"Snake" By D.H. Lawrence

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. 

"Trifles" By Susan Glaspell

            Susan Glaspell’s one-act play, Trifles, was definitely an interesting play to read.  First and foremost, a trifle is something of very little value or importance.  In this play, a trifle can be defined as a minor outcome which could easily be overlooked.  In the beginning of the play, we discover that John Wright has been murdered.  Throughout the play, the sheriff, his wife, the county attorney, and the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hale, try to solve the case of his murder.  They start the investigation knowing someone strung a rope around Mr. Wright’s neck while he was sleeping in the middle of the night.  There obviously is a sexism issue as the women and men go their separate ways to investigate the house for clues to get to the bottom of the crime.  It is ironic that the play was written in 1916, a time when women were not exactly what one would call “free.”

            Susan Glaspell portrays different aspects of feminine awareness throughout the poem.  In 1916, women did not have much freedom.  They did not have the right to vote, nor were they allowed to sit on juries.  They were basically living in a male- centered culture.  Their role was to stay at home and take care of the domestic duties.  Men did not realize that these responsibilities are a constant state of hard work.  The best housekeepers were the ones who could do their work and not show any amount of stress whatsoever.  Men saw these stay at home women as them being on a permanent vacation.  In men’s eyes, women were not capable of doing the “hard” work like they do to provide for the family.  Glaspell wrote this poem to show that women should be acknowledged for the work that they accomplish, even if it is staying at home to take care of the children, preparing meals, or keeping the house tidy.  In the poem, the women do not really get to take part in this investigation.  They are basically seen as “children” to men and they treat them like inferiors.   

            Mrs. Wright did not have any children, but she had to do all the housework herself.  Living on a farm had to have been a lot of work.  Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters feel bad for Mrs. Wright because they say she did not have enough time to prepare for company.  The women feel a sense of loyalty to Mrs. Wright and actually understand her.  Unlike the women, the men really look down their nose at her.  The men’s views are not apathetic toward the women’s views whatsoever.  The women notice important details like the ruined fruit preserves, bread that has been left out of its box, an unfinished quilt, a messy table top, and an empty birdcage.  The men look for forensic evidence to solve the crime while the women observe the clues that men typically would overlook.  However, the men and women do feel the same about one thing, and it is that they are in a cold household owned by a woman who is just unhappy.

            Glaspell illustrates the psychological reasons for a woman’s murder of her overbearing husband exposed through the conversation of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright, who actually understand her act of rage.  Home and family are of great importance in a woman’s life.  The women in this poem appreciate the stillness of Mrs. Wright’s childless existence.  The women believe that the cold atmosphere of the farmhouse, and the way Mr. Wright acted toward Mrs. Wright led to her brutal revenge. 

"The Elephant Man" By Bernard Pomerance

John Merrick was the hideously deformed 19th century Londoner known as "The Elephant Man."  He was from London, the place that always brought back bad memories.  He proceeded to talk about how he always felt unwanted and how people wanted to rip him to pieces.  When I read the book about John Merrick’s life and him getting beaten, I felt so sorry for him, but after actually seeing it acted out in the play, I felt even worse.  Absolutely no one deserves to be treated that way and what he went through.  The nun claimed that only Christ could save him.  An emotional time for the audience was when Merrick sat alone saying he was beaten like a drum.  He repeated it to himself over and over saying, “boom, boom, boom.”  He described the floors as being “extremely dirty” and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

It is very clear that Merrick loved to read.  Merrick had never seen the inside of a home before and Treves tried to make him feel as though he was at home.  At this time, Mrs. Kendall entered the room and Merrick told her how beautiful she was and how he prepared himself for her coming but forgot every word he wanted to say.  Mrs. Kendall said that Merrick’s mom was a beautiful woman.  Merrick believed the reason why he had a sickness was because his mom was kicked down by an elephant at a circus when she was pregnant with him.  He also felt as though his head was so big because it was filled with wonderful dreams.

  Merrick discussed Romeo and Juliet with Mrs. Kendall.  He said that Romeo did not truly care for Juliet and that he only cared about himself.  Mrs. Kendall was confused by what he said so Merrick explained to her what he meant.  He said that looking in a mirror and not saying anything was all an illusion.  Mrs. Kendall took the cast off of his hand even though she knew his hand was deformed.  Mrs. Kendall was the only woman that made him feel special. 

Merrick built a model of St. Phillips and explained to Mrs. Kendall and Treves how he only did it with only one hand.  He said that it was an imitation of grace and that he made his own imitation.  Treves said that Merrick was an artist who created illusions of Heaven.  Merrick said we all are copies but wanted to know how we came about to be copies.  Treves explained to Merrick that God made the copies. Merrick said he felt alone and needed a mistress.  He also felt as though his head was too heavy to lay down, but to lay down alone is much worse.  Merrick told Treves he never seen a naked woman before and his sister Eva told him that he needed to put such things out of his head. 

Ross walked into the room and asked Merrick if she could have five percent of the money and Merrick answered her by saying she was wasting his time.  I could feel the pain in Merrick’s voice when he reminded Ross that she treated him like an animal and left him there to die.  Treves asked Merrick if he believed in Heaven or Christ.  Merrick said he believed in Heaven and that the Bible promised that the crooked would be made straight.  This gave him hope that someday in the future he would be normal just like everyone else. 

After reading the book as an assignment for my poetry class and then seeing the play, I definitely understand the connection of the two activities and what the author is trying to convey to the audience.  Discussing different aspects of the story in class helped me to prepare for what I was about to see in the theatre.  I was excited to see the play and could actually visualize the characters.  Sometimes seeing people act out a play makes it much easier for the mind to comprehend the story.

Overall, I feel like this story teaches the audience a valuable lesson.  We should always be grateful and appreciate life and never take anything for granted.  John Merrick was an incredible guy who had an inspiring story.  Although he had a terrible disease, he tried to make the best out of his life.  Merrick was still treated like a “freak” and he will forever be a prisoner of his own malformed body.