00:00 / 04:17
00:00 / 04:17

Poppins Meets the Sycamores, Explained

Poppins is introduced to the whole Sycamore household, and when Penny is stuck in her play he suggests she write about "ism" mania instead: "everybody's got an 'ism' these days." The scene turns into a quiet joke about politics and the ease of picking a side.

Small talkPartiesSuggestingExplainingFriendsB2slowamericanClean

Key moments

Start here, then watch the full scene
  1. Poppins Suggests an 'Ism' Play

    2:53–3:32
    39s
  2. ❝ Monólogo · 6 frases Poppins Contrasts Lincoln With Today

    3:47–4:16
    29s
  1. ❝ MonólogoGrandpa's Americanism speech6 frasesPracticar ↗

Poppins Meets the Sycamores, explained

What happens

Poppins meets the Sycamores one by one and is welcomed as a guest. When Penny complains that she is stuck in her play, he suggests a new subject: "ism" mania, since everyone these days seems to have an ideology. She likes the idea and adapts it for her character.

What's really going on

The chapter is the film's gentlest piece of political satire, and it is delivered by an eccentric inventor who barely knows what politics is. Poppins notices that ideologies are fashionable and treats them like a product, saying that when times get hard, you get yourself an ism and you are in business. The joke cuts both ways, because he is not attacking any particular cause, only the ease with which people adopt one. Then he names what he actually values, quoting Lincoln's line, "With malice toward none, with charity for all," and contrasting it with the modern threat: "Think the way I do or I'll bomb the daylights out of you." The scene is funny, and underneath it is the film's plainest statement of what it believes.

Key lines & what they mean

“You know, communism, fascism, voodooism, everybody's got an "ism" these days.”
The observation that turns politics into a fad, listing isms as if they were brands.
“Nowadays they say, "Think the way I do or I'll bomb the daylights out of you."”
His blunt summary of modern intolerance, said with the calm of a man stating the weather.
“Lincoln said, "With malice toward none, with charity for all."”
The quote he offers as a contrast, the standard he thinks the country has abandoned.
“When things go a little bad nowadays, you go out and get yourself an "ism," and you're in business.”
His theory of ideology as a business decision, funny because it is nearly true.

Theme

  • Satire — Poppins treats fashionable ideologies as a consumer product, gently mocking a decade of competing isms.
  • Philosophy — The scene sets Lincoln's charity against the modern habit of threatening anyone who disagrees.

Qué aprendes en este capítulo

Puntos de enseñanza

Repasa justo después de ver
Mi nivel6/9

A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.

You Can't Take It with You: tu progreso

Capítulo 4 de 27 · quedan unos 77 min

← Anterior
Siguiente · 05would you be so kind as toLa escena: Tony Flirts on the Office Phone

Ideas clave

Lo que te llevas
  1. Grandpa turns a family chat into an argument about national character.
  2. The list of isms shows how a running gag can carry a theme.
  3. In business stretches from shops to anything that is ready to go.
  4. These days quietly sets today against an older, better past.

Preguntas frecuentes

La pregunta, luego la frase
What does Poppins mean by "ism" mania?

He means that people keep inventing and adopting ideologies, as if picking an ism were a fashion or a product you could buy to solve your problems.

Why does Penny like the idea?

She is stuck in her play, with her character trapped in a monastery. The ism idea gives her a new direction, and she decides to use it in the story.

What is Poppins's complaint about modern politics?

He says people now demand that everyone think the way they do, or they threaten violence. He contrasts that with Lincoln's line about malice toward none.

Who is Poppins?

He is a guest staying with the Sycamores. He invents things, and the family notes that he makes up stories, including a claim that he once delivered ice to the house.