What, you never saw a purple cow?

So when I was in the fifth grade, my classroom and teacher were shared with the sixth grade.  That meant that my older brother was in my class.  One day, we were assigned to memorize a poem and be prepared to recite it to the class a few days hence.  I memorized a very long poem (Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) to showcase my amazing powers of memory. I was one of the first to recite and I have to admit, the other kids were probably half asleep when I finished.  Then came my brother, who got up and recited the poem (four short lines) I Never Saw a Purple Cow.  The other kids loved it and he received a lot of applause.  This is what I really mean:  I think sometimes it's more advantageous to be brief and funny rather than serious and intelligent.