The Purple Cow

Have you ever heard of or seen ‘Purple Cow’? We have seen white, black, and brown cows, but purple cows? The article gives a summary of the poem ‘The Purple Cow’. This poem is a funny short poem. Gelett Burgess is the one who wrote the purple cow poem. He is known for his short and four-line poems, which are based on funny topics.

Just like “The purple Cow” differs from the other cows, we should also be different from others in values, thoughts, personality, talent, and much more. So, today in this article, we will discuss the poem which says that we are unique in our way. The purple cow poem’s meaning is all about something remarkable. 

The Purple Cow Poem

- Gelett Burgess

The Purple Cow

I never saw a Purple Cow,

I never hope to see one,

But I can tell you, anyhow,

I'd rather see than be one!

The Purple Cow Poem Meaning

The short and hilarious poem "The Purple Cow" by Gelett Burgess explores the speaker's perspective on a purple cow.

In the opening line of this poem, the speaker declares that they have never seen a purple cow. Since no one has ever seen such a species, the readers should find this amusing. However, the reader is asked to imagine it after reading about it. The speaker continues by saying that he wouldn't want to see one even if he could. This implies that he finds the sight more unpleasant than amusing.

Finally, the speaker declares in the poem's ending that, despite his dislike of the cow, he would rather watch it than be it. So, the poem says that we must have some unique talent to differ from others and people value us for our talent.

The Theme of The Purple Cow Poem

The purple cow poem

The theme of the poem is that sometimes you can stand out of the ordinary. Just like the purple cow in the poem, it stands out as ordinary. There are more white cows, but the purple cow seems hilarious as we have never seen a purple cow that stands out from other cows.

Similarly, in a crowd of people, you can stand out of the ordinary by making a name and fame in the crowd, because of your talent or personality. Therefore, it is necessary to stand out of the ordinary, to stand out differently from others to be present in this competitive world. Otherwise, you won’t be valued.

Detailed Analysis of The Purple Cow Poem

“I never saw a Purple Cow,

I never hope to see one,

The speaker introduces himself in the first two lines of "The Purple Cow" with a straightforward statement. They say they have never seen "a Purple Cow." This strange image compliments this children's poem nicely, and reading it should entertain and surprise the audience. Young readers might find the concept of such a creature humorous.

The speaker also expresses the desire never to see a purple cow, which adds to the humour. Young readers are likely to react differently to this line. There will probably be those who agree and some who disagree. Some young readers might find it amusing to picture a purple cow, but others could see it as strange and unsettling as the narrator does.

The use of anaphora in these lines is something else that readers should be aware of. Considering that the poem only has four lines, the fact that both start with the words "I never" makes a significant impact.

“But I can tell you, anyhow,

I’d rather see one than be one!

The speaker continues in the third line by saying that although he may have never seen a purple cow and may not want to, he is sure of one thing. Instead of being one, he would prefer to observe one. The final line's flawless internal rhyme between "see" and "be" significantly impacts the poem's overall rhythm and flow. It contributes to the amusing, light-hearted conclusion of the short phrase.

Summary

We discussed the purple cow poem and who wrote the purple cow poem in this article. The poem “The Purple Cow” shows us to be unique to stand out from the ordinary. The poet shows us he would choose to see a purple cow rather than be the one. But being a purple cow is not something terrible. Sometimes it is quite hard to be different because standing out of the ordinary in a crowd needs guts.

People see with different eyes who differ from others, whether they have uncommon talents or unique personalities, which makes them stand out from the crowd. We hope you enjoyed reading this poem.