The Lobster Quadrille
Reading Comprehension Activity

Lewis Carroll’s Alice Adventures in Wonderland is the story of a young girl, Alice, who finds a very strange world full of very strange characters. This passage is a song that is sung by the Mock Turtle as it dances with the Gryphon. They dance “The Lobster Quadrille,” a dance where everyone dances with a lobster, and eventually the lobsters are thrown out to sea. The whiting, or a type of fish, can’t find a lobster, so it asks the snail to be its partner instead of a lobster.

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‘”Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail.
“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle–will you come and join the dance?

Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

“You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!”
But the snail replied “Too far, too far!” and gave a look askance–
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

‘”What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied.
“There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France–
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.

Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?”‘