Hunting Snake

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

The poet writes about her dangerous encounter with a snake as she and her companionwere taking a stroll in the beautiful autumn weather.

Question 2

Word analysis - description of snake

Answer 2

• “The great balck snake went reeling by”. “great” size => refers to power => shows respect. “black” >< colour of autumn => create an abrupt change in the atmosphere. also black represents maliciousness => fear
• “Head down, tongue flickering on the trail” => attack position => ready to assail, always prepared to intimidate prey.
• “he quested through the parting grass”.”quested” = desire to do sth, mission to be conquered => a conquerer. “parting grass” => snake so great the grass has to make its way by “parting” => refers to king and royalty.
• “sun glazed his curves of diamond scale” => hyperbolein this way she relates the snake to something of a dragon who has ‘scales as hard as diamond’. Dragons are usually regarded as majestic creature => majestic links back to royalty above. Also, “glazed” = glistening => vibrance of snake => emphasize the snake is full of life. “diamond” = royalty, durable and beauty.
• “cold, dark and splendid he was gone” => juxtaposition => 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. Even though he was gone, still cold and dark => significant influence => “great”

Question 3

Word analysis - poet’s reaction

Answer 3

• “we walked, and froze half-through a pace” => caesura => 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. Also similar to the change of atmosphere. “froze” = motionless caused by shock.
• ” and we lost breath to watch him pass” => “lost breath” indicates that the poet is terrfied, speechless => admiration and amazed (links to the idea above of sudden shock”
• “our eyes went with him as he went”. repetition of went suggests that the poet has become so speechless that she could not find another word. “he” => personification => lively and full of energy. The quotation also indicates that the poet and her partner is too scared to do anything => just watch (hypnotize) => snake is powerful (link in with the idea of respect and fear”
• “We took a deeper breath of day, looked at each other and went on” => speechless, silence agreement that snake is great and nature is beautiful, human and natured needs each other.

Question 4

Word analysis - atmosphere

Answer 4

• “sun-warmed in this late season’s grace” => “sun-warmed” = harmonious touch to the beginning of the poem. “grace” = sophistication
• “under the autumn’s gentlest sky” => autumn = warm-toned colours, gentlest = superlative to emphasize the sense of calmness and tranquility.
• “great black snake” => black >< autumn colours => abruption, snake destroys the peaceful atmosphere => influential (links back)

Question 5

Structure

Answer 5

ABBA rhyme scheme shift to ABAB at the end when the snake was gone => influential snake