The way that Father William responds in stanza 2 shows that
Father William
Father William doesn't take
himself too seriously
by Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
Father William was once an
athlete
"YOU are old, Father William," the young man
said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head-
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"
Father William likes to show off
"In my youth, Father William replied to his
son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."
Father William takes foolish
chances with his health