNAL OF INNOVATION IN 
SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
ISSN: 2835-3579 
Volume:2 Issue:2|2023 
 
www.bjisrd.com 

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BEST JOURNAL OF INNOVATION IN SCIENCE, 
 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Volume:2 Issue:2|2023
www.bjisrd.com
 
picture without using colours and compose the music without using notes but only by using words. 
Here we will try to find how McGough does it in his “The First Day at School”. 
Analysis 
The poem tells a little child comes to school for the first time. The school is a millionbillionwillion 
miles away from his home. The child is waiting for the bell, but when the bell rings he does not know 
to go where. The other children here seem him so big and noisy. He thinks all of them were born in 
uniforms. They are strange for him, as well as their games are rough so he even cannot play with them. 
School itself is covered with railings and the child wonders if they are put to keep out wolves and 
monsters, otherwise if these dangerous things carry off and eat children or whether they are built to 
stop the schoolchildren getting out and running away from the lessins. Lessins, he thinks, sound small 
and slimy so they are kept in glassrooms, which whole rooms made out of glass. While speaking about 
lessins and glassrooms the child suddenly forgets his name, but he knows his mother has sewn it 
somewhere, because she said the name is useful thing like wellies (the child knows yellowwellies are 
helpful when there are puddles). It has been sewn somewhere so he can hope the teacher will read it 
for him. The poem ends with the definition to the word teacher which is given by the child: “Tea-cher. 
The one who makes the tea”. 
Here we will quote the poem to explain our opinion: 
A millionbillionwillon miles from home 
Waiting for the bell to go. (To go where?) 
Why are they all so big, other children? 
So noisy? So much at home they 
Must have been born in uniform 
Lived all their lives in playgrounds 
Spent the years inventing games 
That don’t let me in. Games 
That are rough, that swallow you up. 
And the railings. 
All around, the railings. 
Are they to keep out wolves and monsters? 
Things that carry off and eat children? 
Things you don’t take sweets from? 
Perhaps they’re to stop us getting out 
Running away from the lessins. Lessin. 
What does a lessin look like? 
Sounds small and slimy. 
They keep them in the glassrooms. 

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