Compare Woodchucks And Traveling Through The Dark

Jim Harrison and Jack Underwood are two completely different authors who share one thing in common; their poems involve a connection with animals. Jack Underwood writes how he does not care too much about the animals which is the poem called “Totem Pole” as he hunts them and then mentions “to appraise my work only” (Underwood). Jim Harrison writes the poem called “Man Dog” in which the main character cares for his animal so much that he even pretends to act like his animal. In both poems we experience the authors writing in first person and expressing a somewhat somber mood. Jim Harrison and Jack Underwood are both able to connect through animals and through the use of emotions as well as a deeper connection we see how two different poems

When it comes to killing there is always two points of view the peacekeeper that would not even kill a fly and the one that after his first kill finds pleasure in it. In both “Traveling through the Dark” and “Woodchucks” the speaker use imagery and diction to reveal their attitudes toward killing and to convey the central theme.

In Pinckney Benedict’s 2008 short story “Mercy,” the narrator and his father both take pride in their family’s ranch. The narrator works hard for his father each day, taking breaks only to sneak treats to the miniature horses being kept on the neighbor’s ranch nearby. The narrator’s father; however, does not show the same compassion for the animals as his son. He is adamant about keeping the horses off of his land and warns his son that he will shoot to first to intrude. The narrator views his father in a very austere manner.

The practice of killing an animal for food, trade or recreational activity has been a fairly permanent and traditional aspect of our history. Even after animal domestication grew, the approach of hunting to supply food was never abandoned. Hence, the idea of an animal’s death is very ordinary. Yet, when the narrator presents the idea of killing another human and hanging their heads on his wall as a trophy, the concept is angering. It allows the readers to pose the question of why we choose to have this double standard. From the birth of our existence, humans have been killing one another. The reasons vary from family feuds, religious disagreement, to territorial gain. Howbeit, no matter the scale of war, there is always an explanation connected to the act; killing for thrill

Michael Pollan’s, An Animal’s Place, analyzes the controversial topic of animal abuse while Pollan himself struggles to comprehend the relationship between humans and non-humans. Whether animals are used for food or clothing, Pollan’s impartial view of the moral ethics behind the treatment of animals acknowledges that we as readers are susceptible to influence and he encourages the questioning of our own beliefs. Rather than succumbing to Singer’s, All Animals are Equal demands of making it our “Moral obligation to cease supporting the practice” (pg.4), Pollan conveys the benefits as well as the concerns to the consummation of animals. From the personal connection Pollan establishes with his readers, his progressive beliefs

     In the fourth stanza, the speaker’s killing instinct has taken over her body. She shows no pity towards the woodchucks as she takes the mother woodchuck and shoots her, watching it fall to its helpless death. She then takes another baby woodchuck, looking in its eyes, and kills it. She continues to kill the rest like a trained assassin, or psycho killer driven by pure frustration.

Where the Wild Things Are, a children’s book written by Maurice Sendak, is not only directed to young children, but has an underlying message that is intended for older generations to receive. This message, only used to enhance the meaning of the story, describes the addiction for one to have power and be in control. As the story goes on, the realization sets in that maybe the desire for power is not the best, at all times. The use of oppression becomes evident in this story, through Max, the main character, as he strives to control everything around him. Maurice Sendak uses repetition and parallelism in the imagery and text of Where the Wild Things Are to show Max’s progression to assume power and eventually discard it.

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by Pearl Poet sends a very strong message to the audience regarding the similarities that human beings have with animals, something that is often ignored. While it is undeniable that in terms of wisdom and characteristics, human beings are very much more dynamic and superior than any other animal, it is also a fact that there are many cases that can be named where other living beings displayed considerable similarities with human beings. In this work, the author tried to portray those similarities by stressing on the human and animal instincts and how each of these living beings try their best to save themselves from grave dangers. It is very much evident from this storyline that in terms of

She admits that a “lapsed pacifist” such as herself can be filled with “Darwinian pieties” to murder, specifically referencing the woodchucks destroying the landscape. Though the narrator may seem to simply realize her obsession with killing the woodchucks, her overall connotation leads readers to consider the possibility of a preoccupation to execute humans as well. This theme continues throughout the remaining stanzas in the poem, as the speaker utilizes phrases such as “the murderer inside me” and “if only they’d consented to die unseen.” These lines insinuate that the speaker represents one who murders people rather than a hunter of rodents. The use of violent, personified vocabulary throughout the entire poem also signifies the speaker’s focus on human violence. The strand of harsh and sometimes humanized words such as “beheading,” “gassing,” “nipping,” “killing,” and “bullets” inflict a negative connotation for the narrator’s actions. These words are not always used when referring to the woodchucks; the “beheading” refers to a patch of carrots, which signifies that this violent connotation is intentional. If the speaker simply aims to reflect an innocent woodchuck hunt, she should not use such violent or personal vocabulary. Therefore, the incorporation of this strand of words along with the narrator’s description of her own actions signifies the overall personification of the rodents in the speaker’s

In Geary Hobson’s poem “Deer Hunting”, very different types of diction are used. “Deer Hunting I” has a “redneck” and arrogant diction. “Deer Hunting II” has a peaceful and appreciative diction. Hobson uses contrasting dictions because he wants to emphasize that the way the men hunt in “Deer Hunting I” is disrespectful to nature. “Deer Hunting I” and “Deer Hunting II” are different and alike in several ways.

Henry James presents American literature in The Beast of the Jungle altogether from a different perspective. In other words, the narrative forces the reader to read in between the lines in order to find out how light and darkness contributes to the story. James’s unique and vivid themes of seasonal and light/dark imagery also allows the reader to come up with many different possibilities of what the meaning of the story could be. The theme of light versus dark is prevalent throughout the story. Light is described as knowledge, wisdom and promise and darkness is described as confusion, depression and uncertainty. The Beast of the Jungle suggests two main reasons for the use of light and dark imagery: to create uncertainty on the reader to pinpoint who or what the beast is and to refer to Marcher’s belief that at some point in his life he would experience a traumatic event that would change his life.

In the poem “A Blessing,” James Wright analyzes the relationship between human beings and nature through the descriptive explanation of an encounter between his friend and himself and two Indian horses. He shows that although we are able to relate and interact with the animals we don't have the ability to join them or as Wright puts it: “break into blossom” (26-27). Wright uses imagery and personification to describe the nature he witnesses as he escapes from the stress of human life. The ponies in this poem are personified by comparing them to human beings, mainly through the description of their emotions. This personification lessens the gap between the author and the horses and separates him from civilization represented by the highways

Driving down a narrow mountain road, “Traveling through the dark,” the narrator of the poem encounters a deer. This line might fool the reader into believing the poem has a happy theme however, the first word of the second line reverses this belief. The deer is actually “dead on the edge of the Wilson River Road” (2, 911). The traveler decides to send the deer over the edge of the canyon,

As mentioned in the title and the first line, "Traveling Through the Dark", the darkness creates a tense and disoriented setting, for the narrator is confused on what exactly to do with the carcass. The darkness can also symbolize the insensitivity of man towards nature, a moral darkness. The syntax of the first line is also interesting in that it is not told that the deer is dead until the beginning of the second line, so the poem may start off almost as a happy one until discovered that the deer is in fact dead. The word "dead" is used to kick off the second line, which creates a thud-like sound when read aloud.

The assertion that can be made about the intention of The Lowest Animal by Mark Twain is that he sets store on the thought that mankind is wasteful, vengeful, immoral, discriminatory, vulgar, cruel, greedy, and obscene. Twain tries to highlight the savage side of humans in the essay. The writer is right till a certain extent. The content is impactful but has some shortcomings of its own. Many a times, Twain supports his ideas with proper examples, but mostly this article fails to analyze the idea of man being the lowest animal to its full capacity. Yet, in some ways the article is both convincing and witty. It might mainly be because of the situation Twain has put the article up in. It is totally ridiculous, because no matter what, there is no comparison between men and animals, for animals don’t have the sense of consciousness that humans possess.