summary of 'snake' written by dh lawrence

Wan't the answer immediately

  • 0
  • A snake visited the poet 's water trough on a hot afternoon to quench his thirst. The poet who had also gone to the trough to fill water in a pitcher waited for the snake since he had come at the trough prior to the poet.
  • The snake rested his throat upon the stone bottom and sipped the water into his slack long body. After drinking water, he raised his head just like cattle do and flashed his forked tongue, thought for a moment and then bent down to drink some more water.
  • After drinking water to satisfaction, the snake raised his head dreamily and flickered his forked tongue and licked his lips. The snake looked around like a God and then slowly proceeded to curve round and move away from the water trough.
  • Education and social conventions make the poet think that the golden brown poisonous snake must be killed and that as a brave man he must undertake the task of killing the snake.
  • The voices of education inside the poet tell him that it was the fear for the snake that made him refrain from killing him. However, the poet feels that though he was quite afraid of the snake, he did actually feel honoured that a snake had come to seek his hospitality from the deep recesses of the earth.
  • However, the poet instinctively likes the snake, treats him like a guest and feels honoured that it had come to drink at his water trough. The poet questions himself and wonders whether his not daring to kill the snake proved that he was a coward and whether his desire to talk to the snake reflected his perversity.
  • As the snake put his head into the hole to retreat into the earth, the poet was filled with a protest against the idea of the snake withdrawing into his hole. The poet put down his pitcher, picked up a log and hurled it at the snake. The snake twisted violently and with great alacrity vanished into the hole in the wall.
  • He is guilt-ridden and feels that he has to atone for the meanness of his action of throwing a log at the snake.
  • The poet instantly felt sorry for his unrefined and contemptible act and cursed the voices of education and civilization that had shaped his thought processes and urged him to kill the snake.
  • The poet felt much like the ancient mariner who had killed the albatross for no reason. He wishes that the snake would come back. He thinks of the snake as a king in exile who has to be crowned again. He also regrets having missed his opportunity of knowing and understanding one of the lords of life.

hope dis hlps u.......

  • 18

THE SNAKE (POEM)

In this moving poem, D.H. Lawrence recalls a time in 1923 when he was living in Sicily. Lawrence, our narrator, is thirsty and goes out into the courtyard to fetch some water from his trough (at that time plumbing was not invented). He receives a surprise when he sees a golden-brown snake drinking peacefully at his trough. He then thinks to kill the snake, as the snake represents the devil, and tempts human beings in genesis. However, his inner nature tells him that the snake is not to be feared, as all it is doing is peacefully drinking and will depart soon. This poem is really a battle between human nature and conditioning. The narrator has been taught to kill poisonous snakes- not all snakes. It's a dangerous animal, and his first instinct is to kill it because that is what he was taught. Kill the snake before it kills you. However, the snake is only drinking peacefully and so the narrator is then conflicted. On one hand he's fascinated by the creature and doesn't want to harm it if it isn't aggressive, yet the voices continue to tell him to kill it. He thinks himself a coward for not doing so. And finally in the end he attempts to kill the snake only to deeply regret it, because he struck first without being provoked. And he feels that he has committed a sin and regrets for doing so. (D.H. Lawrence uses repetition to emphasize repeatedly the fact that the snake may not be as bad as we humans believe. He says: Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him? Was it perversity that I longed to talk to him? Was it humility, to feel so honored? This gives a striking effect of repeated loops, and leads us to consider our own misgivings. but on other hand Consider this: He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do, and looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do. This emphasizes that the snake is actually more harmless than they seem to be. Repetition also reinforces his own conditioning as shown here. This shows how confused the poet is, on one side he feels he should do so and other side he doesn't want to do so.)
  • 3

The poem snake written by D.H. Lawrence, moves around the  poet's encounter with a snake, his emotions and feelings along with what he regrets at the last. The poem is set in Sicily, month is July and the climatic conditions are very oppressive, hot and heavy. Just as when the poet approaches the tap to drink water, he finds a snake, coming right from the burning bowels of the earth. Seeing it, he is not frightened but seems to be mesmerized as he gives him a human - like status. the snake, with its golden - brown clour is busy drinking water and doesn't mind the poet's presence.

The inner voices of education in the poet intigate him to hit the snake with a stick, but he is afraid and at the same time feels honoured that he sanke chose his home for hospitatlity, shows that  he is an awe of the snake. Nevertheless, just as when, after satiaiting his thirst the sanke tries to go back, he is hard hit by the stick which the poet throws, and his emotions, inner voice of education coupled with his feelgs of self - being.

The convulsing tail of the snake and its violent movement, makes the poet realize of his " petty " and " vulgar " deed, and addressing the  sanke as a king in exile, the poet, reminds himself that he has to  " expiate " his petty act.

  • 3

Snake

-D. H. Lawrence

Summary: Inspired by an event in the natural world, D. H. Lawrence's poem

"Snake" is about an encounter between a person and a snake; the person has

to choose between listening to his own voice and admiring the snake, and

listening to the voice of his education and forcing the snake to leave. Many

figures of speech strengthen the power and meaning of the poem, including

alliteration, simile, personification, and emphasis.

This poem, entitled "Snake" was composed by D.H. Lawrence in 1923. It is

mainly about an encounter between the speaker and the snake on a very hot

morning of July in Sicily, Italy. The feelings of the speaker play a very large

role in the process voicing his feelings as well as his education.

Lawrence places the speaker in the middle of two choices, to choose

between the voice of his education and his own. At the start of the poem,

the speaker admires the snake and ignores the voice of his education. But, it

is not until the snake retreats back into the fissure that the speaker chooses

to listen to the voice of his education and decides to pick up a log and throw

it at the snake as a protest.

Lawrence introduces the poem by getting straight to the point, also using a

repetition to show that it is a really hot day. Lawrence wrote the poem,

possibly because it was a true story, but most likely because he was trying to

display man

snake is a gentle creature, simply thirsty and grateful to be near water. To

him it is a compliment. But to most, it is a natural instinct to dispose of the

beautifulcreature.

The poem indicates that even though his knowledge was telling him to end

the snake right then and there, because he considered it a king, it shows that

the snake had as much right to drink the water trough as any man or beast

did. Even though it was venomous, it wasdoingnoharm.

A great technique used, as I mentioned earlier, is the repetition. D. H.

Lawrence uses the repetition at the beginning, describing how hot the day is.

Lawrence obviously wants us to know that the reason he and the snake have

come to the trough is because it is a very hot day. Another technique he uses

is simile. He uses it when describing the snake lifting his head like drinking

cattle do. He uses the drinking cattle reference twice, showing that the

s feelings about snakes and question it. He believes that the

snake’s actions deeply resemble those of cattle. He also uses a simile when

saying that the snake looked around like a god. Another good technique

Lawrence uses is when he is describing his act after he threw the log. By

using the three synonyms paltry, vulgar and mean, he shows that trying to

harm the creature was definitely a horrible thing to do.

Hope it helps.

  • 4

 The poem snake written by D.H. Lawrence, moves around the poet 's encounter with a snake, his emotions and feelings along with what he regrets at the last. The poem is set in Sicily, month is July and the climatic conditions are very oppressive, hot and heavy. Just as when the poet approaches the tap to drink water, he finds a snake, coming right from the burning bowels of the earth. Seeing it, he is not frightened but seems to be mesmerized as he gives him a human - like status. the snake, with its golden - brown clour is busy drinking water and doesn 't mind the poet 's presence.

The inner voices of education in the poet intigate him to hit the snake with a stick, but he is afraid and at the same time feels honoured that he sanke chose his home for hospitatlity, shows that he is an awe of the snake. Nevertheless, just as when, after satiaiting his thirst the sanke tries to go back, he is hard hit by the stick which the poet throws, and his emotions, inner voice of education coupled with his feelgs of self - being.Snake

-D. H. Lawrence

Summary: Inspired by an event in the natural world, D. H. Lawrence 's poem

"Snake" is about an encounter between a person and a snake; the person has

to choose between listening to his own voice and admiring the snake, and

listening to the voice of his education and forcing the snake to leave. Many

figures of speech strengthen the power and meaning of the poem, including

alliteration, simile, personification, and emphasis.

This poem, entitled "Snake" was composed by D.H. Lawrence in 1923. It is

mainly about an encounter between the speaker and the snake on a very hot

morning of July in Sicily, Italy. The feelings of the speaker play a very large

role in the process voicing his feelings as well as his education.

Lawrence places the speaker in the middle of two choices, to choose

between the voice of his education and his own. At the start of the poem,

the speaker admires the snake and ignores the voice of his education. But, it

is not until the snake retreats back into the fissure that the speaker chooses

to listen to the voice of his education and decides to pick up a log and throw

it at the snake as a protest.

 

 

Lawrence introduces the poem by getting straight to the point, also using a

repetition to show that it is a really hot day. Lawrence wrote the poem,

possibly because it was a true story, but most likely because he was trying to

display man

snake is a gentle creature, simply thirsty and grateful to be near water. To

him it is a compliment. But to most, it is a natural instinct to dispose of the

beautifulcreature.

The poem indicates that even though his knowledge was telling him to end

the snake right then and there, because he considered it a king, it shows that

the snake had as much right to drink the water trough as any man or beast

did. Even though it was venomous, it wasdoingnoharm.

A great technique used, as I mentioned earlier, is the repetition. D. H.

Lawrence uses the repetition at the beginning, describing how hot the day is.

Lawrence obviously wants us to know that the reason he and the snake have

come to the trough is because it is a very hot day. Another technique he uses

is simile. He uses it when describing the snake lifting his head like drinking

cattle do. He uses the drinking cattle reference twice, showing that the

 s feelings about snakes and question it. He believes that the

snake’s actions deeply resemble those of cattle. He also uses a simile when

saying that the snake looked around like a god. Another good technique

Lawrence uses is when he is describing his act after he threw the log. By

using the three synonyms paltry, vulgar and mean, he shows that trying to

harm the creature was definitely a horrible thing to do.

Hope it helps

The convulsing tail of the snake and its violent movement, makes the poet realize of his " petty " and " vulgar " deed, and addressing the sanke as a king in exile, the poet, reminds himself that he has to " expiate " his petty act.

  • 1

 D H LAWRENCE was going to have some water . He found that a snake is having the water.

According to how he was thought from child hood ,he try's to kill the snake .

Then he understood his sin and waited untill the snake has drunk the water.

Because he came after the snake and the snake is having the water politely

  • 1

 DH.Lawrence is a good poet

  • 0

 Thx Aneesa.....

  • -1

Snake by DH Lawrence | Short Summary and Analysis

DH Lawrence begins the poem by describing the scene in which he encounters the snake using simple and succinct imagery. The reader is able to immediately visualize the scene.

Read the first few lines of the poem and visualize the scene. Reflect on what would go on in your mind if you had a similar encounter.

A snake came to my water-trough

On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,

To drink there.

You can see that the verses are unrhymed. It is also written in free verse which exemplifies many modernist poems. One can immediately picture the very hot day, the protagonist dressed in pyjamas, and the snake slithering towards the water trough which is used by domesticated animals.

The protagonist holding a water container is shocked and stands still in the cool shade of a Mediterranean tree on seeing the snake approaching the water trough and waits. His musings and racing thoughts on encountering the snake are skillfully and lucidly expressed. The poet alludes to personification to describe how the snake drinks the water from the tap and all throughout the poem uses elements of personification to describe his musings.

Read and reflect on the following verse.

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,

And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,

The poet uses simile and repetitive imagery to describe what he felt after witnessing the snake drink water from the water trough. The snake seemed as harmless to the protagonist as domesticated cattle and the act of drinking water by the snake was akin to that of cattle. By all this imagery using water and animals, the poet tries to express the fact that both domesticated and wild animals and even human beings are vulnerable to the effects of nature as well as human excesses.

Read the following verse which is rich in imagery and allusions

Being earth-brown, earth-golden,

From the burning bowels of the earth

On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking

Here, the poet describes the sweltering Mediterranean heat of Sicily, Italy, in July with the smoky Volcano Etna further aggravating the heat. In these conditions, the earthy snake which has surfaced from the hot and disturbed underground recesses of Mother Earth is quenching its thirst.

The poet in the latter part of the poem describes the conflicting thoughts that are going on in his mind and is aware of the social conditioning and the narrow perspectives imposed by the education system of the late 1800s to early 1900s on his mind.

Read and reflect on the following verses which reflect the conflicting thoughts going on in the protagonists mind.

Was it cowardice that I dared not kill him? Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him? Was it humility, to feel so honoured? I felt so honoured

And yet those voices:

If you were not afraid, you would kill him!

The protagonist had learnt to detest snakes from his childhood and had heard that Sicilian snakes with golden hues were venomous. However, the poet was afraid of the snake, but at the same, awe-struck that the seemingly innocent snake had made a visit. His inner voice and intuition to leave the snake alone conflicted with his earlier conditioning voices to kill the snake. Thus, in compelling and lucid free verse, DH Lawrence turns an encounter with a snake into a brilliant modernist poetical reflection.

hope this is helpful thumps up :)

  • 3
What are you looking for?