The Mudville baseball game was close, with the score 2 to 4 in the bottom of the last inning. The crowd began to lose hope as two batters were out. Their hopes rested on Mighty Casey coming to bat, as he was their best hitter. However, when Casey's turn came, he struck out swinging on three pitches, disappointing the crowd. The poem uses the baseball game and Casey's failure to teach a lesson about not relying too much on heroes.

2. [1] It looked extremely rocky
for the Mudville nine that
day;
The score stood two to four,
with but an inning left to
play,
So, when Cooney died at
second, and Burrows did
the same,
A pallor wreathed the
features of the patrons of
The Mudville game was
extremely tense that day.
The score was 2 to 4 with an
inning to go.
Cooney got out at second
and Burrows did too.

3. [5] A straggling few got up
to go, leaving there the
rest,
With that hope which
springs eternal within the
human breast,
For they thought: “If only
Casey would get a whack
at that,”
They’d put even money now,
with Casey at the bat.
People were getting up to
leave and some stayed.
Hoped for a miracle.
They hope Casey would go
up to bat.
They would even gamble
money.

4. Flynn and Blake was going
before Casey.
It seemed like Casey wasn’t
going to get a chance to
bat.
[9] But Flynn preceded
Casey, and likewise so did
Blake,
And the former was a
pudd’n, and the latter was
a fake,
So on that stricken
multitude a deathlike
silence sat;
For there seemed but little
chance of Casey's getting

5. [13] But Flynn let drive a
“single”, to the
wonderment of all,
And the much-despised
Blake, “tore the cover off
the ball.”
And when the dust had
lifted, and they saw what
had occurred,
There was Blakey safe at
second and Flynn a-
huggin’ third.
Flynn hit the ball and was safe
at first base.
Blake hit the ball too.
When all the comotion on the
field had stopped…
Blake was safe at second base
and Flynn was third base.

6. [17] Then from the gladdened
multitude went up a joyous
yell-
It rumbled in the
mountaintops, it rattled in
the dell;
It struck upon the hillside and
rebounded on the flat;
For Casey, mighty Casey, was
advancing to the bat.
The sad crowd became
excited.
Their cheers were so loud
they could be heard from
the tops of mountains to
deepest parts of the earth.
The cheering got louder.
Casey was making his way to
bat.

7. [21] There was ease in
Casey's manner as he
stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's
bearing and a smile on
Casey's face.
And when responding to the
cheers, he lightly doffed his
hat,
No stranger in the crowd
could doubt 'twas Casey at
the bat.
Casey was clam as he
approached home plate.
Casey was smiling because he
had confidence in himself.
He tipped his hat to his fans in
the stadium.
People not familiar with the
game so far could tell the
crowd was cheering for
casey.

8. [25] Ten thousand eyes were
on him as he rubbed his
hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues
applauded when he wiped
them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing
pitcher ground the ball into
his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's
eye, a sneer curled Casey's
lip.
The crowd watched him with
anticipation.
The crowd yelled and
cheered as he’s wiping
his fingers on his shirt.
The pitcher is
uncomfortable, so he
rests the ball on his hip.
Casey felt like a rebel, like
he was going to hit the
ball and score.

9. [29] And now the leather-
covered sphere came
hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching
it in haughty grandeur
there.
Close by the sturdy batsman
the ball unheeded sped;
"That ain't my style," said
Casey. "Strike one," the
umpire said.
The pitcher pitches the ball.
Casey just stood there
watching it go by him.
He didn’t move and didn’t
even care that the ball
went by him.
He’s being ironic, because
he knew he could hit the
ball. He just didn’t hit it.

10. [33] From the benches, black
with people, there went up
a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm
waves on a stern and
distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!"
shouted someone on the
stand;
And it's likely they'd have
killed him had not Casey
raised his hand.
The fans were confused at
what happened and were
mad.
Comparing the fans anger to
a storm’s violent waves
on a shore.
The fans want to kill the
umpire for the call.
Casey reassured the crowd
by raising his hand to
calm the fans down.
9th stanza

11. [37] With a smile of Christian
charity great Casey's visage
shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he
made the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and
once more the spheroid
flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and
the umpire said, "Strike
two."
Casey’s face had a big
inviting, caring smile.
He got ready for the next
pitch.
The pitcher pitched the ball.
Casey didn’t hit the ball and
struck out again.

12. [41] "Fraud!" cried the
maddened thousands, and
the echo answered “Fraud!”
But one scornful look from
Casey and the audience was
awed.
They saw his face grow stern
and cold, they saw his
muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey
wouldn't let that ball go by
again.
The crowd is angry at the
umpire again.
Casey looked at the audience
with disrespect and the
audience was surprised and
was quiet.
Casey started to get serious.
The crowd had confidence in
Casey and that he’d hit the
next pitch.

13. [45] The sneer is gone from
Casey's lip, his teeth are
clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel
vengeance his bat upon
the plate.
And now the pitcher holds
the ball, and now he lets it
go,
And now the air is shattered
by the force of Casey's
Casey is getting agitated.
He beats his bat on the plate
to get out his anger and
stress.
The pitcher throws the ball…
The crowd gets loud as they
see what Casey ahs done.

14. [49] Oh, somewhere in this
favored land the sun is
shining bright;
The band is playing
somewhere, and
somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are
laughing, and somewhere
children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville :
Mighty Casey has struck
out.
Somewhere besides Mudville
the sun is shinning…
There’s a band playing and
people are happy…
Men are laughing and having
fun and children shout.
But in no joy is celebrated in
Mudville because Mighty
Casey has struck out.
Finale

15. Main Idea Speaker
The main idea
of this poem
is to teach a
lesson that
people
shouldn’t
expect too
much from
their heroes.
The speaker is
someone
narrating the
game.

16. -So on that stricken multitude a deathlike silence sat;
-He pounds with cruel vengeance his bat upon the
plate.
-From the benches, black with people, there went up a
muffled roar,
-With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage
shone
-Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped
them on his shirt.
-And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it
go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's
blow.
-So on that stricken multitude a deathlike silence sat
Alliteration- line
11
Hyperbole- lines
14, 18, 47
Imagery- lines 4,
21-23, 25-29,
33, 49-51
Metaphor- line 37
Personification-
lines 11, 26
Repetition- lines
47-48
Simile- line 11

17. Mood Tone
The mood at the
beginning of the
poem is
abandonment of
hope. The fans don’t
think they will win the
game so some leave
before it does end. In
the middle, the mood
is tension and
agitation. At the end,
the mood is
disappointment.
The tone of the
narrator is calm
in the beginning
and then gets
tense and
eager. At the
end, it’s
disappointed.

18. Scheme Mock Epic
The rhyming scheme is:
AABB
CCDD
EEFF
HHII
JJKK
LLMM
NNOO
PPQQ
RRSS
TTUU
VVWW
XXYY
ZZ
This poem is a Mock
Epic because the
poet tells a story
about a fallen
hero. It is mockery
because it shows
that the poem isn’t
elegant.