D.H.L劳伦斯

Appreciation of wrence’s Snake from the Perspective of Imagism
I.Introduction of Imagism
1.1Imagism Movement
Imagism movement is a literary movement launched by British and American poets early in the 20th century in reaction against V ictorian sentimentalism that advocated the use of free verse, common speech patterns, and clear concrete images,rather than through romanticism or symbolism.
1.2Principles of Imagism
Ezra pound proposes the three principles of Imagism.
1.Direct treatment of the thing whether it’s subjective or objective
2.Touse absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation
3.As to rhythm,the poem should be composed in the sequence of a regular meter
1.3Brief Introduction of Imagism
Imagism,the doctine and poetic practice of a small calling themselves Imagists between 1912 and 1917,led at first by Ezra Pound,and then by Amy Lowell.
The group rejected most 19th century poetry as cloudy verbiage,and aimed at a new and exactness in the short lyric poem.Influenced by the Japanese haiku and partly by ancient Greek lyrics.The Imagists cultivated concision and directness,building their short poems around single images.They also preferred looser cadences to traditional regular rhythms.
Apart from Pound and Lowell,the group also included Richard Aldington,Hilda Doolittles,wreence,Ford Madox Ford,and William Carlos Williams.
Imagist poems and manifestors appeared in the American magazine poetry and the Lordon journal The Egoist.
II . Appreciation of Snake by wrence
2.1Main Idea of the Snake
Lawrence introduces the poem by getting straight to the point, also using a repetition to show that it is a really hot day. Lawrence wrote the poem, possibly because it was a true story, but most likely because he was trying to display man’s feelings about snakes and question it. He believes that the snake is a gentle creature, simply thirsty and grateful for there to be water nearby. To him it is a compliment. But to most, it is a natural instinct to dispose if the beautiful creature was in front of you.
The poem indicates that even though his knowledge was telling him to end the snake right then and there, because he considered it a king, it shows that the snake had as much right to drink from the water trough as any man or beast did. Even though it was venomous, it was doing no harm.
2.2 Appreciation of the poem from the Perspective of Imagism
In the beginning,D. H. Lawrence tells us his experience directly.On a hot day,a snake was drinking near the speaker’s pitcher without hiding it’s purpose and kept drinking when realized someone was not far from him. Lawrence obviously wants us to know that the reason he and the snake have come to the trough is because it is a very hot day. And the speaaker uses many “s” to describe how beautiful the snake is,su ch as “soft-bellied”,”softly drank through his straight gums into his slack long body”,”slightly”.
And then, He describes the snake lifting his head like drinking cattle . He uses the drinking cattle reference twice, showing that the snake’s actions deepl y resemble those of cattle.At the same time,two voices was around him,the voice of education telling him that the snake was poinous and he should kill it,and the voice of traditional culture telling him that the snake should be killed if he is a man.The tw o voices pressed him.In fact,he was quite honored of the snake’s visit.The snake is quite,peaceful,pacified.But also,he was feared,for he dare he can’t kill it but not for it’s poinous.After a fierceful struggle in his mind,he decided to let it go,which short the distance between the speaker and nature.
On the following,”cowardice?”,”perversity?”,”humility?”and “honoured?”show the shaken of his idea,while the snake was peaceful and enjoy itself pared with that,”the dark door of the secre t earth”and“A sort of horror overcame him”,the speaker was so rude that he threw a stick to it for he feared the dark door and the unknown things.Fortunately,the stick missed the snake.When describing this scene,the speaker applies the words like ”clumsy”,”clatter”,”convulse”,”undignified” and so on to reflect his fool.In that part,the speaker compares two images in order to show the difference between hunman beings and snakes,the conflicts between human beings and nature.
Next,he says that he felt regert about his behavior.He says that”I despised myself and the voice of my accursed human education” and “For in Siciy the black,black snakes are innocent,the gold are venomous”.In that point, the speaker associates it with Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Samuel Taylor Coleridge,at which the speaker hint that human beings should listen to their nature instinct and feeling but not influenced by their lives,behaviors and the traditional cultures in society,otherwise,people will miss many fresh and exciting experien ces,as he says in the poem”And so,I missed my chance with one of the lords/of life”.People can benefit and learn a lot from small animals if he trys to know something about nature,but people always ignores it or belittles the power of nature which results to miss some chances which will do good to human beings.Through that experience,the speaker realizes some shine characters in the snake,which changes the attitude of the speaker on nature.
2.3Conclusion
Snake is a dramatic monolologue,which records a small but unforgettable experience of the speaker.And he suddenly found that,the education people received and the weakness of human beings often separated people from nature and confused people.He regretd about his mean act and felt ashamed of his narrow-minded idea.。