Department of English
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University
2202242 Introduction to the Study of English Poetry
Dreams of the Animals
(1976)
Margaret Atwood
(November 18, 1939-)
Mostly the animals dream |
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of other animals each | |
according to its kind | |
(though certain mice and small rodents |
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have nightmares of a huge pink |
5 |
shape with five claws descending) |
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: moles dream of darkness and delicate | |
mole smells | |
frogs dream of green and golden | |
frogs | 10 |
sparkling like wet suns | |
among the lilies | |
red and black | |
striped fish, their eyes open | |
have red and black striped | 15 |
dreams defense, attack, meaningful | |
patterns | |
birds dream of territories | |
enclosed by singing. | |
Sometimes the animals dream of evil | 20 |
in the form of soap and metal | |
but mostly the animals dream | |
of other animals. | |
There are exceptions: | |
the silver fox in the roadside zoo |
25 |
dreams of digging out |
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and of baby foxes, their necks bitten |
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the caged armadillo |
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near the train |
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station, which runs |
30 |
all day in figure eights |
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its piglet feet pattering, |
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no longer dreams |
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but is insane when waking; |
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the iguana |
35 |
in the petshop window on St. Catherine Street |
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crested, royal-eyed, ruling |
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its kingdom of water-dish and sawdust |
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dreams of sawdust |
Margaret Atwood |
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Discussion |
Dreams: Dreams connote hope, like when we say "hopes and dreams." Do you see hopeful dreaming in this poem? What other connotations of dreams do you find? Cages: Dreams, being in the realm of imagination, are supposed to defy boundaries, make possible things that may be impossible in reality. Is it true in this poem that dreams allow us to break free of our various imprisonments, our limitations in terms of place, of thought, of feelings? What kinds of "cages" do you see in the poem? Are rules a kind of cage? What rules are set and what rules are broken in "Dreams of the Animals"? Place: How do words and their associative meanings create an environment for each kind of animal described? What does the contrast that often occurs between the denotative and connotative meanings of words add to our understanding of the initial phrase "each / according to its kind"? Logic: What does the poem set out to do? Is there a logic to this endeavor? If so, what sense can we get out of this seemingly senseless and irrational description of animals' dreams? Humor: Atwood's play with word connotations allows us to identify familiar things in a different perspective. For example, a whole cat becomes a comically and surreally disembodied "huge pink / shape with five claws descending" (l. 5-6). Where else do you see Atwood's humor in the portrayal of various animals' dreams? |
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Last updated June 19, 2007