Hunting Snake
By Judith Wright
Sun-warmed in this late season’s grace
under the autumn’s gentlest sky
we walked, and froze half-through a pace.
The great black snake went reeling by.
Head-down, tongue-flickering on the trail
he quested through the parting grass;
sun glazed his curves of diamond scale
and we lost breath to watch him pass.
What track he followed, what small food
fled living from his fierce intent,
we scarcely thought; still as we stood
our eyes went with him as he went.
Cold, dark and splendid he was gone
into the grass that hid his prey .
We took a deeper breath of day,
looked at each other, and went on.
Hunting Snake – Judith Wright
ReplyDeleteSummary
The poet and her companion were walking on a pleasant autumn day when they see a black snake that speeds past, intent on catching its prey.
The rest of the poem concentrates on the reactions of the poet and her companion.
As they stood still taken aback by the sudden appearance of the snake in the grass, the snake slithers away.
Main Subject
The main subject of the poem is the sudden appearance of the snake and the surprised reactions of the poet and her companion. The snake does no harm to the walkers and they in turn do not harm the snake.
Purpose
Apart from being a poet, Judith Wright was also an environmentalist who sought to preserve the natural surroundings in Australia. She cared intensely for the Aboriginal people who lived in close intimacy with nature which the settlers did not. The poem is on the face of it about sudden appearance of the snake but it could also be about the various creatures that lived in Australia and the animal friendly way of life of the aboriginal people.
Emotions
The initial emotion that overtakes the poet and her companion is shock or surprise. They are in no jungle but walking along a grassy patch when they see the snake “reeling by”. Soon this surprise is overtaken by admiration for the perfection of its body, the symmetry of the scales on its surface and the single minded (“fierce intent”) pursuit of its prey.
“Head down, tongue flickering on the trail
he quested through the parting grass,
sun glazed his curves of diamond scale
and we lost breath to see him pass.”
Technique / Craftsmanship
The poem has a tightly controlled structure that does not permit much innovation, but the last stanza gives the poet some leeway. The beginning of the poem describes a peaceful scene when nature is full of the mellow sunshine of autumn, then comes the surprise of finding a snake in their midst. But there is no sudden movement or strong emotion expressed so there is no change in the structure either.
Structure
The poem has four quatrains with a traditional rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef in the first three stanzas but the fourth stanza is ghhg. The change in the last stanza is like the letting out of breath (“We took a deeper breath of day,”) after having unconsciously held it while the snake was around.
Language
The language used is very simple but the imagery is strong making it a visceral poem. The choice of sibilants (“we scarcely thought; still as we stood”) mimics the movements of the snake.
Imagery
The use of strong imagery marks the poem. The opening images are of a balmy day in autumn when there is a “mellow fruitfulness” everywhere. The calm is broken by the sudden arrival of the snake. The picture of the snake in single minded pursuit of its prey, tongue darting as it feels the ground, the grass parting as it moves through are pen pictures which allow us to “see” the event. The poem focuses on the event rather than the narrator allowing us to share in the emotions.
Movement / Rhythm
The rhyme scheme is a simple abab, cdcd, efef and ghhg. The rigidity of the scheme allows the poet to focus on the event rather than on the emotions or the feelings of the poet or blank narrator. Movement of the snake is copied in the movement of the lined. The sibilants evoke a slithering sensation.
Sounds
Alliterative sounds as in “sun glazed his curves of diamond scale”, “we scarcely thought; still as we stood” convey the impression of a slithering movement of the snake as it moved fast over the grass.
Figures of Speech
Through an extended metaphor, the poet tells us of the symbiotic relationship between the snake and man. There is no maudlin talk about the prey or the cruelty of the snake as a hunter but merely an acknowledgement of the sense of purpose behind the movement of the snake.
Summary of the poem:
ReplyDeleteThe author writes about her dangerous encounter with a snake as she and her companion (who remains unnamed) were taking a stroll in the beautiful autumn weather. This poem is allegorical yet realistic, as it can be interpreted in many ways.
Significant poetic devices and their significance
Looking at the structure: Consistent rhyme scheme (ABAB) which is destroyed at the last stanza when the rhyme scheme changes (ABCA). This could indicate a sudden shock when put in the perspective of the poet upon realising what a dangerous experience it was only AFTER the incident. The fact that it starts to rhyme towards the end shows that the poet is already starting to get her thoughts back in order, illustrating how little of an impact this snake had on her life in the long run. The fact that she could maintain the rhyme scheme to that point also demonstrates that she was forcing herself to keep calm throughout the whole time and it was only after the incident that she allowed herself to panic a little.
Organised four-line-a-stanza structure. Verifies the poet’s ability to keep calm and not let her whole composure slip throughout the event, even when her rhyme scheme does.
Caesura found in the first stanza in the third line. “we walked, and froze half-thought a pace.”
The use of the caesura is to create a sudden stop in the reading pace of the reader to emphasize on how similarly the reader stop reading for a moment, the poet freezes when put in the situation described. This is used as a tool by the poet to create a deeper sense of empathy as the reader experiences something closer to the poet at that point described in the poem. Note that there were no full stops or any form of punctuation before the full stop and hyphen to create the pace before the stop.
Alternatively, the use of the full stop implies that the narrator was previously stuck for thought, making the surprise of having a snake (or a threat for that matter) even more dangerous and surprising, creating a degree of tension.
Hyperbole found in the “sun glazed his curves of diamond scale” in this way she relates the snake to something of a dragon as they were usually regarded to have ‘scales as hard as diamond’. Dragons are usually regarded as majestic creatures although mythical and that we are bias due to the media and in society in a way as they are similar in many characteristics and we are basing our judgement based on their name only.
Juxtaposition found in the last stanza in the phrase “Cold dark and splendid” this indicates how the snake brings about its own special kind of beauty and how it is one that only certain people to learn to appreciate. In this way she could be saying that we have judged the snake wrongly, and that it is not actually a creature of evil, of which the judgement could have come from:The Bible in the book of Genesis
and that we should all learn to appreciate it rather than hate on it. It is after all, a creature of God.
Use of the first two lines of the first stanza to create a beautiful setting.
ReplyDelete“Sun-warmed in this late season’s graceUnder the autumn’s gentlest sky” This is used by the poet to create a calm setting, to lower the reader into a false sense of calm. This is used by the poet to create a greater contrast of the atmosphere before and after the presence of the snake is noticed. Perhaps the companionship does the same effect as you do not feel so vulnerable to the wild with a companion with you to aid you in times of trouble, thus the word “we” at the beginning of the third line in the first stanza.
>The word “quested” in the line “he quested through the parting grass” found in the second stanza on the second line indicates how, in the snake’s perspective, the small path he is taking in our eyes look like a quest in his eyes. This could make the snake look adorable in a way as it is dealing with something big for him and small in our eyes. This could be used by the poet to try and change the stereotype surrounding snakes, that they should be creatures that should be adored like any other animal and not treated differently.
What small food fled living from his fierce intent” This indicates a sense of power that the snake possesses, which may show how the snake rules over many of the animals in the particular area, and that all should be smart to stay wary of it. It also display’s how skilled the snake at hunting that even animals know well to stay out of its hunting range. The snake’s prowess might be the reason that the title of the poem is called Hunting Snake in the first place. It can be this trait that also tells us how much this creature should be respected and we should study it and appreciate its characteristics rather than stay as far away from it as possible in fear.
Our eyes went with him as he went” This indicates a sign of curiosity from the poet and to express onto the reader how little is known about this creature that it still remains so mysterious to us and how we should learn about it. Note how it is just the “eyes” that went with him as he went, showing a sign of caution, illustrating the fact that we should still be cautious when approaching this creature to study as it is still potentially dangerous.
Speaker of the poem: The writer herself, Judith WrightSpeaker’s attitude toward the subject of the poem: Curious, frightened, tense, scared… etcPaired poems (Identify poems in the anthology and why they are appropriate to be pairedThe Pike as both poets describe the creatures described as one of potent power, mystery, and a form of beauty that only some can learn to appreciate.
The Cockroach in the allegorical approach as they both have intrinsic meaning. The Cockroach about the author’s reflections in the actions of the cockroach, and how we tend to stereotype people based on other people’s judgements and the action of one in Hunting Snake.
Horses in the sense that there is great exaggeration and hyperbole when describing the horses in Horses, while there is a lot of description and exaggeration found in the actions of the Snake in Hunting Snake.
Dear Pim and Peach,
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your detailed Powerpoint presentation on this poem.
You worked well together, combining your efforts to give an interesting interpretation or 'reading' of the poem.
Ultimately, with poetry, interpretation is personal and we can all read different meaning into individual words and whole texts. That's what makes poetry magical.
You interpretation of the poem as a metaphor for the plight of the aoriginbal people was well thought out and justified with supportive quotations. The image of the British on their boats, viewing the aborigine with spear in hands, would illicit the same response, I am sure, as the sudden appearance from the grass of the black snake. This was a nice link.
You interpreted the poem as an extended metaphor skilfully, explaining the connotations of language and linking this consistently to your main points.
The video clip really helped too, giving an overview of the history of the aboriginal race.
Great effort and a wondeful presentation.
Your teacher,
Mr Griffiths
:)
Dear Eye and Mod,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your presentation on the poem, developing an interpretation of man's sometimes troubled relationship with the natural world. This was the 'harder' reading of the poem, but you both combined your efforts to deconstruct and support your points with evidence from the text. I liked the way you took two angles to approach the extended metaphor - this was clever.
As I commented above to Pim and Peach, with poetry, interpretation is personal and we can all read different meanings into individual words and whole texts. That's what makes poetry magical. So, we had two completely different readings of the poem, but both are equally merited.
Your joint interpretation of the poem as a metaphor for man's relationship with nature was well thought out and justified. You interpreted the poem as an extended metaphor skilfully, explaining the connotations of language and linking this consistently to your main points.
A wonderful effort and presentation from you both. Mod - you have natural confidence when presenting in front of an audience and this is a great skill to have at your age.
Your teacher,
Mr Griffiths
:)
the poem is very useful moral
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