# Opening Chorus explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

The narrator bids farewell to a wide array of friends, acquaintances, and places, signaling a departure from a lively, wandering lifestyle.

## Themes in this chapter

### Community and Companionship

The narrator lists numerous friends and associates, highlighting bonds of camaraderie before a departure.

### Humor and Satire

The playful, rhyming farewell song format and exaggerated list of goodbyes inject a lighthearted, satirical tone.

## Character check-ins

### Kid Gleason

Bid farewell as 'William Gleason'

### Doc Harpster

Addressed as 'Doc, old pal'

### Lurid Lew

Bid farewell as 'Lurid Lew'

### Heine

Mentioned among those being said goodbye to

### Lawrence R. Adams

Referenced as 'Larry' in the farewell list

## Key lines

> Goodbye, everybody; goodbye, Jimmy Cal; Goodbye, William Gleason; goodbye, Doc, old pal; Sully, Matty, Harry, and Morrie, goodbye, goodbye.

Farewell to all my friends, including Jimmy Cal, William Gleason, Doc, and the group of Sully, Matty, Harry, and Morrie.

_The narrator begins a long list of personal farewells._

> Goodbye, all you White Sox⁠—I quit gadding today.

Farewell to the entire White Sox team—I am giving up my wandering ways as of today.

_The narrator explicitly states a decision to stop a restless, roving lifestyle._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/opening-chorus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters