# The Rue; The Rooster explained — How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts

> Chapter companion for How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts by Robert Williams Wood.

## What happens

A short verse distinguishing the rooster's loud crow from the rue plant, emphasizing the rooster's disruptive effect on sleep and a playful wordplay on 'rue' as both a plant and a verb.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wordplay and Homophones

The verse plays on 'rue' as both a plant and a verb meaning regret, and contrasts it with 'rooster' through sound and meaning.

### Nature and Classification

Contrasts a plant (rue) with an animal (rooster), highlighting their different characteristics and effects on human experience.

## Key lines

> We sleep less soundly than we used ter / And love the Rue but rue the Rooster.

Our sleep is more disturbed than before, and while we appreciate the rue plant, we regret the rooster's crowing.

_The pun on 'rue' as both plant and verb is central to the chapter's humor._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se/chapters/the-rue-the-rooster
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/how_to_tell_the_birds_from_the_flowers_and_other_se/chapters