The sad story of Percy the TV addict

1. English Home Language
Grade 8
“The sad story of Percy, the TV Addict”
By JG Goodacre

2. Pre - reading activity:
Do you believe that too
much TV is bad for young
people?

3. The Sad Story of Percy, the TV Addict
1. Young Percy’s parents could not get
Their son to leave the TV set.
In fact, it was a common sight,
From five o’clock till late at night,
5. To see young Percival McQueen
Before the television screen
He watched the sport, the plays, the news,
The Westerns and the interviews.
The programmes might be good or bad,
10. They might be comical or sad;
He watched them all the evening through.
At half-past five the little chap
Would eat his supper on his lap;
But what he ate, he did not know –
15. His eyes were on the children’s show!
All table manners he forgot.
It didn’t worry him a jot.
And then one night, I’m sad to tell
Young Percival was heard to yell:
20. ‘I cannot watch it any more,
My eyes are feeling strange and sore!’
And when he got up from his chair,
His eyes were green and red … and square!

4. Poem summary:
Analysis -
● The poem is a Narrative poem.
● The poem is written to sound like a story or fable to warn
children not to watch too much TV.
Stanzas -
● The poem is made up of 4 stanzas consisting of 6 lines each.

5. Rhyme scheme -
● A “rhyme scheme” is a way of describing the pattern of end rhymes in a
poem. Each new sound at the end of a line is given a letter, starting with “A,”
then “B,” and so on. If an end sound repeats the end sound of an earlier line,
it gets the same letter as the earlier line.
● A “rhyme scheme” is a way of describing the pattern of end rhymes in a
poem. Each new sound at the end of a line is given a letter, starting with “A,”
then “B,” and so on. If an end sound repeats the end sound of an earlier line,
it gets the same letter as the earlier line.
● The poem is made up of 10 rhyming couplets
● The rhyme pattern is: aa bb cc dd ee ff gg hh ii jj

6. Vocabulary words:
Words : Definition:
Addict A person enthusiastically devoted to
a specific thing or activity
Comical Amusing, especially in a foolish or absurd way
Discriminate Recognize a distinction; differentiate.
**make an informed decision
Chap A chap is a guy or a fellow — a boy or man who's a
friend, acquaintance, or a friendly stranger.
Jot A very small amount.
Table manners behaviour that is conventionally required while
eating at table.

7. Poem analysis:
First couplet:
Percy’s parents want to get their son away from the TV set.
Second couplet:
His parents are saying that this happens all the time! Percy sits in front of the TV from five o’clock till late at
night.
Third and fourth couplet:
The speaker tells the reader all the programmes that Percy watches, there is a variety of shows that he watches in
a day.
Fifth and sixth couplet:
Percy watches any genre (a style or category), whether it be comical or sad and he watches it all evening through.
Seventh couplet:
Instead of eating at the dinner table, Percy eats his supper on his lap.

8. Eighth and ninth couplet:
Percy is so focused on the TV that he is hardly paying any attention to what he is eating, and he has
lost his table manners but he does not seem to care one bit.
Tenth, eleventh and twelfth couplets:
Percy is realizing the effects of watching too much TV and it is not good, his eyes start to become
strange and sore then it turns green and red.... And square!
Thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth couplets:
Percy ignored his parents and those who cared about him when they warned him about spending too
much time in front of the TV set. Don’t be like Percival McQueen and do the right thing, watch TV
in moderation!

9. 1. What is Percival addicted to?
2. What is the message of this poem?
3. How many stanzas does this poem have?
4. How many lines are there in stanza 4?
5. Write down all the words that rhyme in stanza 1.
6. How many rhyming couplets are there in the poem?
7. What is the rhyming pattern found in the poem?
8. What type of poem is this? Narrative or lyrical.
9. What is the meaning of the word “discriminate”?
10. What is the meaning of the word “comical”?
11. Do you think Percival noted what was going on around him? Give a reason for your answer.
12. What could Percival’s parents have done to make him stop watching television? Give one tip.
Class Activity:

10. That’s all for today.
Happy Learning!