Tuesday 18 December 2018
The Snake Trying
By WWE Ross
Introduction
In the poem, the poet says that the snake tries to escape from being hit by the stick held by a person who is trying to kill it. The poet wants to say that all snakes are not harmful. Humans have a notion that snakes are dangerous and try to kill them as soon as they spot one but this is not true. He tells us how a harmless green - coloured snake tries to hide behind the green bushes in order to save itself.
Poem and Explanation
The snake trying
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden curvings of thin
long body. How beautiful
and graceful are his shapes!
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden curvings of thin
long body. How beautiful
and graceful are his shapes!
Pursuing: Chasing, following
Curvings: Twisting
Curvings: Twisting
The snake tries to escape from being hit by the stick that is following it. As the snake crawls, its body twists and turns forming fascinating shapes.
He glides through the water away
from the stroke. O let him go
over the water
into the reeds to hide
without hurt. Small and green
he is harmless even to children.
from the stroke. O let him go
over the water
into the reeds to hide
without hurt. Small and green
he is harmless even to children.
Glides: Moves
Stroke: Hitting of the stick
Reeds: Water or marsh plants with thick stems
Stroke: Hitting of the stick
Reeds: Water or marsh plants with thick stems
The snakes moves through the water in order to save itself. The poet pleads to let it escape and hide behind the thick marshy plants as it is harmless. The small green - coloured snake is harmless even to children.
Along the sand
he lay until observed
and chased away, and now
he vanishes in the ripples
among the green slim reeds.
he lay until observed
and chased away, and now
he vanishes in the ripples
among the green slim reeds.
Vanishes: Disappears
Till it was spotted and chased away by the person holding a stick, it lay quietly in the sand. In order to save itself, the snake disappears in the ripples of the water and hides in the camouflaging green bushes of the marshy plants.
Literary devices
1. Rhyme scheme is absent. The poem is written in free verse.
2. Transferred epithet: the adjective used with a noun refers to a noun other than the one with which it is used.
Pursuing stick - pursuing refers to the person who is holding the stick and not the stick itself.
3. Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant sound in 2 or more consecutive words.
He is harmless - ‘h’
2. Transferred epithet: the adjective used with a noun refers to a noun other than the one with which it is used.
Pursuing stick - pursuing refers to the person who is holding the stick and not the stick itself.
3. Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant sound in 2 or more consecutive words.
He is harmless - ‘h’
Summary
In this poem, a harmless green - coloured snake tries to save itself from being hit by a person who is chasing it with a stick to kill it. The poet says that the snake is harmless even to children. People fear snakes and when they see one, they try to kill it with a stick. The snake tries to save itself and hides behind the green - coloured bushes of marshy plants growing in the water. It hides in the ripples of the water body in order to save itself. The snake disappears behind the marshy plants.
Question Answers
1. What is the snake trying to escape from?
A. The snake is trying to escape the person who is chasing it with a stick and is trying to hit it.
2. Is it a harmful snake? What is its colour?
A. The snake is harmless. It is green in colour.
3. The poet finds the snake beautiful. Find the words he uses to convey its beauty.
A. The words used to describe the snake are beautiful and graceful.
4. What does the poet wish for the snake?
A. The poet wishes that the snake saves itself.
5. Where was the snake before anyone saw it and chased it away? Where does the snake disappear?
A. Before it was seen, it was lying in the sand. It disappears behind the marshy plants.
