Television The most important thing weve learned, So far as children are concerned, Is never, NEVER, NEVER let Them near your television set -- Or better still, just dont install The idiotic thing at all. In almost every house weve been, Weve watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about, And stare until their eyes pop out. (Last week in someones place we saw A dozen eyeballs on the floor.) They sit and stare and stare and sit Until theyre hypnotised by it, Until theyre absolutely drunk With all that shocking ghastly junk. Oh yes, we know it keeps them still, They dont climb out the window sill, They never fight or kick or punch, They leave you free to cook the lunch And wash the dishes in the sink -- But did you ever stop to think, To wonder just exactly what This does to your beloved tot? IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD! IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND! IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND! HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE! HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE! HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES! All right! youll cry. All right! youll say, But if we take the set away, What shall we do to entertain Our darling children? Please explain! Well answer this by asking you, What used the darling ones to do? How used they keep themselves contented Before this monster was invented? Have you forgotten? Dont you know? Well say it very loud and slow: THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! Theyd READ and READ, AND READ and READ, and then proceed To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks! One half their lives was reading books! The nursery shelves held books galore! Books cluttered up the nursery floor! And in the bedroom, by the bed, More books were waiting to be read! Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales And treasure isles, and distant shores Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars, And pirates wearing purple pants, And sailing ships and elephants, And cannibals crouching round the pot, Stirring away at something hot. (It smells so good, what can it be? Good gracious, its Penelope.) The younger ones had Beatrix Potter With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter, And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and- Just How The Camel Got His Hump, And How the Monkey Lost His Rump, And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul, Theres Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole- Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books, Ignoring all the dirty looks, The screams and yells, the bites and kicks, And children hitting you with sticks- Fear not, because we promise you That, in about a week or two Of having nothing else to do, Theyll now begin to feel the need Of having something to read. And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy! You watch the slowly growing joy That fills their hearts. Theyll grow so keen Theyll wonder what theyd ever seen In that ridiculous machine, That nauseating, foul, unclean, Repulsive television screen! And later, each and every kid Will love you more for what you did. Roald Dahl
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:57:48 +0000
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