Jack Prelutsky's Why Do I Have To Clean My Room

Jack Prelutsky's poem, Why Do I Have to Clean My Room, is about a child that believes his bedroom does not need to be cleaned. The child wants to play, instead of cleaning his room. The child’s room is described when he lists the messes in his room and explains why they are not an issue. He expresses that the clutter is not a distraction to him. The narrator questions the necessity of cleanliness because, to him, his room looks fine. The decisions of individuals are impacted by the perspective of how their lives should be.
Prelutsky’s use of diction in Why Do I Have to Clean My Room enhances his message. Diction is used throughout the poem to support the theme. The piece is written to entertain children and create a childhood experience. However, …show more content…
The word choice represents an important role in creating the tone of the writing. The following examples are able to interpret the mindset of some people’s lives. The author uses diction when the child in the poem says that his “crayons are scattered.” The child in the poem feels the scattered crayons are not in his way. The crayons are not an obstacle for the boy, but others may believe they want things in their life to be organized. Individuals have different ways of going through the day or their life. There are people that have a “scattered” life. In general, life can be very messy and disorganized. Some individuals may not have any type of organizations, but they are used to that lifestyle. However, there are people that would be in awe if they saw a lifestyle without any organization. The organized people would likely think that everyone should be prepared and coordinated. However, people will choose to make different decisions because of their viewpoints. Another example of diction in the poem is when the child insists that he “scarcely even notices” the clay on the wall. The clay on the wall does not bother the child because he does not care about it. Individuals assumably will not notice or