English: Snake

a) Why does the poet decide to stand and wait till the snake has finished drinking? What does this tell you about the poet?

Answer: The poet decides to stand and wait till the snake has finished drinking because he reaches the trough after the snake and as a second comer has to stand wait for his turn. It shows that the poet is very humble and hospitable.

b) In stanza 2 and 3, the poet gives a vivid description of the snake by using suggestive expressions. What picture of the snake do you form on the basis of this description?

Answer: On the basis of the description given in the stanza 2 and 3, we find that the snake is a earth golden brown venomous snake. It has a long scale body, a soft belly and a black forked tongue.

c) How does the poet describe the day and the atmosphere when he saw the snake?

Answer: The poet describe the day and the atmosphere when he saw the snake as hat and dry. It is not only hot outside but the bottom of the earth is also described as burning hot.

d) What does the poet want to convey by saying that the snake emerges from the 'burning bowels of the earth'?

Answer: The poet says that the bottom of the earth was extremely hot and the underground water dried out as a result the has to come out of its hiding place to the surface of the earth to satisfy its thirst.

e) Do you think the snake was conscious of the poet's presence? How do you know?

Answer: No, the snake was not conscious of the poet's presence. Had it been conscious it would have run away in fear as soon as it had sun the poet.

f) How do we know that snake's thirst was satiated? Pick out the expressions conflicting emotions on seeing the snake?

Answer: The expressions that conveys that the snake's thirst was satiated are:-

It drank enough

And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken.

g) The poet has a dual attitude towards the snake. Why does he experience conflicting emotions on seeing the snake?

Answer: The poet experiences conflicting emotions on seeing the snake because the voice of his education says that snakes are venomous, therefore this snake should also be killed but his humanity and perversity asks him to treat the snake humble and hospitable.

h) The poet is filled with horror and protest when the snake prepares to retreat and bury itself in the 'horrid black', 'dreadful' hole. In the light of this statement, bring out the irony of his act of throwing a log at the snake.

Answer: The irony of poet's act of throwing a log at the snake is that the objective of throwing a log was to stop the snake from moving inside the horrid black hole but its very well evident that log are thrown on an animal to either hit it or kill it. Poet's attitude towards snake is itself ironical because he considers it as a guest but cannot resist the snake's moving inside the hole.

i) 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.

Answer: The expression from the poem that reflect the emotion of poet's admiration and respect for the snake are:-

(a) For he seemed to me like a king.

(b) Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld.

(c) Now due to be crowned again.

(d) How glad I was he come like a guest in quite, to drink at my water-trough.

j) What is the difference between 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 relevant vocabulary from the poem to highlight the differences.

Answer: In the beginning the snake trails slowly without any fear and is a grand style but at last it moves inside a hole hastily with lightning speed as if it was afraid of some external attack.

k) The poet experiences feeling of self-derision, guilt and regret after hitting the snake. Pick out expressions that suggest this. Why does he feels like this?

Answer: The expressions that suggest that the poet experiences the feeling of self-derision, guilt and regret after hitting the snake are:-

(a) And immediately I regretted it.

(b) I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!

(c) I despised myself and the voices of my accused human education.

l) You have already read Coleridge's poem The Ancient Mariner in which an albatross is killed by the mariner. Why does the poet make and allusion to the albatross?

Answer: The poet makes and allusion to the albatross because just like the mariner killed the albatross and regretted latter, the poet hits the snake and regrets later.

m) 'I have something to expiate' - Explain.

Answer: The poet expresses by saying I have something to expiate that he wants to amend his mistake of hitting the snake with a log. So that, he could get out of his guilt by rectifying his mistake.