1a. For what purpose have both the snake and the speaker come out on this hot, hot day?
2a. What does the voice of the speaker's education tell him?
3a. What contradictory feelings does the speaker find himself having about the snake?
4a. Identify positive thoughts the speaker has toward the snake. Identify reasons the speaker feels he should harm the snake.
5a. Judge whether the speaker is being too hard on himself at the end of the poem.
1b. How does the speaker establish, from the very beginning of the poem, an animal bond between himself and the snake? What need do they both share?
2b. What practical reason does the speaker have for thinking he must do something to the snake? What emotional reason also leads him to this thought?
3b. What finally causes the speaker to react physically to the snake? How is he feeling at that moment? Why?
4b. Which feelings toward the snake seem stronger? What do the speaker's final actions suggest?
5b. What are the characteristics of the serpent in Milton's "Paradise Lost"? How might Milton's snake have informed Lawrence and been a part of his education regarding snakes?
Symbol. What do you think the snake in this poem symbolizes? Why might the speaker be frightened of his own more primitive nature, his basic animal instincts, and the dark, subterranean recesses of his own spirit? Why might the voices of his human education tell him that these parts of himself should be suppressed?
Theme. What does the speaker in this poem think has happened to people as a result of civilizing influences like education? Why does the speaker think that his action was paltry, vulgar, mean, and petty? Read or reread William Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much with Us" on page 694. What similarity in theme can you find in the two poems?
1. Write a note in which the speaker apologizes to the snake for throwing the log.
2. Write a dialogue between the speaker and his wife in which the speaker explains the reactions he had to the snake and his wife gives her opinions about snakes and what the speaker should have done.
3. Choose an animal with which you have strong emotional associations. Do some reading about the habits of your chosen animal. Then write a story about a character who encounters that animal in the wild and learns a lesson from it.
Participating in a Debate. Research facts about wolves. Do they ever harm humans? How often do they kill livestock? Why are they on the endangered species list? Debate whether wolves should be hunted. No matter which side you are on, prepare both constructive speeches and rebuttal speeches.
Research Findings on Wolves:
Sources Used:
Public Service Announcement. Write a public service announcement about what steps to take after being bitten by a poisonous snake. First research the topic. Then write step-by-step directions. You may find it useful to review the Language Arts Survey 6.4, "Writing a Step-by-Step Procedure."
Research Findings on Snake Bite First Aid:
Researching the Culture of Snakes. Research associations, ceremonies, and myths relevant to the snake in Indian, Native American, African, Cretan, Aztec, or another culture.
Research Findings on the Culture of Snakes:
