0:07 the poem hunting snake by the Australian
0:11 poet Judith Wright first appeared in her
0:14 1966 collection the other
0:17 half Wright is known for work that often
0:19 reflects her deep connection with the
0:21 Australian landscape and her environmental
0:23 environmental
0:25 concerns among the themes explored in
0:28 the other half are nature's power and
0:31 Humanity's relationship with the
0:33 environment in the poem The Speaker
0:36 accompanied by at least one other person
0:38 is walking through the countryside on an
0:41 unseasonably warm autumn
0:44 day all of a sudden they are stopped in
0:47 their tracks as a majestic black snake
0:50 sinuously Glides in front of them
0:52 oblivious to their presence the snake
0:55 doesn't falter focused as it is on
0:57 finding its next
1:00 meal the moment is over before it has properly
1:01 properly
1:03 begun even though it lasts for only
1:06 seconds this mesmerizing and
1:09 intimidating encounter has a profound
1:12 impact on the speaker and her
1:16 companion wri's precise and evocative
1:18 language creates a vivid sense of the
1:22 snake's silent Authority as it commands
1:24 attention without causing
1:28 harm the poem contrasts The Snake's
1:31 natural beauty and primal Instinct with
1:35 the human reactions of awe fear and
1:38 Fascination through this fleeting moment
1:41 Wright explores themes of the sublime in
1:44 nature Humanity's place within it and
1:48 the delicate balance between life and
1:52 death the poem comprises four stanzas of
1:55 four lines otherwise known as
1:58 quatrains it is written in iambic Tatam
2:02 dum dum dum D although WR does modulate
2:04 the Rhythm in places through
2:07 substitution of other metrical feet such
2:13 as trois dumi and spondy dum dum both to
2:16 give it rhythmic interest and to emphasize
2:18 emphasize
2:21 imagery enjambment and czura are also
2:25 employed to manipulate the Rhythm and
2:29 Pace the poem has a rhyme scheme of a b
2:33 a B in the first three quatrains and of
2:38 a b b a in the final
2:41 quatrain this shift contributes to the
2:46 poem's sense of closure as the a b b a
2:49 pattern encloses the lines in a tighter
2:52 more self-contained structure and
2:56 contrasts with the more open-ended a b a
3:01 b scheme in the earliest stanas
3:03 this change creates a feeling of
3:07 finality resolution and introspection as
3:09 though the poem itself is wrapping up
3:11 and folding
3:14 inwards it's as if the poem closes in on
3:17 itself just as the snake has passed and
3:19 left The Observers alone once more
3:22 contemplating the
3:25 experience the title hunting snake
3:28 immediately directs the reader's Focus
3:31 to the snake presenting it as an active purposeful
3:32 purposeful
3:36 presence the adjective hunting suggests
3:39 predation and evokes a sense of danger
3:42 setting up expectations of a powerful
3:45 creature driven by
3:48 Instinct it also implies a natural cycle
3:50 as hunting is part of survival in the animal
3:51 animal
3:54 world by Framing the perm around this
3:57 title write hints at themes of Nature's
4:00 raw unembellished Beauty and the way
4:03 humans are both AED by and distanced
4:09 forces the poem begins with wri using a
4:12 fronted adverbial to set the
4:15 scene sun wararmed in this late season's
4:19 Grace under the Autumn's gentlest Sky we
4:22 walked it's an unseasonably warm day in
4:25 late Autumn the sun is shining and the
4:28 sky shows no signs of any bad weather to come
4:30 come
4:33 wr's use of Grace which means courtesy
4:35 or good manners and the adjective
4:38 gentlest personifies Autumn as a
4:41 benevolent and nurturing presence
4:44 suggesting a harmonious and tranquil
4:46 moment in
4:49 nature this Serene image is further
4:52 enhanced not only by the enjambment here
4:56 which creates a flowing Rhythm but also
4:59 the sound patterning that right employs
5:03 the smooth sibilance of sun Seasons
5:07 Grace and sky as well as the consonant
5:11 nasal m in warmed and Autumn the
5:15 alliterated semivowel W in warmed and we
5:18 walked create euphonious auditory
5:21 imagery that complement the overall
5:24 feeling of beauty and Tranquility in the poem's
5:26 poem's
5:29 opening wr's use of a fronted adverbial
5:33 here allows her to set the scene before
5:36 juxtaposing the Serenity and Tranquility
5:40 of a rural stroll with a sudden halt
5:43 poised mid step signaled by the poem's first
5:44 first
5:48 czora and froze half through a
5:51 pace the verb froze not only evokes how
5:53 they immediately stop and stand stock
5:56 still so as not to attract
5:58 attention would also suggest that
6:01 perhaps their blood run runs cold with
6:05 fear the illusion to a chill contrasts
6:07 with the unexpected warmth of the day
6:09 and shatters the up to this point
6:13 peaceful and idilic
6:15 image the reason for this sudden halt is
6:18 revealed in the stanza final line the
6:22 great black snake went reeling
6:26 by note right substitution of a spondi
6:29 dum dum in the second foot of the line
6:32 the great black snake which creates
6:35 three stressed syllables in immediate
6:38 succession and enhances the gutteral
6:42 consonants of the C Sound in black snake
6:44 to perhaps help evoke the speaker's
6:47 sense of shock as well as the snake's
6:49 inherent sense of
6:53 power the verb reeling suggests a smooth
6:56 speedy and sinuous coiling motion as the
6:58 snake undulates and weaves through its
7:02 environment past them the fluidity with
7:05 which it moves not only emphasizes its
7:08 beauty but also its danger implying that
7:10 the snake is not only a creature of the
7:13 Earth but is also a master of its
7:15 surroundings able to navigate through
7:18 the landscape with ease and
7:21 stealth the second stanza focuses on a
7:23 physical description of the
7:25 snake head down tongue flickering on the
7:27 trail he quested Through The Parting grass
7:30 grass
7:33 once more a fronted adverbial gives
7:34 prominence to
7:38 description this time of the snake as a
7:40 predator oblivious to the fact that he
7:43 is being watched the snake is totally
7:45 caught up in the
7:48 hunt this sense is further enhanced by
7:52 the enjambment which forces the reader
7:54 onwards note how Wright assigns the
7:57 snake a gender with the use of the
7:59 pronoun he
8:01 by referring to the snake as he instead
8:05 of it she subtly grants the creature a
8:06 sense of
8:09 individuality without fully anthropomorphizing
8:11 anthropomorphizing
8:13 it she stops short of giving it human
8:15 qualities or
8:17 emotions but this choice of pronoun
8:20 acknowledges it as a living being with
8:21 presence and
8:24 purpose rather than just an instinct driven
8:26 driven
8:28 Predator it becomes more than a simple
8:31 symbol of nature or a killing machine
8:33 instead it feels like a creature with
8:37 its own agenda following its own
8:39 path this respect for the snake's
8:41 natural Integrity aligns with wri's
8:44 broader perspective on the natural world
8:47 seeing animals as beings in their own
8:51 right mysterious yet purposeful existing
8:58 Humanity the verb flickering to describe
9:01 the movement of the snake tongue evokes
9:04 the way it darts in and out effectively
9:06 tasting the air as it collects scent
9:09 particles and directs them to a sensory
9:11 organ on the roof of its mouth enabling
9:15 it to detect nearby prey Predators or
9:18 mates the verb quested lends a sense of
9:21 nobility to the snake's hunt for food
9:23 typically associated with heroic
9:26 Journeys or Noble Pursuits this word
9:28 elevates the snake's movements from Mere
9:31 survival to something purposeful and
9:33 Grand almost
9:36 nightly rather than just hunting or
9:39 searching the snake is on a quest an act
9:43 that implies intention Direction and
9:45 determination the way in which the grasp
9:48 pots suggests that in deference to The
9:50 Majestic reptile it moves of its own
9:52 accord out of the snake's way to allow it
9:57 through this idea is enhanced by the
10:00 image in the next line Sun glazed his
10:03 curves of Dimond
10:06 scale the verb glaze means to Overlay or
10:08 cover something with a smooth shiny
10:11 coating or finish and evokes the way the
10:14 sun makes his body
10:18 gleam the adjectival noun Dar not only
10:21 conjures the shape of the snake's scales
10:23 but also suggests their hardness like
10:26 armor and the way they glint in Precious
10:29 yet fearful Beauty as the sun catches
10:31 and reflects off
10:34 them indeed the sight is sufficiently or
10:36 inspiring that we lost our breath to see him
10:38 him
10:40 pass note the subtle difference between
10:43 holding your breath and losing your
10:46 breath the former is active while the
10:47 latter is
10:50 passive right's choice of words here
10:51 communicates how they don't seem to have
10:58 actions the third stanza continues to
11:00 explore their reaction to this chance
11:02 encounter which perhaps they only had
11:04 time to think about
11:07 afterwards what track he followed What
11:10 small food fled living from his Fierce
11:12 intent we scarcely
11:15 thought this mest of glimpses into the
11:19 natural world leaves lots of questions
11:21 unanswered the very nature of his
11:23 existence and the culmination of his
11:25 quest remains a
11:28 mystery note the complex sound passing
11:30 in these lines with the fricative
11:34 alliteration of followed food fled and
11:37 fierce combined with the liquid
11:40 consonants of the present in followed
11:43 small fled and
11:45 living the repeated forceful sound
11:49 suggesting the snake's power and
11:51 tenacity the way Wright refers to the
11:53 snake's prey as food that is still
11:56 living conveys her acceptance of the
11:59 circle of life highlighting the natur
12:03 natural order in which all creatures are
12:05 interconnected by using these Stark
12:07 terms she emphasizes the reality of
12:10 predation and the idea that life is
12:13 sustained through the cycle of life and
12:16 death this perspective invites readers
12:18 to reflect on the inherent relationships
12:21 within nature where each being plays a
12:24 vital role in the ecosystem and
12:26 underscores the balance that exists in
12:29 the wild
12:32 note WR syntax in the first two and a
12:34 half lines of this
12:37 stanza what track he followed What small
12:40 food fled living from his Fierce intent
12:42 we scarcely
12:46 thought this is an example of anastrophe
12:48 which is where the normal word order is
12:51 inverted for emphasis or
12:54 effect here right rearranges the typical
12:56 structure which might have been
12:59 something like we scarcely thought what
13:00 track he
13:03 followed this inversion creates a
13:06 slightly formal reflective tone
13:08 emphasizing The Mystery of the snake's
13:11 movements before the speaker's own
13:16 reaction to leave its path intriguingly
13:20 ambiguous the stanza continues still as
13:23 we stood our eyes went with him as he
13:26 went even though they are standing as
13:28 still as they can suspended in time for
13:31 just a few seconds there is one thing
13:34 that is moving that they cannot control
13:37 and that is their eyes which are fixated
13:40 upon the coiling questing
13:42 reptile note the enjambment here which
13:45 forces onward movement of the reader's
13:48 eyes as well and the Diop with the
13:51 repetition of the verb went which
13:53 enhances the image of their eyes moving
13:59 snake the final stanza begins with a
14:02 triplet of adjectives cold dark and
14:05 Splendid he was gone into the grass that
14:06 hid his
14:09 prey these three adjectives sum up the
14:12 Sublime Beauty of the coldblooded snake
14:14 and the fron of awe and fear that it
14:16 arouses as it leaves a lasting
14:18 impression of its
14:22 presence once more wght effectively uses
14:24 a fronted adverbial here to provide
14:26 additional descriptive detail about the
14:28 snake's qualities at the moment of its
14:31 departure arer essentially setting the
14:34 scene before the main Clause he was gone
14:36 into the grass that hid his
14:40 prey the moment is over we took a deeper
14:43 breath of day looked at each other and went
14:44 went
14:47 on released from their paralysis they
14:49 can finally Breathe Again both
14:51 metaphorically and literally as the
14:54 danger has passed note that Wright
14:57 chooses day rather than air here to
14:59 suggest that the snake's blackness are
15:00 something of the quality of the night
15:04 about it that they wish to
15:06 dispel the speaker and her companion
15:08 then merely looked at each other and went
15:09 went
15:11 on it would seem that the wordless look
15:14 they share between them before carrying
15:16 on with their walk is more eloquent than
15:19 anything they could actually say
15:22 capturing a shared sense of awe humility
15:24 and perhaps even vulnerability in the
15:27 face of Nature's quiet
15:30 power the silence reflects an
15:32 understanding that some experiences go
15:35 beyond words resonating on a deeper
15:37 instinctual level that doesn't need
15:39 explanation or
15:41 analysis in this moment they are united
15:44 in a profound almost reverent
15:46 acknowledgement of the natural world and
15:48 their place within
15:51 it in conclusion in hunting snake Judith
15:54 Wright presents a moment that reflects
15:56 Nature's autonomy and resilience
15:58 suggesting that the natural world exists
16:01 and thrives independently of
16:04 humanity the snake's indifference to The
16:06 Observers underscores Nature's self-
16:09 sustaining power as it remains oblivious
16:13 to human presence focused solely on its
16:16 path in this light humans may feel like
16:19 mere bystanders Surplus to requirements
16:22 as life continues effortlessly around
16:25 them Wright often explored Humanity's
16:28 place within a vast indifferent world
16:30 and this home serves as a quiet
16:32 reflection on our insignificance and
16:35 transience in the face of Nature's enduring
16:42 presence thanks for watching if you have
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