SNAKE,poem from English literature reader class 10

2. My Topic Is
Snake
BY D.H
LAWRENCE

3. “Snake” can be understood on two levels, as narrative and as
symbol. On the simpler level, a Lawrence-like speaker
encounters a snake at “his” water trough. Rapt by nearly
hypnotic fascination, he allows the snake to drink, without
taking action. Soliloquizing like Hamlet, the speaker wonders
whether he is a coward not to kill the snake, because in Sicily
the gold snakes are venomous. The snake continues to drink
until, satisfied, it climbs the broken bank of the wall face,
puts its head into “that dreadful hole,” and withdraws “going
into blackness.” At this point, the speaker throws a log at the
water trough yet fails to hit the snake. Immediately, he
regrets his “pettiness” and wishes that the snake would come
back, for it seemed to be like a king. The speaker has missed
his chance with “one of the lords of life.”

4. David Herbert Lawrence was born
in 1885 in Eastwood,
Nottinghamshire, the fourth child
of Arthur Lawrence and Lydia
Beardsall.After attending Beauvale Board School he won a
scholarship to Nottingham High School. On
leaving school in 1901 he was employed for a short
time as a clerk at the Nottingham firm of
Haywards, manufacturers of surgical appliances,
and from 1902 as a pupil teacher at the British
School in Eastwood.He attended the Pupil-Teacher Centre in Ilkeston
from 1904 and in 1906 took up a teacher-training
scholarship at University College, Nottingham.
After qualifying in 1908 he took up a teaching post
at the Davidson School in Croydon, remaining there

5. In early 1912, after a period of serious illness,
Lawrence left his teaching post at Croydon to return
to Nottinghamshire, shortly afterwards eloping to
Germany with Frieda Weekley, the wife of Professor
Ernest Weekley. They returned to England in 1914
prior to the outbreak of war and were married at
Kensington Register Office on 14 July. Confined to
England during the war years, the Lawrences spent
much of this time at Tregerthen in Cornwall.
In 1919 they left England once more, embarking on a
period of extensive travelling within Europe and then
further afield to Ceylon, Australia, Mexico and New
Mexico.

6. His health continued to deteriorate and Lawrence
returned to Europe with Frieda in 1925. During his
last years Lawrence spent much of his time in Italy
making only brief visits to England, the last in 1926.
He died on 2 March 1930 at Vence in the south of
France.
Lawrence was a prolific writer - of poetry, novels,
short stories, plays, essays, and criticism. His works
are heavily autobiographical and the experiences of
his early years in Nottinghamshire continued to
exert a profound influence throughout his life.

7. Q.1 THE POET HAS A DUEL ATITUDE TOWARDS THE SNAKE. WHY DOES HE
EXPERIENCE CONFLICTING EMOTIONS ON SEEING THE SNAKE ?
A.1 The poet showcases dual attitude towards the snake. Though instinctively he is in
awe of the snake and is captivated its majestic presence, he is vary of it since he had
been educated about the dangers of golden venomous snakes. On one hand he muses
about his fascination for it, on the other hand his inner voice taunts him about his
inability to kill it. He thus has conflicting feelings about the snake.
Q.2 THE POET SEEMS TO BE FULL OF ADMIRATION AND RESPECT FOR THE
SNAKE . HE ALMOST REGARDS HIM LIKE A MAJESTIC GOD. PICK OUT AT
LEAST FOUR EXPRESSIONS FROM THE POEM THAT REFLECT THESE
EMOTIONS.

8. A.2Some expressions from the poem that reflect the poets emotions of admiration
and respect towards the snake are:
•And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.
•But must I confess how I liked him
•…he had come like a guest in quiet
•…to feel so honoured
•That he should seek my hospitality
Q.3WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE THE SNAKE’S MOVEMENT AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE POEM AND LATER WHEN THE POET STRIKES IT
WITH A LOG OF WOOD? YOU MAY USE RELEVENT VOCABULARY
FROM THE POEM TO HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENCE.

9. A.3 In the beginning the snake slithered down slowly from the wall, trailed its body
majestically over the edge and rested its throat upon the stone bottom. It drank water
slowly and silently, looked at the poet vaguely, convinced that it would not be harmed.
Its movements were as if it was in a dream and when it had finished, it slowly climbed
down the bank. Even its movements while getting into the hole were slow, almost as if
it was easing its shoulders into it.
When the poet struck it with the log however, his body convulsed in an undignified
haste. It twisted and turned like lightening and disappeared into the black hole.
Q.4 “I HAVE SOMETHING TO EXPIATE” – EXPLAIN
A.4 “I have something to expiate” means the person has done something that has
caused him to suffer from guilt and he wants to make amends for it.

10. Q.1 ‘HE LIFTED HIS HEAD FROM HIS DRINKING AS CATTLE DO’ -- THE POET
WANTS TO CONVEY THAT THE SNAKE
a) IS DOMESTICATED b) DRINKS WATER JUST LIKE CATTLE
Q.2 ‘SICILIAN JULY’ , ‘ETNA SMOKING’AND ‘BURNING BOWELS OF THE
EARTH’ARE IMAGES THAT CONVEY THAT------
a)THERE ARE SNAKES IN VOLCANIC AREAS b) IT WAS A REALLY HOT DAY
WHEN THE SNAKE CAME
Q.3 ‘ASHORT OF HORRER, SHORT OF PROTEST OVERCAME ME’–
THE POET IS FILLED WITH PROTEST BECAUSE
a)HE DOESN’T WANT THE SNAKE TO RECEDE INTO DARKNESS
b)HE FEARS THE SNAKE

11. Q.4 IN THE LINE ‘AND AS HE SLOWLY DREW UP, SNAKE-EASING HIS
SHOULDERS, AND ENTERED FARTHER’ THE PHRASE SNAKE EASING HIS
SHOULDERS MEANS –
a)SLIPPING IN WITH MAJESTIC GRACE b)MOVING FAST
Q.5 ‘HE SEEMED TO ME LIKE A KING IN EXILE…’THE POET REFERS TO THE
SNAKE AS MUCH TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE SNAKE
a)IS LIKE A KING DUE TO BE CROWNED
b)IS A MAJESTIC CREATURE FORCED TO GO INTO EXILE BY MAN
Q.6 ‘I THOUGHT HOW PALTRY , HOW VULGAR, WHAT A MEAN ACT’ -- THE
POET IS REFERRING TO
a) THE ACT OF THROWING A LOG OF WOOD AT THE SNAKE
b) THE ACT OF KILLING THE SNAKE
ANSWERS 1.b) 2.b) 3.a) 4.a) 5.b) 6.a)