Mr.

Nobody (Author: Unknown/Anonymous)

Synopsis of the Poem
The poem talks about irresponsible behavior. The persona in the poem
is most probably a parent

who wants to admonish the children for always

running away from responsibility and for blaming others for the mischief
that they have done.
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The message, though serious, is put in a light-hearted manner as a
gentle reminder to children that they should not conveniently blame others
for something that they could easily do themselves. It is irresponsible to
claim ignorance for little misdeeds that occurs frequently in the house.
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The

repetition

conveniently

we

of

blame

the
others

reference
for

our

to

Mr

Nobody

emphasizes

how

indifference,

negligence

and

irresponsibility. There is a tinge of humour and we can sense the poet

chiding us for blaming others for our carelessness and misdeeds.
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Review the poem Mr. Nobody

The

poem

is

about

mysterious

person

who

creates

lot

of

_____________ in the house and gets away with it. This person is named as
Mr. Nobody to give a shroud of ___________ to the persona. He is not
noticed as he moves around very _________. Mr. Nobody makes a mess of
things in the house. He uses things but never puts them back in _________.
He

dirties

_________

the
and

_________,
the

leaves

curtains.

his

When

prints

things

______________,

are

misplaced

in

soils
the

the

house,

everyone points the __________ to Mr. Nobody. Yet he never gets ___________
as no one has ever seen him or reports of his deeds.
mystery

everywhere

caught

house

mischief

NOUNS

carpet

finger

quietly

VERBS

plates

break

books

tear

doors

leave ajar

feet

bring in mud

carpets

soil

papers

mislaid

blinds

leave unclosed

curtains

fade

ink

spill

10 boots

order

cracked

squeak

tosses about

lying around
ADJECTIVES

Stanza 1

funny, quiet, mischievous,

Stanza 2

careless, inconsiderate, untidy, mischievous,

Stanza

inconsiderate,
untidy

Stanza

careless, inconsiderate,

Role-play Script

selfish,

elusive, cunning, mysterious

tardy,

unbothered,

untidy, unbothered

lazy

careless,

MOM

: Hey,

this

plate

is

cracked,

careless? Was it

almost

broken.

Who

has

been

you, honey?

DAD

: No, it wasnt me. Maybe it was Aaron who did it.

MOM

: Aaron, did you drop this when you were washing it?

AARON

: No, maybe it could have been sis who cracked the plate.

MOM

: Alice, was it you?

ALICE

: Of course not. Im always careful, not like Aaron.

MOM

: Well, as usual, if I ask, the answer is always nobody did it.

DAD

: Aha, I know for sure that one of the person

the carpet. I can see

must have dirtied

muddy sneaker prints on it. Werent the two

of you outside playing in the rain

yesterday?

AARON

: Dad, we did not wear sneakers, only slippers.

ALICE

: Nobodys sneakers were muddy at all. Check the shoe-cupboard.

MOM
DAD

: What do you know! Its Mr. Nobody again!

: Looks like we need to install a CCTV to see who does not close

the door properly,

who

leaves

the

newspapers

everywhere, who forgets to draw the

scattered

curtains, who spills

ink, who tears the books and whatever else that goes wrong.
MOM

so

: Okay, Ill call the CCTV company tomorrow.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR
1. wash plates carefully

NEGATIVE BEHAVIOUR
1.

crack plates

2. wrap books

2.

tear books

3. close the doors tightly

3.

leave doors ajar

4. sew loose buttons

4.

pull buttons from shirts

5. use a pin cushion

5.

scatter pins

6. oil the doors

6.

lazy to oil squeaky doors

7. choose dry wood

7.

put damp wood on the fire

8. take off shoes before entering the

house

8.

feet bring in mud

9. vacuum the carpet

9.

soil carpets

10. place papers in a specific place after

reading

10. mislay the papers

11. gather papers and place properly

11. toss papers about

12. wash hand when dirty

12. dirty the doors with finger

marks

13. close the blinds

13. leave the blinds unclosed

14. tighten cap on ink bottle every time

after use

14. spill the ink

15. place boots in shoe cupboard

15. leave boots lying around

Sample Questions For the poem- Mr. Nobody

Read the following questions and choose the best answer for each.

Practice 1:
1.

According to the first stanza, everyone.:

A.

agrees that Mr. Nobody creates all the mischief

B.

has seen the person who is funny

C.

knows

that

Mr.

Nobody

is

actually

mouse

that

runs

around the house.

D.
2.

knows Mr. Nobody goes around disturbing everyone.

The use of the simile As quiet as a mouse implies that Mr.

Nobody is.
A.

so quiet that he is unnoticed

B.

as dirty as the house mouse

C.

able to walk fast just like a mouse

D.
3.

person who will not talk

The poem is about

A.

a funny invisible person

B.

mischief created by someone

C.

a naughty boy

D.

Mr. Nobodys life

Read the following questions and choose the best answer for each.
Practice 2:
1.

2.

3.

Mr Nobody can be described as being

A

agreeable

careless

quiet

dirty

Where is the poem set?

A

in a house

near a campsite

at a place of work

outside the house

Why does the kettle not boil in stanza 3?

A

muddy feet

damp wood

soiled carpets

squeaky doors

4.

5.

6.

The mischief in the house was done by

A

the mouse

Mr. Nobody

the people in the house

Which one of these words from the poem suggests carelessness?

A

quiet

oiling

mislaid

squeaking

The poem teaches us to be

A

careless

untruthful

accountable

irresponsible

Write T if the statement is true or F if the statement is false.

1. Mr Nobody is a man.

2. Mr Nobody left the door slightly open.

3. The newspapers have been thrown away.

4. Everything that goes wrong is done by Mr Nobody.

5. The carpets are dirtied by muddy feet.

6. The mouse is the one that does all the mischief.

7. The kettle cannot boil because the fire cannot be

lit.
8. Mr Nobody does not exist.

Read the following stanza and then answer the questions below.

The

finger marks upon the door

By none of us

are

We never leave the blinds

made;
unclosed,

To let the curtains fade;

The ink we

never

spill; the boots

That lying
Are not our

round you see

boots they all

belong

To Mr. Nobody

1.

What do you think the following lines mean?

The finger marks upon the door / By none of us are made;
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2.

Why are the blinds never left undone?

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3.

What do these

lines

the boots /that

lying

round tell

you about Mr, Nobody?

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4.

Who do you think Mr. Nobody is?

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With reference to Mr Nobody, answer the following questions.

1.

How is Mr Nobody like a mouse?

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2.

What happened to the buttons on the shirts?

_______________________________________________________________

3.

Why is it important to oil the doors of the house?

_______________________________________________________________
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4.

What is causing the curtains to fade?

_______________________________________________________________

5.

Who do you think is doing all the mischief in the house?

_______________________________________________________________

6.

Have you done anything in your home that you did not want to admit

to?
Share it here.
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