Essay Questions

What does the mountain in the poem "Bushed’’ represent?

The mountain appears both in the beginning of the poem and in the end. In the beginning, the poem is presented as being threatening big and imposing, towering over the lake, near the place where the protagonist built his house. As time progressed, the mountain becomes even more threatening, affecting the protagonist’s life directly, by making it hard for him to go out and get the food he needs. At the end of the poem, the mountain is extremely sharp, almost like a sword. Seeing the mountain, the protagonist knows the mountain will eventually kill him. The mountain at the end is used as a metaphor for the threats a person’s happiness and well-being. These threats are present in everyone’s lives and they can’t be ignored no matter how much a person tries.

What does the bear represent in the poem 'The Bear on the Delhi Road'?

The bear is an important element in the poem. In the beginning, the bear is presented as being powerful, able to control the natural elements. In the beginning of the poem, the narrator claims that the bear has even the power to control the wind. As the poem progresses, the bear loses its power and is overpowered by two men who take the bear from the forest and takes it to the city. The bear is used in the poem to represent nature. When Mother Nature is left alone, nature is powerful. Once technology and humans get involved with it, nature loses its power and becomes "saggy’’ just like the bear in the poem is described. Thus, the bear is used here as a symbol to show how nature can be affected by humans.

Who could be the woman described in the poem "Hazel Bough"?

The woman in this poem is described as being a sexual being, someone who can turn heads without thinking too much about it. The woman is young and free, walking along the streets in a big city. It is implied that she and the narrator got involved at one point but then from some reason or another, they broke up. When the narrator and the woman parted ways, the narrator did not felt any type of emotion and instead claims they were both happy. Because of this, one can assumes that the woman described in the poem was either a prostitute who was paid by the narrator to have sex with him or a woman with whom he had a short relationship. In both cases, the idea transmitted is that the narrator was not that affected by his encounter with the unknown woman.