Group Discussion / Presentations on "Snake"

Each group will have 20 minutes to discuss their aspect of the poem and plan a 3-5-minute presentation to the rest of the class about their topic. I encourage you to use illustrations to help us understand your key points. 

Group 1: space: What happens where in the poem? How do the characters move around within the scene? How does the narrator’s relationship to the snake change as they move? What is the significance of space in the poem? Work together to create a visual “map” of what happens in the scene and how the characters move. How does this map help us understand the poem better? 

Group 2: rhythm: Describe the poem’s rhythm in general: is it smooth, choppy, or something else? Does it fluctuate over the course of the poem? If so, how does this reflect what is happening during these fluctuations? Mark 3 or 4 sections of the poem where rhythm seems important, and explain how Lawrence uses rhythm to emphasize a particular point.

Group 3: structure: How is the poem divided into stanzas? What happens in each stanza? Why do you think Lawrence has chosen to place the stanza breaks where he does? How do the stanzas underscore the poem’s thematic organization? Could Lawrence have organized the poem in a different way? Explain this alternative organizational scheme and how the poem would change as a result.

Group 4: image: What are the key images in the poem? Are they treated differently in different parts of the poem? Can these images be interpreted in different ways? If so, how? Why do you think Lawrence chose these images? How do you think he wants his readers to interpret these images? 

Group 5: wisdom: Does the poem have a message? If so, what is it? What does the poem have to tell us about the way we live or the way we experience the world? Is the message easy to understand or difficult? Why do you think a poem rather than an essay or a painting was the most effective way for Lawrence to convey this message? 

Group 6: style: Describe the style in which the poem is presented: it is pretentious, straightforward, obscure, direct, etc.? Come up with 4 or 5 adjectives that might describe the way in which the poem is written. What does the style in which the poem is written say about the narrator? His subject matter? Imagine another way in which the poem might have been written and describe what it might look like in that style.

Snake by D.H. Lawrence - Analysis

Snake by D.H. Lawrence is a narrative poem that has a very interesting message. Although the poem speaks merely of the interaction between a man and a snake, the implications are much more complex than that. Snake takes a look at how we as humans are taught to deal with things that are "different."

Simply put, a man is confronted by a snake that he finds beautiful, but he has always been taught that the snake is ugly. Throughout the poem, Lawrence explains the snake's every movement as he watches with fascination. He gives a detailed description of how the snake came to his water trough and drank. Although he enjoys the snake, he is confronted with what to do with it.

"The voice of my education said to me He must be killed, For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are venomous."
At this point, the poem shifts and begins to deal with a moral consciousness. The narrator has been taught that this particular snake is poisonous and should killed, while other snakes are okay. This has a direct correlation to today's society and how we place limits on what is acceptable and what should be condemned. The poem also shows how due to these societal norms we question ourselves, "And voices in me said, If you were a man You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off." This stands out to me because the narrator questions his manhood only because he was taught that this snake should be killed, but instead he enjoyed it. In his mind he has gone against the norm and he is now internally conflicted. Is it morally acceptable to kill what has not harmed you for the sake of others? Even more so, is it morally acceptable to not be yourself to satisfy a norm? We are confronted with these issues daily and more than likely, we conform. We often times kill the snake because if we were normal, we would do so.

Snake is a poem that has a unique way of dealing with the moral consciousness of society. Although not written during our lifetime, I believe the message has a clear correlation to our generation. We are often taught to rid ourselves of all things different. We all have a snake, and more than likely, we have done all we can to kill it.

Snake by D.H. Lawrence (Analysis)

D.H. Lawrence’s poem Snake is an eighty-seven line narrative/poem about a man’s encounter with a snake. This poem is very detailed, laying out one event after another, while being so descriptive that is easy to envision being in the man’s shoes. At first glance this poem simply looks like a narrative of a man seeing a snake and contemplating whether or not he should kill the snake, though if one delves a little deeper, the poem Snake can have multiple interpretations.

One interpretation that I uncovered from this poem is the pattern of duality. Through this entire poem the pattern of duality is present. In the beginning of the poem Lawrence writes about the immense heat of the day, “hot, hot day” and the water, how it is used to cool off. Then there is the duality between what his education and his inner voices told him, “The voice of my education said to me He must be killed,” versus what he actually wanted to do since he liked the snake, “But must I confess how I liked him. There is the duality between being a man versus something that is less than a man. Also there is a duality between the man’s emotions: fear versus honor. “And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so, honoured still more”, I think this is one of the most prominent lines in the poem because it gives clear insight into the man’s brain. From this line, we realize how intrigued he is with this “earth-golden” snake. Lastly, there is the duality between what the man did versus what the snake did. The poem starts off talking about the snake moving towards the trough to take a drink, while the man was going to fill his pitcher up with water but then he freezes “And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.” This movement is important because he freezes, it is possible that he froze out of fear, or froze to ensure safety but whatever the case, the poem doesn’t show us he moves again until the snake begins his retreat. That is when he “put[s] down my[his] pitcher” and picks up a log. This line leans to the possibility that the man is frozen with fear for most of the poem while the snake moves freely about.

The second interpretation that I pulled from Snake was that it is an in-depth look into the human psyche. I formulated this idea from the indecisive nature of the man. Everyone at some moment in their life has had to make a decision where “inside voices” have told you to do one thing but you felt like doing something else. It is possible that the man applied morals to the situation which is contributed to his inaction like many people do in their brains. He had established the snake as a “guest in quiet” who simply came “to drink at my water-trough, And depart peaceful, pacified and thankless.” Many people apply morals to situations when considering whether or not to act, just like the man possibly did when he considered the snake as a guest, and would it be ethical to harm a ‘guest’? Also I related the voices to peer pressure, except the education and his own brain was applying the pressure, because the voices were telling him “If you were a man”, and “If you were not afraid” then the man/anyone else would act!

Snake is a brilliantly written poem that is unconventional in style and structure, but conveys insight into a man’s inner contemplation of whether or not he should act, and delves into the insight of everyday life and the “voices” inside of us all.

Snake by D.H. Lawrence

Snake by D.H. Lawrence

The poem Snake written by D.H. Lawrence tells about an occasion between man and snake. A snake comes one day to drink out the water trough and the human contemplates whether or not to harm this honorable yet dangerous creature.

Although the poem has no rhythm or rhyme the detailed words in the poem create vivid images in the reader’s mind to easily visualize what the speaker is referring to. Just as D.H. writes “He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do, And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do, And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment, And stooped and drank a little more” the reader notices the actions of the snake and it’s nonchalant attitude about drinking from another's water trough.

The reader is also able to connect with the human to understand their struggle between following personal decisions or obeying what society deems as right. “Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him? Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him? Was it humility, to feel so honoured?
I felt so honoured.” These lines allow the reader to understand the speaker’s hardship and frustration against feeling something that was not typically desirable.

In deeper analysis, the snake could possibly serve as the poet’s alter ego; the person the poet wants to be, but can’t. The writer refers to the snake as a “king” although his human education says to kill it. The writer wants to be powerful and dominant yet graceful and dignified but the voices of society urge him to repress these thoughts for he must not be so demanding.

In the poem, the writer is overcome by the constant bashing of his desired self and tries to extinguish the problem by killing the snake. Instead he only runs the snake away and is regretful for conforming to the ideas of his human education. In the last lines, “And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords Of life. And I have something to expiate; A pettiness” the writer has missed his opportunity to become his ultimate true self and must make up for the damage he has done.

D.H. Lawrence's "Snake"

This poem is very interesting in the way it opens your eyes to some things that come to be accepted by humans that may not always be necessary or right. In this poem D.H. Lawrence comes across a snake that is drinking at his water trough and he has to wait until the snake is finished in order to fill his pitcher with water. The imagery that this poem creates is extremely detailed and allows the reader to become engrossed in the scene and really feel like they are watching it happen or even better are D.H. Lawrence admiring this subtlety in nature. It is important to note how he is in conflict with himself throughout the poem and can't exactly decide what his course of action needs to be.

I feel like the poem is about the beauty of nature and humans failure to really appreciate its beauty to the fullest. He is marveling at the snake and its beauty as it drinks from his water trough but is battling with himself because of what society has taught him to think and act towards snakes. He seems to be happy that his water trough was useful to the snake but knows that the majority of society feels hate toward the creature. It is as if he wrote this poem to show that there are things in nature that may be harmful if antagonized but it is important to not forget their role in nature and how beautiful they can be and understand they need the same things we do, his example is water on a very hot day.

The poem is extremely interesting to me after the point that he throws the log at the snake. This is because although he knew it was wrong and immediately regretted what he did he still conformed to the normal reaction of society toward a snake which is some type of hateful act to do it harm. I wonder if this is his why of keeping some objectivity in the poem and showing that even he can't help being scared to snakes and reacting rashly to seeing them at times but that we need to do a better job to appreciate the creatures. "And I thought of the albatross, and I wished he would come back, my snake" is a particularly interesting line. An albatross can be used to talk about an encounter with death which is interesting because this shows that he fully comprehends the danger of being close to a deadly snake but also longs to have the compassion in his heart to love such a creature.

Overall I liked the poem and thought he portrayed his experience in an enlightening way that allowed the reader to really get engrossed in the experience D.H. Lawrence had.

An analysis of Snake, by D.H. Lawrence

The Snake, by D.H. Lawrence narrates a man’s encounter with a snake at his water trough. In my opinion D.H Lawrence attempts to expound upon the internal conflicts that arise when social instruction conflicts with natural instincts. The speaker in the poem is internally battling with his desire to admire and befriend this creature and his opposing desire to kill it. He observes the snake with care and pays close attention to its actions as he states, “He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do, And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do, And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment, And stooped and drank a little more…” As he observes the snake the only negative feelings he explicates are those he felt were imposed by society. The speaker purports that he should perhaps kill the snake because that is what a “man” should do, and then immediately curses his human education that provided him with the thought.

There is an emphasis on the indecisiveness of the speaker, as he waivers all throughout the poem until it is too late for his opinion to matter. When he speaks of the snake it is clear that he is pleased with the snake’s company, while also torn as to whether or not he should interact with nature in this way. When he states, “But must I confess how I liked him, How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough…’ he reveals his feeling in a way that imply a deeper sense of guilt or shame in wanting to befriend the snake. He uses the word “confess” as opposed to simply stating his feeling about the element of nature. There is a shame that is implicated in the preservation of nature as if it is a threat to his manhood. Even after he confesses his delight and honor in spending time with the snake he reverts to questioning whether or not he is a coward because he chose not to kill him.

In closing I believe it is important to note the idea of remorse of the decisions made by the human in the poem. As a result of his indecisiveness he ends up regretting his loss of the snake as well as cursing his human education. It was well within his power to let the snake remain in his company but he let it get away. Towards the end he states, “I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education. And I thought of the albatross, And I wished he would come back, my snake.” Not only does he miss the snake deeply but he refers to the snake as “my snake,” when he had previously contemplated killing the snake. For me this poem well exemplifies the struggle of man vs. nature. What do we owe nature on the path to preserve human life. Is it cowardice to maintain a relationship with that animal as opposed to killing it? When he speaks of fear, is it of the snake or of man? These are all questions that are provoked by Lawrence’s poem.

D.H. Lawrence: Snake

A snake came to my water-trough
On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,
To drink there.
In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before
me.

He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom
And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of
the stone trough
And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,
i o And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,
He sipped with his straight mouth,
Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,
Silently.

Someone was before me at my water-trough,
And I, like a second comer, waiting.

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,
And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment,
And stooped and drank a little more,
Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth
On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking.
The voice of my education said to me
He must be killed,
For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are venomous.

And voices in me said, If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.

But must I confess how I liked him,
How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough
And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless,
Into the burning bowels of this earth?

Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him? Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him? Was it humility, to feel so honoured?
I felt so honoured.

And yet those voices:
If you were not afraid, you would kill him!

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so, honoured still more
That he should seek my hospitality
From out the dark door of the secret earth.

He drank enough
And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black,
Seeming to lick his lips,
And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,
And slowly turned his head,
And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,
Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.

And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,
And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and entered farther,
A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into that horrid black hole,
Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing himself after,
Overcame me now his back was turned.

I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.

I think it did not hit him,
But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed in undignified haste.
Writhed like lightning, and was gone
Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the wall-front,
At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with fascination.

And immediately I regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!
I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.

And I thought of the albatross
And I wished he would come back, my snake.

For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.

And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.

Link to Brueghel's the Kermesse

http://www.artinthepicture.com/artists/Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger/kermesse.jpeg

On Ben Jonson's On Gut - Adam McDonald

Adam McDonald

Ben Jonson’s On Gut first struck me as I read as being quite similar to the epigrams that Martial wrote in ancient Rome. Short, witty, and somewhat of a saying, as most epigrams tend to be. The six-line poem follows an ABABCC rhyme scheme. This ABABCC structure also allows Jonson to first tell some humor in the first four lines, with Gut feasting during the day and philandering about in the evenings (then summarized by line two “So all his Meat he tasteth over twice;”) and his striving to “double his delight” (line three) from the first two lines which in effect then makes him a “thorough-fare of Vice” (line four). This follows the ABAB structure in that both the A lines are actions and goals of Gut, and then both the B lines are the consequences of those actions. Lines C (five and six) finally summarizes the previous four by giving a conclusion to all his above actions (quite strikingly denoted by Jonson’s use of the word “Thus,” in line five), in that Gut is able to change Sin itself from the Gluttony that went in (the feasting all day) into the Lust that comes back out (the lechering all Night).

A. McDonald

Nineteen. On innocence.

Elizabeth Alexander's poem is about the summer she spent as a nineteen year old in Culpepper. She ate all white food, and tried to act like an adult through her relationship with a married Vietnam vet. She wanted to know what the war was like, and though he never gave her satisfying answers, she always smiled at what he said. In the end, she gets a peak into the effects his experience as a soldier had on him.

Out of this chapter, Nineteen was my favorite poem. Its details of the summer a naive youth lost innocence, written in hindsight by her older and wiser self, give me shivers.

On innocence:
The food in Culpepper was all white. White is a color of purity but also monotony. I don't believe Alexander was very street-smart or that her town was particularly exciting. So having a manly war vet around must have been a thrill, and she didn't know any better than to give in (or to look into whether he was married). Even though she was 19, she "snuck" around with him and refers to herself as the "baby," considering the "men" completely separate. She "tiptoed" with her lover when they were together but always returned to the city with "a garbage bag of dirty clothes." All of these details highlight how young she was, even for her age. I picture a child who sneaks out of bed to get a cookie, or a clueless preteen sheepishly bringing laundry for her mother to do.

Then there is a break in the poem. The very next line reminds us that she is 19, and even though she paints herself as so childish, she's taken a big step as this is her first summer away from home. Then she goes on to describe the man. He persuades her he is desirable, saying "'the ladies love my hair.'" If they want him, she should too, right? The focus of his life is marijuana, which he learned all about in Vietnam. He brings his son to her, but she doesn't even think of a mother. I think that's really interesting, the egocentrism natural to youth doesn't even let her see what's clearly before her. It reminded me of when you're in elementary school, and you could never imagine your teachers having lives other than that in the classroom, so seeing them in the mall or a restaurant blew your mind. This section ends with the man saying (not asking), "Can I steal a kiss?" It stood out so clearly in my mind that he has the power over this poor dumb girl and he knows it. He is stating a question, so it's not really a question; it's a command. Also, the choice of the word "steal" emphasized that he's taking something he shouldn't (I thought of the old phrase: robbing the cradle). He could have used the word "have" or "get," but something about steal seems to better fit his intentions and matter-of-fact viewpoint of Alexander.

The last of the poem's three sections starts with Alexander trying to glamorize the war through her lover; turn it into something romantic (a borderline offensive thing to do to any war vet). But he doesn't seem to care, because he can ignore her questions and still have sex with her. Then, in the mornings, she would "creep" away, like a submissive dog too scared to leave its cruel master. She still ate her white food, but started feeling that everything could be ruined forever (the thinking of an angsty teen). In the last lines, the rain freaks her lover out, as it reminds him of Vietnam. I think by this point in the poem, Alexander begins to understand that she's not where she wants to be or with who she should be. She is maturing and learning, but her lover is forever haunted by the past, letting it take a hold of him by blurring the present with marijuana and meaningless sex. The poem as a whole is her journey through the summer (three sections = 3 months of June, July, and August) as she grows and learns from this man, ultimately gaining enough knowledge to get wise and get out apparently.

The Darkling Thrush- Thomas Hardy

This poem quickly became my favorite from Chapter 3, mostly due to the powerful imagery and my ability to relate to it on several levels. After reading a little on the poem’s background, I found that this was written at the turn of the 20th century, hence the line “The Century’s corpse outleant”. The idea of finding hope in the future in spite of what has happened in the past, however, resonates beyond just the context of a new era. It can be related to almost every aspect of life. Everyone has experienced, at some point or another, the pervading loneliness that is depicted in the first two stanzas. Hardy’s use of words such as “death”, “corpse”, “crypt”, and “spectre” paint a depressing but effective picture. The reader quickly feels the cold, aching loneliness as he imagines all other humans huddled in their homes over fire, while he is out by himself to face the world.

The third and fourth stanzas change the scene dramatically, with the entering of a single thrush. What is described as “an aged thrush, frail, gaunt and small” is able to change the scene 180 degrees, bringing optimism and hope. The line that struck me most is about the thrush who “Had chosen thus to fling his soul / Upon the growing gloom”, particularly because of the word “fling”. When I thought about why Hardy structured the poem the way he did, I also wondered why he chose the word “fling”. In this context, it evokes such a strong emotion from the reader because the reader can feel his soul open up as well, and bring hope into his own life. A single thrush, seemingly without thinking about his surroundings, is able to belt out a melody from his inner core. From this imagery I believe purpose of this poem is to question where your happiness or hope comes from. Is it from your external surroundings, which continuously change with no regard for you, or from your own inner foundation that is sturdy and will always be the same? Could you sing, in the face of the bleakness, or would you have to wait for someone else to sing to feel inspired?

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

Robert Herrick's To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time is a written declaration to the youth of the world. The poem's overall purpose seems to be to get people, particularly the young, to think about their lives and take advantage of the possibilities offered. It may be a little cliche, but the idea of living life to the fullest because you never know what day will be your last, comes to mind. This is evident by the very first line which states, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may". Reading between the lines one could interpret this as saying while you have the time to do the things offered by life, do them, because everyone and everything must eventually come to an end.

The very next line, "Old time is still a-flying", seems not like a warning, but more like a notice to its audience. Its purpose is to let you know that regardless of if you decide to "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" time is still going on as it always has and will. The third stanza talks of man when he is young and old and shows the inevitable of human life. It then goes on to encourage the young to pursue happiness while they still can or be old and lonely in the last stanza. The poem contains some of the many wisdoms we hear our grandparents and parents talk about everyday. To me it is very direct yet doesn't come out and plainly say have fun, live life, and die, which provides its appeal.

Christopher Marlowe: "The Passionate Shepard to His Love" A Lover's Perspective

This is a poem that was written by a man trying to capture the heart of a woman. That is the basis of the poem as all of his examples are of living happily. Taking the poem apart you notice that he is doing more than just expressing his happiness. He is describing their potential relationship to parts of nature in a sense. In the first line he declares his love for the woman, leaving no room for hesitation. The author is starting the relationship off strong.

Throughout the poem each metaphor represents their relationship. These geological structures represent a part of their relationship: valleys symbolize the low points, groves are the complicated parts, hills are the happy moments and fields are a level of comfort that is associated with all relationships. Every relationship whether it be lovers or friends, experience these moments. When he says how they “will sit upon rocks”, they will have a stable and secure life together; Rocks are sturdy structures and represent foundation.

“Shepherds feeding their flocks” could be the couple raising children. Children are innocent and pure similar to lambs, and since the poet describes himself as a Shepard in the title he could be implying that he wants a flock or family of his own.

The bed of roses is a metaphor for his love that will surround, comfort and satisfy her pleasure. A rose is a universal symbol for love and pleasure. In the next few lines he references flowers which are associated with spring, and spring represents the youth, so the poet could be implying that regardless of her age they will feel young again. When a person is "laid to bed" it usually means that they are at an older age. The “fair lined slippers for the cold” can also be related to old age. Winter is the end of the seasons and life poetically. So for him to say that he will keep her warm in the cold, he’s stating that he will be with her till the end. “Purest gold” is a rare metal and his love is rare as well. When he says "if these pleasures may move thee" he is asking will you accept all that I have to offer.

In the first stanza and last two stanzas he seems to repeat the “Come live with me, and be my love"; making use of an inclusio. He is implying that his love will never change regardless of what happens between them. The space between the inclusio represents the length of a relationship.

Making good use of the rhyme scheme a.a.b.b. can imply that he shows stability in the relationship instead of jumping across the place. The rhymes are also simple and easily flow, much like the relationship. Overall this poem declares his love for this nymph in more than one way.