The groundhog
In Richard Eberhart's poem "The Groundhog," the speaker analyzes the death of a groundhog. The groundhog, described as "lying dead" and maggots eating away at its flesh, is used by the speaker to show an understanding of life. Through the metamorphosis of the dead groundhog, the speaker portrays death and its cruelty. The speaker, once filled with happiness, transforms into a state of sadness as he observes the decay of the groundhog. By using metaphors, similes and personification, the speaker perceives the slow and frightening death of the groundhog and comes to the realization that he will also die one day. The groundhog represents the fact that individuals cannot escape death and that we share the same fate as the groundhog. The speaker distinguishes the fact that one day everyone, too, will die and learns that we are all in the same position as the groundhog. The speaker presents the poem by describing the "golden fields" of June to set a light, happy contrast of what can be seen in the gr
The speaker, who shares a "strange love" with the dead animal, possesses an admiration for the groundhog because he has recognized that they both share the same fate, death. By poking him with an "angry stick," the speaker personifies the senselessness of death and takes his disappointing discovery of life out on the dead animal. The speaker describes his feelings as a "sunless trembling," contrasting his previous sentence of "immense energy," to portray the dark sadness which he feels. He learns that death will also consume his own body and he tries to accept this fact. As he is "praying for joy in the sight of death," he comes to the understanding that he shares the same future as the dead groundhog and can do nothing to stop this from happening. oundhog. However, as the speaker shifts to his discovery of the dead groundhog, he discovers the meaning of the death. The speaker describes the death as a "naked frailty" because when we are naked, we are vulnerable, exposed, like the groundhog to the effects of deat
Some common words found in the essay are:
Richard Eberhart's, Shifting Autumn, Greece Alexander, groundhog speaker, dead groundhog, speaker describes, richard eberhart's poem, eberhart's poem groundhog, groundhog richard eberhart's, death speaker describes, discovery life, speaker personifies, death consume, dead animal, decay groundhog, share fate, eberhart's poem,
Approximate Word count = 691
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
