Penguin on the Beach by Ruth Miller

Question 1

What is the poet’s poetry described as?

Answer 1

Her poetry is described as “suffering transformed into art.”

Question 2

What does the line ‘Stranger in his own element’ suggest?

Answer 2

‘Stranger in his own element’ suggests that the penguin has been othered by the oil spill. His oil-tainted body means that he no longer belongs in his element, ‘the sea’.

Question 3

What does the metaphor of ‘sea-casualty reinforce?

Answer 3

The metaphor of ‘sea-casualty’ reinforces that because of the oil spill, the penguin has become a casualty of the sea.

Question 4

What does ‘castaway manikin’ suggest?

Answer 4

‘castaway manikin’ suggests that he has been rejected which is made emotively more stirring by referring to him as a ‘manikin’ which conveys the idea of the penguin resembling a little man who is rendered both helpless and vulnerable.

Question 5

______ is a familiar reference to the awkward gait of the penguin.

Answer 5

‘Waddles’

Question 6

What does ‘spread a deep commercial stain over his downy shirtfront’ refer to?

Answer 6

‘spread a deep commercial stain over his downy shirtfront’ refers to the oil that has been spilled by a commercial oil carrier amplifying the idea that monetisation of natural resources has consequences for sea-life.

Question 7

What does the ‘downy shirtfront’ highlight?

Answer 7

The ‘downy shirtfront’ highlights the softness of the penguin’s feathers.

Question 8

What connotations does the phrase ‘sleazy, grey’ evoke?

Answer 8

The connotations of ‘sleazy, grey’ evoke the notion that the penguin has been tainted by the oil.

Question 9

What image does the line ‘It clogs the sleekness’ provide?

Answer 9

‘It clogs the sleekness’ provides a visual image of the way in which the normally sleek penguin’s fur has been clogged with the oil.
The penguin has been affected by the experience both physically and emotionally.

Question 10

What does ‘He must recall the past, to be so cautious:’ suggest?

Answer 10

‘He must recall the past, to be so cautious:’ suggests that the penguin is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because the sea which is his home is no longer a place that feels safe hence his caution.

Question 11

How is the caution conveyed?

Answer 11

The caution is conveyed by the way he steps ‘into the waves’ which is hesitant and without exuberance at being in his natural element.
This is further enhanced by the use of ‘shudders’ which conveys fear and distress.

Question 12

What is alliteration of the ‘s’ sound?

Answer 12

The use of alliteration/sibilance in ‘slides, slips, on the wet sand’ foregrounds the idea of the penguin’s hesitance and reluctance to go back into the sea.

Question 13

This reluctance is further reinforced by the penguin __________.

Answer 13

This reluctance is further reinforced by the penguin ‘escaping to dryness’.

Question 14

What does the does the reluctance of the penguin reveal?

Answer 14

It reveals the trauma of the penguin who chooses ‘dearth’, a situation where food will be in short supply rather than returning to his natural element.

Question 15

What does a white cascade provide an image of?

Answer 15

‘a white cascade’ provides an image of the penguin resisting the waves as it moves against the tide.

Question 16

What does the line ‘involuntary shouldering off of gleam’ suggest?

Answer 16

The ‘involuntary shouldering off of gleam’ suggests the way in which the water is bouncing off the penguin and catching the light.

Question 17

What do the hands represent?

Answer 17

The hands that ‘push him back into the sea’ are the hands of his rescuers who have cleaned him. They have been able to restore him physically, but not emotionally.

Question 18

What does the line ‘He stands in pain and silent expostulation’ suggest?

Answer 18

‘He stands in pain and silent expostulation’ suggesting that his life will never be the same. He cannot convey his pain and his protest, but it is rooted in him.

Question 19

Which word enhances the fact that he is the victim and cannot respond to what has happened to him?

Answer 19

‘Silent’

Question 20

What does the line ‘Once he knew a sunlit, leaping smoothness’ reflect on?

Answer 20

‘Once he knew a sunlit, leaping smoothness’ reflects on what his life was like before the oil spill and the diction conveys that his life was brighter, and he was certain of himself and his surroundings.

Question 21

What image can the penguin not escape?

Answer 21

The penguin cannot escape the image of the oil in his head; it is ever-present.

Question 22

Comment on the diction in stanza 6.

Answer 22

The diction in this stanza reinforces the pollution caused by the oil and its damage to the ocean.
The images become increasingly emotive.

Question 23

What do ‘green slicks’ provide a visual image of?

Answer 23

‘green slicks’ provide a visual image of the patches of oil which lie on top of the sea and taint the water.

Question 24

‘black lassos of sludge’ is a metaphor, what does it suggest?

Answer 24

‘black lassos of sludge’ is a metaphor which suggests that the sea has been surrounded by the oil just as a cowboy lassos a cow. The ‘sludge’ amplifies the viscosity of the water and oil mixture so that we can imagine it lying on top of the water in thick patches.

Question 25

What does the sibilance in ‘Sleeving the breakers in a stain-spread scarf’ convey?

Answer 25

The sibilance conveys an image of the breakers being encased in oil further amplified by the idea of the oil spreading out as though it were a long scarf.

Question 26

What does ‘shudders’ imply?

Answer 26

‘shudders’ implies that his fear is ever-present.

Question 27

What idea does ‘the clean flinching wave’ create? (2)

Answer 27

• ‘the clean flinching wave’ creates the idea that despite the waves being clean, even they are fearful and apprehensive.
• It also suggests that the penguin is flinching from the waves.

Question 28

What word is symbolic of dejection?

Answer 28

The use of ‘plods’ suggests dejection and that the penguin has been emotionally fatigued by his trauma.

Question 29

What is ‘ineffably wary, triumphantly sad’ suggestive of?

Answer 29

‘ineffably wary, triumphantly sad’ suggests that his apprehension simply cannot be expressed.

Question 30

What figure of speech is ,triumphantly sad’ and what effect does it create?

Answer 30

The oxymoron created by ‘triumphantly sad’ infers that his sadness has triumphed over everything else.

Question 31

What does this suggest about the penguin ‘He is immensely wise: he trusts nobody’? (2)

Answer 31

• ‘He is immensely wise: he trusts nobody’ conveys that his experience has given him the wisdom to be distrustful of everyone.
• The colon provides an explanation of why he can be deemed wise.

Question 32

What is ‘His senses are clogged with experience’ a reference to?

Answer 32

‘His senses are clogged with experience’ is a reference to the experience of being in the oil spill highlighting that it will affect the rest of his life.

Question 33

Why is the reference to ‘saviour’ ironic?

Answer 33

The reference to ‘saviour’ seems ironic. Certainly, a human has saved him and can be seen in this idealised light, but the irony is that humankind’s greed for materialism has caused the oil spill by exploiting the natural resources.

Question 34

What does ‘it tastes black’ suggest?

Answer 34

‘it tastes black’ suggests that the fish has been equally affected by the oil spill, but it also conveys that the penguin’s senses have been irrevocably affected by his experience.

Question 35

Comment on the enjambment in the poem.

Answer 35

The use of the enjambment in the poem conveys that the penguin’s emotional response to the oil spill is ongoing.

Question 36

Comment on the rhythm.

Answer 36

The rhythm is slow and unchanging which enhances the penguin’s dejection.

Question 37

Comment on the mood of the poem.

Answer 37

The mood is sombre because it highlights the long-lasting effect of an oil spill not just on the environment but also on nature.

Question 38

Comment on the tone of the poem.

Answer 38

The tone is both critical of humankind and melancholy for nature.