In this poem, D.H. Lawrence reminisces about a hot, hot day in Sicily in 1923, when he went to his water-trough to get some water. We discover that the narrator is afraid to go near the innocent snake, and is also distracted by its appearance. The poem reveals a great sense of human verse nature. I believe this poem teaches us that sometimes we are overcome by our own knowledge and tradition that we feel forced to follow what we know, rather than what we actually want.
D.H. Lawrence uses free verse and the poem does not contain a specific rhyming pattern. There is a lot of repetition throughout the play, as well as alliteration. The narrator uses the similes “had come like a guest” (Lawrence, 28), “…his tongue like a forked night..” (Lawrence, 43), and “..around like a god” (Lawrence, 45). He also uses the allusions, “Sicilian July” (Lawrence, 22), and “albatross” (Lawrence, 66). The theme of the poem is a unity co-existence between a man and animal. There is also a lot of patience, harmless attitude of animals, regret, and hospitality throughout the entire poem.
The narrator is pressured by the voices in his head when they say to him, “If you were a man, you would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off” (Lawrence, 25-26). The narrator confesses how he likes the snake and how glad “he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at his water trough” (Lawrence, 28). He feels as though the snake is taking over his own water-trough but he is actually okay with it. “Someone was before me at my water-trough, and I, like a second comer, waiting” (Lawrence, 15). Perhaps the narrator is lonely, and just wants a friend.
The narrator sees the true beauty of the snake and knows that it is harmless. “The voice of my education said to me he must be killed” (Lawrence, 22-23). Everyone is taught at an early age that snakes are evil, so he feels entitled to kill it with no justification except prior knowledge. I believe the snake represents the dark side of the human soul. We express our actions through our education, but the poet expresses his admiration on a different level.
Suddenly, the narrator looked around and put down his pitcher, “picked up a clumsy log and threw it at the water-trough with a clatter” (Lawrence, 56-57). This was done in attempt to kill the snake, but it did not. The snake heard the clatter and immediately “writhed like lightning and was gone” (Lawrence, 60). The narrator began to feel a sense of regret and blamed the voices of his education for his actions. The poem concluded that the narrator wanted to make a change for this type of situation in the future. After reading the poem a couple times, I came to one conclusion: D.H. Lawrence is trying to get across to the audience that if you listen to your actual feelings, then you will be a lot better off in life.
5 comments:
I like how you stated that this poem was like a "human vs. nature" type of thing. I agree with you. The narrator knew that this snack was supposed to be "evil," but he couldn't make himself kill it. I felt as if the narrator connected with the snake, and saw beauty in it as it was drinking out of the water trough.
Great insight! I love what you had to say about trusting your actual feelings giving you a better life. Liking this snake was completely natural for the speaker. He immediately saw it as a friend. Yet he threw a log at it because he felt pressured to. He made a bad decision and had to deal with the regret from it. He should have trusted his instinct.
I love your insight and that you explored a deeper meaning in the poem. I think you said it best when you stated that "sometimes we are overcome by our own knowledge and tradition that we feel forced to follow what we know, rather than what we actually want". I agree that we should listen to our own conscience and not the voices of other people.
You have a great outlook on this poem. Especially the last line of the of your response. The narrator is afraid of the snake, but in nature he's supposed to be. But even after he knows he is safe from danger of the snake, he still throws a log at it anyways. Is this a contradiction of his true feelings or is it just what hes expected to do?
There have been several poems on the interconnection between the world and the humans and animals. However, this one stands apart for its supreme thoughts. The poet seems to criticize the human society for its loss of values. Great poet in fact.
Custom Essay Writing Service
Post a Comment