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Poetry · Chapter
Mort H. Singer explained
A brief limerick-style verse about Mort H.
What happens
A brief limerick-style verse about Mort H. Singer, a theatrical man from Chicago, playing on the French meaning of 'Mort' as 'dead' and humorously comparing his name to a toque on an elephant's head.
Themes in this chapter
Humor and Satire
The chapter is a playful limerick making a pun on Mort Singer's name.
Characters to notice
- Mort H. Singer
Subject of the limerick, described as a theatrical man from Chicago.
Key passages
“Somewhere in the book I have read / That Mort is the French word for dead, / A name which I claim / Fits Mort Singer the same / As a toque fits an elephant’s head.”
I recall reading that 'Mort' means 'dead' in French, and I think that name suits Mort Singer as well as a small hat would fit an elephant's head.
The author humorously suggests the name 'Mort' is incongruously fitting for Singer.