Mr. Nobody

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody's house!
There's no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody

`Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pine afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don't you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody

The finger marked upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blind unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill;the boots
That lying round you see
Are not our boots - they all belong

To Mr. Nobody.

The poem talks about irresponsible behavior. The persona in the poem is most probably a parent who wants to admonish the children for always running away from responsibility and for blaming others for the mischief that they have done.

The message, though serious, is put in a light-hearted manner as a gentle reminder to children that they should not conveniently blame others for something that they could easily do themselves. It is irresponsible to claim ignorance for little misdeeds that occurs frequently in the house.

The repetition of the reference to Mr Nobody emphasizes how conveniently we blame others for our indifference, negligence and irresponsibility. There is a tinge of humour and we can sense the poet chiding us for blaming others for our carelessness and misdeeds.

Answers are available here

Fill in the positive behavior in the opposite column

Negative behavior	Positive behavior
crack plates
tear books
leave doors ajar	close the doors tightly
pull buttons from shirts
scatter pins
	oil the doors
put damp wood on the fire
feet bring in mud
soil carpets
mislay the papers
toss papers about
dirty the doors with finger marks
leave the blinds unclosed
spill the ink
leave boots lying around