ACERISE INDIA
The Snake Trying
Poem-9
The Snake Trying
By WWE Ross
The Snake Trying Poem Introduction
The poet says in the poem that the snake tries to avoid being hit by a stick held by a person who is attempting to kill it. The poet wishes to convey the message that not all snakes are dangerous. Humans believe snakes are dangerous and attempt to kill them as soon as they see one, but this is not the case. He describes how a harmless green – coloured snake tries to hide behind green bushes to save itself.
The Snake Trying Poem Summary
In this poem, a harmless green snake tries to avoid being hit by a person chasing it with a stick in order to kill it. According to the poet, the snake is even safe for children. People are afraid of snakes and will try to kill them with a stick if they see one. The snake tries to save itself by hiding behind the green bushes of marshy plants that grow in the water. To save itself, it hides in the ripples of the water body. The snake vanishes behind the marshy vegetation.
The Snake Trying Poem Explanation
The snake trying
to escape the pursuing stick,
with sudden curvings of thin
long body. How beautiful
and graceful are his shapes!
- Pursuing: Chasing, following
- Curvings: Twisting
The snake tries to avoid being hit by the stick that is following it. The snake's body twists and turns as it crawls, 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.
- Glides: Moves
- Stroke: Hitting of the stick
- Reeds: Water or marsh plants with thick stems
In order to save themselves, the snakes move through the water. The poet begs that it be allowed to escape and hide behind the dense marshy plants because it is harmless. Even children are unaffected by the small green snake.
Along the sand
he lay until observed
and chased away, and now
he vanishes in the ripples
among the green slim reeds.
- Vanishes: Disappears
It lay quietly in the sand until it was spotted and chased away by a person holding a stick. To save itself, the snake disappears in the ripples of the water and hides in the marshy plants' camouflaging green bushes.
The Snake Trying Poem 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’
About the Poet
William Wrightson Eustace Ross (1894-1966) was a Canadian poet and geophysicist. He was the first published poet in Canada to write Imagist poetry, and later the first to write surrealist verse, earning him the title "the first modern Canadian poet" by some. During his lifetime, he privately published two small books, Laconics and Sonnets.
