"Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" is a

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...

. The poem was the basis for Card's ''

The Tales of Alvin Maker ''The Tales of Alvin Maker'' is a series of six alternate history fantasy novels written by American novelist Orson Scott Card, published from 1987 to 2003 (with one more planned), that explore the experiences of a young man, Alvin Miller, who ...

'' series.

Publication

"Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" won first prize in the long serious poem category at the Utah State Institute of Fine Arts in 1981. Card published this poem in the August 1989 issue of ''

Sunstone Sunstone is a microcline or oligoclase feldspar, which when viewed from certain directions exhibits a spangled appearance. It has been found in Southern Norway, Sweden, various United States localities and on some beaches along the midcoast of ...

'' magazine; and reprinted it in his short story collection ''

Maps in a Mirror ''Maps in a Mirror'' (1990) is a collection of short stories by American writer Orson Scott Card. Like Card's novels, most of the stories have a science fiction or fantasy theme. Some of the stories, such as "Ender's Game", " Lost Boys", and ...

''.

Plot summary

This poem is about Alvin Miller, a young

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

’s

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

. One day, when there is not much work to do, the blacksmith tells Alvin to go into the woods to look for berries. In the woods, Alvin meets a red-winged bird that makes a "maker" out of him. When he goes back to the blacksmith’s shop he tries to make a horseshoe with the blacksmith’s help. However, he is unable to strike the metal with the hammer to bend it. Later, when he is alone, he follows the bird's instructions and magically makes a plow of gold. Putting the plow in a bag he sets off to find some soil that his plow can bring to life. At last Alvin comes to a river in the middle of a foggy land and takes his plow out of the bag. The fog begins to clear and he meets a man named Verily Cooper. Together they build a plow frame and when they touch it the plow comes to life and plows the ground.

Characters

* Alvin Miller - main character * The blacksmith - unnamed * The red-winged bird - unnamed * The living plow - made by Alvin * Verily Cooper - a barrel maker * Old Mizeray - a river * Farmers - unnamed

Origins of Prentice Alvin

According to Card he came up with the idea to write "Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" while attending graduate school at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

. According to Card he decided to try to write an epic poem after reading ''

The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...

'' by Edmund Spenser in one of his literature classes.Alvin Maker series
"Orson Scott Card's website The Hatrack". At the time Card was not planning on expanding "Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow" into a novel series. It was originally meant to stand on its own.

Awards

This poem won first prize for "long serious poem" in the 1981 Utah State Institute of Fine Arts. Card admits that all the entries in this category won a prize (there were two), though his came in first.

References

External links

Publication information for ''Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow'' available from Card’s website

"Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow"
- pg 28-32 - available online from ''

'' magazine {{Orson Scott Card 1989 poems Poetry by Orson Scott Card Fantasy poetry Narrative poems Works originally published in Sunstone (magazine) Ploughs