Poetry · Chapter
Disappointment explained
The Senate awakens from its slumber as a long-winded speaker, Steele, finally stops talking.
What happens
The Senate awakens from its slumber as a long-winded speaker, Steele, finally stops talking. A colleague, Reddy, taunts him, and six bears attack Steele, each taking a different limb. The last bear, disappointed at having nothing to eat, is told by Steele to look in the Treasury for the remaining flipper.
Themes in this chapter
Political Satire
The poem mocks the Senate's lethargy and the petty, violent rhetoric among politicians.
Hypocrisy and Corruption
Steele's suggestion to look in the Treasury for a limb implies government corruption and misappropriation of funds.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator describes the scene in the Senate.
Key passages
“The Senate woke; the Chairman’s snore Was stilled, its echoes balking; The startled members dreamed no more, For Steele, who long had held the floor, Had suddenly ceased talking.”
The Senate session came to life as the chairman stopped snoring, and the members were roused from their daydreams because Steele, who had been speaking for a long time, finally stopped.
Highlights the boredom and inattention of the Senate.
“Then to that disappointed bear Said Steele, serene and chipper, “My friend, you shall not lack your share: Look in the Treasury, and there You’ll find his other flipper.””
Steele calmly tells the bear that it will get its share by looking in the Treasury for the other flipper, implying that the Treasury holds the missing limb.
Satirizes the idea that government funds are used for personal or absurd purposes.