Late Spring Flashcards
Why is the poem ironic?
- It is about castration when spring is usually a time of lambs being born.
- Sheers feels like a man even though he’s taking away the manliness of a lamb.
How is this poem similar to The Farrier?
We have man altering the body of an animal for his own purpose – in lambs, castration occurs to increase their size and improve their taste. Man’s interaction with nature in this collection is always almost entirely self-serving.
However, how is the castration beneficial to the lamb?
The tale is removed to prevent a build-up of dung and subsequent fly-strike. This is technically a self-serving act, as the farmer does not want his stock to be spoiled by disease, yet it is also beneficial to the lamb. This leads us to the question ‘can any act of kindness be anything but self-serving?’
What does the delicacy with which the animals are mutilated (‘a man milking / two soaped beans into a delicate purse, / while gesturing with his other / for the tool, a pliers in reverse’) reflect?
The symbolism of delicacy carried out with one hand, whilst the other hand brings in an instrument of self-serving damage can be read as a metaphor for humanity itself – we are a species capable of unparalleled care, affection and finesse, yet we will destroy anything needed to preserve our way of life.
Why is the last line, ‘a strange harvest of the seeds we’d sown’, a paradox?
Castration is the opposite of a harvest - the lamb has been robbed of its seed.
