Before Reading
Casey at the Bat
Poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Do sports FANS
care too much?
READING 3 Draw conclusions
about genre in different
cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts.
4 Draw conclusions about
the structure and elements
of poetry.
Sports fans love their teams. They dress in the teams’ colors, cheer
wildly when great plays are made, and boo when things don’t go
their way. Is this a good thing, or do sports fans care too much
about winning? In “Casey at the Bat,” the fans expect only the best
from their mighty hitter.
WEB IT Create an idea web of what can
happen when fans care too much. List
things you have read about or witnessed
happening at sporting events.
Fights can
break out.
What happens
when fans care
too much?
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Meet the Author
literary analysis: narrative poetry
Like fiction, poetry can tell stories. Poems that do so
are called narrative poems. A narrative poem, just like
any other story, has elements of fiction such as characters,
a plot, and a setting. It presents a conflict and might also
include suspense.
As you read “Casey at the Bat,” identify its setting,
characters, and main plot events in a diagram like the
one shown. Also note the suspense that builds as you
read the story.
“Casey at the Bat”
Setting:
Characters:
Main Plot Events:
reading strategy: reading poetry
In addition to the elements that all stories have, narrative
poems include poetic elements and structure that add
meaning and interest. Much of the energy and excitement
of “Casey at the Bat” comes from the poet’s use of sound
devices, such as repetition, rhyme, and rhythm.
• Repetition is the repeating of a sound, word, phrase,
or line to emphasize something in a poem.
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
• Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words.
It looked extremely rocky for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood two to four, with but an inning
left to play.
• Rhythm is a pattern of stressed ( ) and unstressed ( )
syllables in a line of poetry.
Then from the gladdened multitude went up a
joyous yell—
As you read the poem, pay attention to the sound devices.
Reading the poem aloud may help you.
Review: Make Inferences
Ernest Lawrence
Thayer
1863–1940
One-Hit Wonder
Although Ernest Lawrence Thayer
wrote many poems for newspapers,
he is remembered for just one: “Casey
at the Bat.” Thayer was educated
at Harvard University. Being known
among his classmates as a very funny
person probably helped him become
editor, and later president, of the
university’s humor magazine, the
Lampoon.
Crowd Pleaser
After graduation, Thayer joined the
staff of the San Francisco Examiner,
where in 1887 he began writing a
poem for each Sunday issue. “Casey
at the Bat” was first printed in the
paper in 1888. By the time of Thayer’s
death in 1940, “Casey at the Bat” had
become an American favorite.
background to the poem
America’s Sport
Baseball began in the United States in
the mid-1800s. Small towns and large
cities formed teams and clubs. The
first baseball game with set rules was
played in 1846 between Cartwright’s
Knickerbockers and the New York
Baseball Club. By the early 1900s, going
to baseball games was a favorite
pastime of people throughout the
United States.
Author
Online
Go to thinkcentral.com.
.com..
KEYWORD: HML7-133
3
Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
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at the
Ernest Lawrence Thayer
It looked extremely rocky for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood two to four, with but an inning left to play.
So, when Cooney died at second, and Burrows did the same,
A pallor wreathed the features of the patrons of the game. a
5
10
15
20
a
NARRATIVE POETRY
What is the setting of
this poem? How do
you know?
A straggling few got up to go, leaving there the rest,
With that hope which springs eternal within the human breast.
For they thought: “If only Casey could get a whack at that,”
They’d put even money now, with Casey at the bat.
But Flynn preceded Casey, and likewise so did Blake,
And the former was a pudd’n, and the latter was a fake.
So on that stricken multitude1 a deathlike silence sat;
For there seemed but little chance of Casey’s getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a “single,” to the wonderment of all.
And the much-despised Blakey “tore the cover off the ball.”
And when the dust had lifted, and they saw what had occurred,
There was Blakey safe at second, and Flynn a-huggin’ third.
Then from the gladdened multitude went up a joyous yell—
It rumbled in the mountaintops, it rattled in the dell;2
It struck upon the hillside and rebounded on the flat;
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat. b
Look at the picture.
What can you infer
about the baseball
player’s attitude?
b
READING POETRY
Reread line 20. Why do
you think Casey’s name
is repeated?
1. stricken multitude: a crowd of people affected by great trouble.
2. dell: valley.
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There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place,
There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face;
And when responding to the cheers he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt ’twas Casey at the bat. c
25
30
35
c
What inferences can you
make about Casey from
what you’ve read so far?
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt,
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then when the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance glanced in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.
And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur3 there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped;
“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said. d
From the benches, filled with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm waves on the stern and distant shore.
“Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone on the stand;
And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
d
e
e
50
The sneer is gone from Casey’s lips, his teeth are clenched in hate,
He pounds with cruel vengeance his bat upon the plate;
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.
NARRATIVE POETRY
What is the conflict in
this poem?
With a smile of honest charity great Casey’s visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult, he made the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid5 flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.”
“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and the echo answered “Fraud!”
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed;
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let the ball go by again. f
45
READING POETRY
Describe the pattern of
rhyme the poet uses in
the poem.
4
40
MAKE INFERENCES
f
READING POETRY
Reread lines 37–44. How
does the poet’s use
of rhyme and rhythm
increase the suspense in
the poem?
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville: Mighty Casey has struck out.
3. haughty grandeur: proud majesty and splendor.
4. visage (vGzPGj): face.
5. spheroid (sfîrPoidQ): in this instance, another name for a baseball.
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After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall What events occur to allow Casey a final turn at bat?
2. Recall How does Casey approach the last pitch?
3. Represent Review the poem and figure out what some of the game
statistics are in the ninth inning. Include the score for each team
and the number of hits and men left on base for “the Mudville nine.”
Score
Hits
READING 3 Draw conclusions
about genre in different cultural,
historical, and contemporary
contexts. 4 Draw conclusions
about the structure and elements
of poetry.
Men Left on Base
Home
Visitor
Literary Analysis
4. Analyze Narrative Poetry Review the notes about setting, characters,
and plot that you included in your diagram as you read. Which of Casey’s
actions build suspense and lead to the climax, or moment of greatest
interest in the poem’s story?
5. Analyze Repetition A stanza is a group of lines that form a unit within
a poem. Reread the last stanza and notice the word that is repeated
in lines 50–51. What idea does the repeated word seem to emphasize?
6. Evaluate the Poem Why do you think this poem has remained popular
for so many years?
Extension and Challenge
7. Speaking and Listening With a small group, practice reading the poem
aloud in a way that captures the excitement and suspense of the
game. Then discuss how the sound devices help you add drama to your
oral reading.
8. Inquiry and Research Choose a famous baseball player—such as Babe
Ruth or Hank Aaron—whose accomplishments have made history.
Research the player to find out when he played and on which teams, his
records, and what his fans and teammates had to say about him.
Babe Ruth
1895–1948
Do sports FANS care too much?
What are the best qualities of sports fans? Explain how such qualities
can keep sports fans from caring too much about winning.
casey at the bat
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.AME
$ATE
CASEY AT THE BAT
COPY MASTER
Literary Analysis
CASEY AT THE BAT
NARRATIVE POETRY
Narrative poems tell stories. Narrative poems have the same literary elements that
stories do: characters, plot, and setting. Some narrative poems may include a conflict
and some use suspense to keep readers interested.
Directions: Use this chart to identify narrative elements in this poem. Then answer
the questions that follow.
“Casey at the Bat”
Copyright © Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Setting
Characters
Main Plot Events
1.
Did you include the crowd in the list of characters? Why or why not?
2.
How does the author build suspense in the poem?
Unit 1
Grade 7
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CASEY AT THE BAT
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Question Support
CASEY AT THE BAT
LITERARY ANALYSIS
For questions 1–3, see page 137 of the Student Edition.
Directions: Answer the questions.
4. Analyze Narrative Poetry
Complete the following sentences.
What is the climax of this poem?
Which of Casey’s actions build suspense and lead to the climax?
5. Analyze Repetition
Reread the last four lines of the poem.
What word is repeated five times in these lines?
What does this word emphasize?
“Casey at the Bat” was written in 1888. Write an X by
the statement that best describes your opinion about the poem.
6. Evaluate the Poem
Copyright © Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
____ a. It reminds people what it was like in the early days of baseball.
____ b. The events in the poem could not happen today.
____ c. The story is still meaningful today because heroes sometimes lose.
Do you think the poem will still be popular in 100 years? Why or why not?
Unit 1
Grade 7
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CASEY AT THE BAT
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Reading Strategy
CASEY AT THE BAT
READING POETRY
Many poets use sound devices to add meaning and interest. Here are three poetic
elements that create the sound of a poem:
• Repetition is the repeating of a sound, word, phrase, or line.
• Rhyme is the repetition of sounds at the ends of words.
• Rhythm is a pattern of stressed [ ] and unstressed [˘] syllables.
‚
Directions: Use this chart to record examples of the sound devices in this poem.
Then write the effect of each sound device. One example has been done for you.
Copyright © Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Repetition
Examples
Effect
“For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to
the bat.”
Emphasizes the importance of the character
and that he is known as a great ball player.
Rhyme
Examples
Effect
Rhythm
Examples
Effect
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