Human Spirit

Human Spirit – Snake

The poet suppresses his own conscience and conforms to society rule. He snaps under the pressure and acts rashly.

“A pettiness” shows how pathetic he feels after reacting the way he did. He feels as if he is not worth anything because the way he threw the log was so weak and the way in which he responded to it made him appear as a subordinate to the snake.

The violent images such as “burning bowels” and “Etna smoking” show how the poet’s emotions are boiling within him. The voices from his upbringing become more urgent which builds a sense of panic. We can see how his conscience presides over his human spirit. The “peaceful, pacified” contrasts with the “burning bowels” in the following line as “peaceful and pacified” show how calm and unthreatening the snake is compared with the harshness of the “burning bowels”.
The alliteration in this example highlights the conflict created between the snake and the poet. The repetition of “was it” shows how the poet begins to doubt his own education but describes his morals as “cowardice”, “perversity” and “humility”. The repetition of of “black” again creastes a harsh image. When it is followed by “innocent” it shows how the usual connotations of a snake are being reversed which justifies the poet’s feelings.