"Hazel Tells Laverne" by Katharyn Howd Machan: Dialect

     After reading the humorous poem, Hazel and Laverne, I sense that dialect serves an imperative purpose throughout the work.  First, Hazel's way of speaking shows much about her character.  With her "sohelpmegod"s and "flushm"s, the narrator reveals that she is an uneducated Southern member of the working class (Machan).  Because of her place in society, I predict Hazel to be extremely frank and realistic with her thoughts and opinions.  With this, the narrator thinks it a laughable idea to kiss the frog because she cannot imagine herself "a princess" (Machan).  Hazel's dialect leads the reader to conclude that she clearly does not think she qualifies to be of royalty.  In a way, the author may be trying to convey that society has led the working class to believe they are worth less than they are.  Also, Hazel's way of speaking adds blunt, slapstick humor to this not-so-fairy tale situation.  The dialect of Hazel not only assists the reader in further analyzing the piece, but helps in finding amusement in the work as well.