By the time I recalled that it is also
terrifying, we had gone too far into
the charmed woods to return. It was then 3
the beautiful animal appeared in our path:
ribs jutting, moon-fed eyes moving
from me to you and back. If we show 6
none of the fear, it may tire of waiting
for the triggering flight, it may ask only
to lie between us and sleep, fur warm 9
on our skin, breath sweet on our necks
as it dreams of slaughter, as we dream
alternately of feeding and taming it 12
and of being the first to run. The woods
close tight around us, lying nested here
like spoons in a drawer of knives, to see 15
who wakes first, and from which dream.
I found many of the verses’ strange combination of imagery to be interesting – the terrifying and charmed woods, beautiful animal with jutting ribs, sweet breath and dreams of slaughter. This contrast creates an uneasy watchfulness for something to happen that will disrupt this temporary balance between violence and peace. While the poem ends with the animal and speaker peacefully curled up, asleep, the simile, “like spoons in a drawer of knives” (15), foreshadows that the coming event will be violent.
This poem uses second-person perspective, directly including readers into the story with “we”, “our”, “us”…etc (2, 4, 9). However, the animal is personified so that it fears, thinks, and dreams as the speaker does, causing me to sense both characters’ emotions.
Comment on this one, please. Why is the animal "beautiful", and why is its breath "sweet"?
ReplyDeleteI loved this poem a lot. It tells a vivid story of so much possibility and suspense. The interactions between the narrator and this "beautiful" animal is very compelling. As you say, the ending is left with a picture of the dangerous but currently peaceful animal sleeping next to the narrator in a tranquil balance, possibly soon to be interrupted. To answer your question, the animal is beautiful to the narrator because of its mystery, danger, and forbiddenness.
ReplyDeleteBeauty-- the animal is beautiful to the speaker because of both its physical appearance and the fact that he/she is unfamiliar with it. The curiosity in the animal and the awe it evokes create a "beautiful" image.
ReplyDeleteSweet-- i think the term "sweet" is used here to show the life in the animal. Slaughter is mentioned after, suggesting the possibility of death, which makes its life more precious
What stood out to me when reading this poem was Brock’s somewhat paradoxical description of the animal. He describes it as “beautiful” (4) yet the following lines suggest that the animal is unkempt and sickly with its “ribs jutting” and “moon-fed eyes” (5). I think the animal may come across as “beautiful” and its breath may seem “sweet” because an animal we usually perceive to be fierce and relentless is showing its vulnerability. As Ashley pointed out, the personification of the animal provides the reader insight into its feelings and emotions. The animal’s “dreams of slaughter” (11) suggest that like human beings it has fears. By characterizing the animal in such a way, Brock enables readers to sympathize with it and see it as a “beautiful” being rather than a vicious, conniving animal.
ReplyDeleteI believe the animal appears beautiful to the speaker because of its unknown potential; like Kathleen said, it does not appear to be physically beautiful, but the speaker imagines that it might have a softer, friendly side. The speaker hopes that the creature might “ask only to lie between us and sleep”, and dreams “of feeding and taming it”. Yet they also dream, alternately, of “being the first to run” from the animal’s equal likelihood to be evil. The hopes the speaker has for the animal make it beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDescribing the animal’s “breath sweet on our necks” in the speaker’s fantasy of the animal befriending them conveys the vulnerability of the speaker’s neck as it lies close to the animal that “dreams of slaughter”. The breath is sweet because the animal is behaving peacefully as it sleeps between the speaker and their companion.
I believe, like the others, the speaker finds the animal's beauty through its potential - specifically it's potential to hurt the speaker. Clearly the animal is not your neighborhood squirrel - (ribs, moonfed eyes). The speaker says that if he does not run, perhaps the animal will remain calm and even befriend the speaker. I believe he uses the word "sweet" to further illustrate the unconventional potential of the animal he has crossed paths with. He is commenting on the fact that this animal, which would typically be thought of a ravage beast, if we only could understand it more, may have a "sweet"ness to it that we may only understand through compassion.
ReplyDelete