My Computer Needs A Break Poem Summary & Line by Line Explanation

Back to: Tamil Nadu Class 8 English Guide & Notes

Introduction

The poet in a rather humorous way narrates how the computer works. However, lately, the computer seems to be behaving strangely and forgetful. The poet wonders if the machine too needs a vacation. The poem is divided into four stanzas and follows the couplet rhyme scheme. 

Stanza I 

My computer has always been so brainy and smart –
It seems to know mountains of information by heart.
If I type in a question, and give my mouse a click,
My computer always gives me the answer really quick!

The computer is a very brainy and smart machine. It is an ocean of information. The computer leaves no question unanswered. It is super fast in providing those answers. All the answers are just a click away.

Stanza II

But of late, my computer has been behaving badly too,
It’s so absent-minded, that I don’t know what to do.
It forgets to ‘save’ my work, and store it away,
And instead, makes it vanish in the most dreadful way.

The poet complains that lately, the computer has started to misbehave. It is absent minded and does not concentrate on its given tasks. The poet cannot understand what she should do to correct this behavior. Instead of saving the matter that the poet has worked hard to create, the mischievous machine forgets to save the content. The content vanishes and so does the poet’s hard work.

Stanza III

My computer doesn’t check that my spellings are right,
And hides my files, so that they vanish from sight.
And one day, my naughty computer actually gobbled a worm,
And behaved so erratically that it made me squirm.

The computer no longer checks and corrects the incorrect spellings. The troublesome computer hides the poet’s files from sight. One day the naughty computer ate a worm and started acting crazy. The poet started to squirm and grew uncomfortable.

Stanza IV

Then my computer caught a virus, and fell very sick,
So I had to call in a doctor, double quick.
As the doctor examined my computer, I just had to say,
‘Doctor, do you think my tired computer wants a holiday?’

Tragically, the computer caught a virus one day and fell sick. The poet swiftly called a doctor.  While the technician, who is addressed as the doctor, examined the tired computer, the poet wondered and asked, if the machine too needed a break from all the work.