The Flying Wonder Stephen Vincent Benet

The Flying Wonder

The Flying Wonder - Figures of Speech, Important Lines and Appreciation Questions

The Flying Wonder

Said Orville Wright to Wilbur Wright,

“These birds are very trying.

I’m sick of hearing them cheep-cheep

About the fun of flying.

A bird has feathers, it is true.

That much I freely grant.

But must that stop us, W?”

Said Wilbur Wright, “It shan’t.”

And so they built a glider, first,

And then they built another.

-There never were two brothers more

Devoted to each other.

They ran a dusty little shop

For bicycle-repairing,

And bought each other soda-pop

And praised each other’s daring.

They glided here, they glided there,

They sometimes skinned their noses.

-For learning how to rule the air

Was not a bed of roses-

But each would murmur, afterward,

While patching up his bro.

“Are we discouraged, W?”

“Of course we are not, O!”

And finally, at Kitty Hawk

In Nineteen-Three (let’s cheer it!),

The first real aeroplane really flew

With Orville there to steer it!

-And kingdoms may forget their kings

And dogs forget their bites,

But not till Man forgets his wings

Will men forget the Wrights.

– Stephen Vincent Benet

Alliteration:

SENTENCE
Said Orville Wright to Wilbur Wright	v
About the fun of flying	f
And then they built another	t
They sometimes skinned their noses	s
The first real aeroplane reallyflew	r
And kingdoms may forget their kings	k
Will men forget the Wrights	v

Anaphora:

SENTENCE

And so they built a glider, first, And then they built another

And bought each other soda-pop And praised each other’s daring.

They glided here, they glided there, They sometimes skinned their noses

And kingdoms may forget their kings And dogs forget their bites

Repetition:

SENTENCE

And kingdoms may forget their kings And dogs forget their bites, But not till Man forgets his wings Will men forget the Wrights

 Apostrophe:

SENTENCE

And kingdoms may forget their kings

Rhyme	Rhyme Words
abcb	Trying, flying; grant, shan’t; another, other; bro, O;
abab	Shop, soda-pop; re-pairing, daring; there, air; noses, roses; kings, wings; bites, wrights;