Throughout the poem the sentences are structured so that every other sentence is indented, with exception to the first two and the last four. In those sentences not indented the author chose to make every other sentence shorter so that the ends were uneven. This syntax structure gives the reader the feeling of something hard to catch or control. The author did this because money, as it is depicted in the poem, is something this person can't handle. In other words this person can't get control of money, instead the want of money is controlling them. This introduces the idea of gambling into the poem. In the poem it says, "...I swore to my companions that certainly you were harmless!", which is the typical statement of people addicted to gambling. Once again there is the control factor. This person can not control their desire for money and, the means of getting the money, gambli

Sound imagery is another writing technique put to use by Levertov in the poem. When reading the poem out loud, the reader notices the "S" sound. The misleading "S" or hissing sound could be interpreted, by some readers, to be the sound of a snake. It is instead the sound of money. When gambling, it is often necessary when betting on something to count money quickly. Paper money when rubbing together makes a hissing sound very much like the sound you get when reading the poem. The hissing could also be attributed to the sound of machines or people in a casino. The sound is not very distinct but it does resemble hissing.

One of the most convincing aspects of the poem that leads the reader to believe the poem is about gambling and money is the use of symbolism. The speaker is addressing this snake throughout the poem but each time says, "Green Snake..." instead of just snake. This shows that it was not the snake that was important, but its color. The color green of course is the color of paper currency, which leads back to the idea that the poem is about money. Next, is the color gold, which is often the color of jewelry, whether the metal is real gold or not. The gold referred to in the poem is most likely a necklace bought with gambling money. The line, "...when I hung you round my neck and stroked your cold, pulsing throat...glinting arrowy gold scales...", gives the idea that the gold is indeed a gold necklace because the speaker put it around their neck. Last, the color silver appears in the poem. In reference to money, silver is the color of coins, excluding the penny. This is one of the cleverest uses of symbolism in the poem. In the passage it reads, "...and I

Some common words found in the essay are:
Green Snake, Denise Levertov, money gambling, , throughout poem, joy left, faded pattern grass, money gambling syntax, denise levertov writing, pattern grass shadows, smiling haunted, left line, gambling money, speaker money, weight shoulders, grass shadows, reading poem,
Approximate Word count = 1138
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)