# The Naughty Child explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Langston Hughes.

## What happens

A brief moralistic poem contrasting the fate of a disobedient child who drowns after venturing to cut flowers with the good children who survive and thrive in a nice town.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Mortality

The naughty child's death by drowning serves as a stark warning about the consequences of disobedience.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator recounts the cautionary tale of the naughty child.

## Key lines

> The naughty child Who ventured to go cut flowers, Fell into the mill-pond And was drowned.

A disobedient child who went to pick flowers fell into a mill pond and died.

_The central event of the poem illustrating the peril of naughtiness._

> But the good children all Are living yet, Nice folks now In a very nice town.

In contrast, the well-behaved children are still alive and have become respectable citizens in a pleasant town.

_The moral conclusion rewarding obedience._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters/the-naughty-child
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters