GREAT SCOTT ! GADZOOKS!(Dahl)

Great Scott! Gadzooks

In this poem, poet Roald Dahl exposes the harmful and dangerous effect of watching TV, especially for the children. He compares TV with a monster in the poem. Throughout the poem Roald Dahl is very critical of the fact Television has become a main source of fun and entertainment for the children in our homes. He wants parents to throw away the idiot box that makes their children dull, lazy and unimaginative. The poet argues that watching too much TV has negative impact upon the tender mind of children. It destroys their imaginative and reasoning power. It makes them passive and diverts them the real life. Moreover, it weakens their eye sight and also makes their senses dull and inactive. Hence, watching too much TV turns them into dull and passive creatures. 

The poet appeals to the parents to throw away this useless thing and replace it with a nice bookcase full with useful books.

However, some parents are happy that TV keeps children way from creating mischief and stops them from fighting. It also allows the parents to do their work without any interference. But such parents don’t realize that the harm TV does to their children. TV spoils their senses and kills their imagination. It makes their mind so dull that they unable to separate fantasy from the reality. Hence, the child who watches too much TV can only see but can’t think. Similarly, some parents may argue that if not TV what else they can do to entertain their children. TV is important source of entertainment in modern times.  But the poet answers them by saying the child would read books just as children would do before the TV was invented. The children used to read book about various characters, different plot and think a lot and enjoy themselves with their books. Therefore, the poet argues parents to replace a bookshelf in the place of TV set.  Lastly, the poet warns parents that their children may react to their decision of replacing TV with bookshelf by screaming and shouting. But after a week they will eventually calm down and turn on with reading books.