Six Honest Serving Man
Six Honest Serving Man - meaning Summary
Curiosity as Daily Servants
Kipling personifies the six basic questions as obedient "serving-men" who gather information for the speaker. He describes a disciplined routine—questions are used, then given rest—contrasting adult restraint with a child who unleashes millions of Hows, Wheres, and Whys from waking. The poem celebrates curiosity while gently teasing differing attitudes toward inquiry, implying that wonder continues most intensely in childhood.
Read Complete AnalysesI keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. I send them over land and sea, I send them east and west; But after they have worked for me, I give them all a rest. I let them rest from nine till five, For I am busy then, As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea, For they are hungry men. But different folk have different views; I know a person small- She keeps ten million serving-men, Who get no rest at all! She sends'em abroad on her own affairs, From the second she opens her eyes- One million Hows, two million Wheres, And seven million Whys!
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