Emergency IT Lesson 5: Poetry on Gambling

Q1.Show how the poem Tom Beatty could be compared to The Rocking Horse Winner. In studying the poem, note that the opera house is really life and when He makes the rules it’s either the Lord or perhaps the devil. Beatty suggests that everyone has about 70 years, but Paul in The Rocking Horse Winner had much less time. Explain what Paul’s weakness was, how the cards were stacked against him and do you think Paul was lucky not to live to be an old man fumbling the cards, leaden-eyed and whining about his losses?

There are several connections to be made between these two literary works. In Tom Beatty, it is emphasised that a gambler's life is like in an opera where either the Devil or the Lord makes the rules and your life is decided by him. The poem also suggests that a gambler has about 70 years of life compared to Paul in The Rocking Horse Winner who is, in fact, most prominently a gambler too for horse race betting. Paul's life, had been a short one, even in a gambler's perspective. Paul had several weaknesses, which allowed the cards to stack against him. He believed in luck and his "abilities" when it was actually a mere coincidence. He believed too much in them, unable to stop, determined to rock on his horse until he get his answer, until his worn-out body finally gave way. His weakness is also his fear of the "There must be more money in the house" which caused him great downfall. Because of his fear of this, is when he began his gambling habits, and which indirectly lead him to death. The cards were stacked against him whenever he lost any horse race betting and also when his mother, the person he had been trying to help, asked him to stop gambling. Hence, we can say that the mother, without knowing it, were the cards stacked against her son. Paul died at an unfortunately early age, as young as 6 or 7 due to gambling. Because of this insignificant event in his early stages of life, he was corrupted and lost his life. It would have been better if he were to live till the age of 70 where he would be an old man whining about his losses. He could have enjoyed some quality time in his life even when gambling, but sadly, in this case, Paul could not enjoy the rest of his life due to gambling.


Q2. In The Green Clothes, green is the color of envy, greed and money! This poem is thematically similar to Paper. Even though the poem takes place at a roulette wheel the gamblers from the short story and the poem have similar experiences. Explain how tips, dry lips, and all that was spent in vain could apply to the short story Paper.

In the Green Clothes and Paper has gamblers who share similar experiences in life, gambling. The same insanity, vanity, unresourcefulness is found in both the literary works' gamblers. Their life wasted away through gambling, constantly focusing the the mind, the brain and the body on on tiny action that can win money, and not striving to do anything but wait, wait, rejoice or revenge. In Paper, Tay Soon's life depended on stock exchange and buying and selling of stocks, which is ultimately similar to gambling, and he constantly gained new "tips" to help him sell the shares at the highest price. He would wait effortlessly every price exchange and if he sells it at an lower price by chance, he got this determination to do it again, believing that he would get it right this time. In The Green Clothes, the gamblers in the casino, wait for a tiny ball which would determine their fate to show the results and is they lose, they take revenge by wanting another gambling round. There is connections in these two outcomes and it is quite obvious. The time spent on waiting for the stock price rise is all that was spent in vain, the tips were the "advice" given by his wife's jealous friend. The dry lips were Tay Soon's anxiety for the loss in money or the price share rise or it could be his extreme deformity after losing all his savings. But in either works, it is emphasised that gambling takes away your body, your soul, and your life, eventually.

Q3.Ah Boh in Lottery has about one dollar, there’s a “blind man,” the number 13 and ultimately zero dollars to bet. These last examples are taken from One-Dollar Gambler. Show how they also relate to Ah Boh.

In Lottery, the "blind man" could be Ah Boh herself, emphasising that she was blind as to where her life was going in the path of gambling and the ultimate consequence and impending dangers of gambling. She was blind to all these. The number 13 is the lottery number she always betted on and always lost on, and the number 13 also means bad luck, hence inferring that gambling is bad luck. The ultimately zero dollars to bet would be Ah Boh's future, her consequence, her punishment. After spending on the hopeless lottery for a certain time, she would eventually have no money left and hence have "zero" dollars to bet on.