A Concrete Example
NoteWhat This Chapter Covers
The second chapter of Unit 1: Wit and Wisdom is a short, funny poem by Reginald Arkell called A Concrete Example. The speaker describes his neighbour Mrs Jones and her unusual, stone-filled garden, where she lovingly tucks tiny flowers between the rocks. The poem ends with a perfectly timed twist: after Mrs Jones describes a flower for a full fifteen minutes, the speaker discovers he has been standing on it the whole time. Behind the laughter is a gentle lesson about noticing — and not crushing — the small, delicate things around us. You will study the poem stanza by stanza, learn its poetic devices (rhyme, alliteration, repetition, irony), build vocabulary, and practise CBSE-style questions.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- read and enjoy A Concrete Example and explain what happens in each stanza;
- describe Mrs Jones and her garden, and explain the irony of the ending;
- identify the poem’s rhyme scheme (AABBCC), alliteration, and repetition;
- explain the theme — the beauty and fragility of small things — and justify the title;
- use the poem’s vocabulary correctly and attempt exam questions with confidence.