Poetry · Chapter
J. W Douglass explained
A playful limerick about J.
What happens
A playful limerick about J. W. Douglass, a Chicago stock broker who would rather be fishing than selling stocks.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because the speaker confronts the painful realization that his child’s lov…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Work and Profession
The limerick humorously contrasts the stock broker's professional duties with his personal desire to fish.
- Humor and Satire
The limerick uses rhyme and wit to poke fun at the stock broker's true ambitions.
Characters to notice
- J. W Douglass
Subject of the limerick, a stock broker with a preference for fishing over stock trading.
Key passages
“You’d think ’twas this party’s ambition To sell you some Hoozis-Ignition, But when he talks stocks, Remember, old sox, That he’d a lot rather be fishin’!”
You might think his goal is to sell you some investment, but when it comes to stocks, remember that he would much rather be fishing.
Captures the humorous twist of the stock broker's true preference.
