In his narrative poem, "The Bull Moose", the poet, Alden Nowlan, presents us with his portrait of a bull moose whose final journey takes him from his familiar mountain environment to the entrapment of a "pole-fenced pasture". It is within this setting that the moose, weakened by time and fatigue, is teased, tormented and eventually killed by the local townspeople. Throughout the poem, the mood or feeling changes often. The narrator uses several effects to alter and intensify the mood of the poem. Changes in setting, as well as vivid imagery and religious symbolism, directly form the powerful mood in the poem.

The different settings in the poem enhance the mood that the author is attempting to convey towards the reader. The poet, during the beginning of the poem uses the words, "purple mist of trees on the mountain", "forests of white spruce and cedar", and "tamarack swamps" to help us get a feeling of the habitat that the moose would call home. These descriptions of the remarkable setting give us an idea of the dominion, majesty and freedom that the Bull Moose has in his own territory and immediately gives us a respect for the great moose.

ood of disappointment for the actions of the tormentors and really cause the reader to sympathize with the victim and his awful situation.

There are many powerful images described within the poem. These images contribute greatly to the moods conveyed in the poem. The images of the "purple mist of trees on the mountain," and "forests of white spruce and cedar," give us a feeling of peace and tranquility associated with the freedom that the moose experiences as he travels through the region. Other images such as: "the children teased him with alder switches," and "The young men snickered and tried to pour beer down his throat, while their girlfriends took their pictures," give a mood of sympathy for the moose and disgust for the actions of the people. The images of the neighbours' cars lining the road and the children teasing him, puts a picture in the mind of some kind of a carnival with the moose as the main attraction. That passage even states, "The women asked if he could have escaped from a fair" showing the carnival-like glee that everyone is having at the expense of the lost moose. The torture that th!

As a poet, it is Nowan's goal to convey the feelings he has through his writing. Nowan does successfully do this through his writing. The intens

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Approximate Word count = 857
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)