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Hunting Snake

How does the poet convey a sense of fear and admiration for the
other in the poem Hunting Snake?
Hunting Snake is a poem written by Judith Wright, an Australian
environmentalist. She writes about her and her companion taking a
stroll on a beautiful Autumn day, when suddenly she encounters a
great black snake. There are strong themes of nature present in this
poem. As an environmentalist, Wright sought to preserve the natural
surroundings in Australia. She cared intensely for the Aboriginal people
who lived in close intimacy with nature which the settlers did not. The
poem, on the surface, is about the sudden appearance of the snake but
it could also be about the various creatures that lived in Australia and
the animal friendly way of life of the aboriginal people.
The structure of the poem is very tightly controlled. It is set in
the form of a quatrain, with four stanzas overall and four sentences in
each stanza. There is also a consistent rhyme scheme of ABAB, which
changes to ABBA in the last stanza. This suggests the poets calm,
serene state of mind throughout the encounter with the snake, perhaps
forced as she did not wish to agitate the snake. The change of rhyme
scheme to ABBA is the last stanza is like the letting out of breath after
unconsciously holding it in, due to her shock and amazement at having
witnessed such a creature, and that it was only after the incident that
it occurred to the poet what had really happened. This signifies a sense
of relief that comes over the author.
The poem starts off on a very calm, relaxing and gentle note. The
environmentalist side of Wright is quite apparent here. The phrase Sun
warmed creates a pleasant, brightly optimistic atmosphere, as the Sun
is seen to be emitting its rays rather ostentatiously. The personification
last seasons grace makes the season seem like it is an elegant,
nimble human being. The phrase autumns gentlest sky emphasizes
on the tranquility and gracefulness of the atmosphere, and also
suggests the authors love for nature as she describes the sky as being
gentle, suggesting her feelings of respect towards the sky. The poem
up till now exudes a sense of serenity and elegance, and presents a
very optimistic, sunny atmosphere. These phrases are used by the
poet to lull the reader into a false sense of calm, and to create a
greater contrast of the atmosphere before and after the presence of
the snake is noticed. However, the word froze in line 3 creates a stark
contrast, and signifies a turning point in the atmosphere of the poem.
A caesura in used here half-thought. This creates a sudden stop in
the reading pace of the reader and interrupts the flow of the poem.
This creates a very dramatic effect, as the reader is made to pay full

attention to what the poet is experiencing due to the change in


rhythm. It also emphasizes how stunned the poet and companion were
upon witnessing the great black snake that suddenly appears out of
the briar. Here, the snake makes its grand appearance, and strikes
the author and her friend dumbfounded. However, on a deeper level of
meaning, the snake could symbolize the indigenous aboriginals in
Australia, where the poet comes from. The word black could be
referring to the skin colour of the Australian aborigines. The great
black snake that appears is an Australian native, or aborigine.
In stanza 2, the poet describes the snake and its movements as
it makes its way past them. The poet is awestruck by the snake, or
rather by the Aborigine, and can hardly breathe in his presence. The
phrase Head down, tongue flickering on the trail depicts the
movements of the snake, as it seems to be hunting prey, as it is
common knowledge that snakes used their tongue to sense their prey.
This symbolizes the Aborigine, possibly searching for food. The phrase
Head down suggests that the aborigine do not acknowledge the
presence of the poet and companion, and he keep his head down as he
does not like to be disturbed in his territory. It comes to our attention
here that it is indeed the poet and her companion who are invading the
aborigine, as the forest is his habitat, his territory. The phrase tongue
flickering and quested suggest that the aborigine is searching for
something, possibly prey. He has a sense of direction and purpose, and
seems to take no notice of the author and her companion. The phrase
parting grass is somewhat of a personification, as the grass is
depicted to voluntarily part for the aborigine. This shows how the
aboriginals in Australia are so in-tune and at one with nature, and that
the nature surrounding them show a deep respect and sense of
fellowship towards the aboriginals, and they regard the aboriginals of
such a high ranking that they would make way for them. The phrase
sun glazed his curves of diamond scale suggests the way the sun
shines on the aborigine, illuminating his beauty, which is very much
unappreciated by the white Australians. It is known that white
Australians often regard the aboriginals as savage and ruthless, and
often regard themselves as being higher and more powerful than the
aboriginals. However, the poets description of the snake using words
such as glazed and diamond scale make the aborigine seem grand
and magnificent, and being very strong, tough and priceless (diamond
scale). This shows that the poet is going against and challenging the
stereotype surrounding the Aborigines. The sibilance used in this
phrase also create the impression of a slithering movement the snake
creates while moving past them, relating to the relationship that
humanity has with nature: we should respect nature, the natural world,
and the people who live in it. The phrase lost breath to watch his pass
shows how the author and the companion are so awestruck by the

aborigine that they even forgot to breathe. It could also show the slight
intimidation and apprehension felt by them towards the aborigine.
Stanza 3 is a continuation of the descriptions of the snake, which
are symbolic of the aboriginals in Australia. The phrase what small
food fled living from his fierce intent indicates the sense of power that
the snake possesses. This is symbolic of the natural power the
aboriginals have over their surrounding nature. It suggests that the
aboriginals rule over the animals in their habitat, and that the animals
are wise to flee from them, as they are seen as dangerous hunters. The
alliteration of fs in this phrase creates a harsh, sharp sound that
emphasizes the harshness and brutality with which the aboriginals
have towards their prey. This evokes a sense of respect and
glorification from the author as see witnesses the respect the animal
kingdom has towards the aborigine, and makes her see the aborigine
as a mysteriously magnificent, impressive and venerated individual.
She begins to question the awful, careless and thoughtless stereotype
that the white Australians have towards the aborigines, as she believes
the aborigines to be rare and incredibly beautiful. This is further
emphasized by the phrase we scarcely thought, still as we stood/ our
eyes went with him as he went. This shows the awestruck and
dumbfounded feeling that the author and her companion express when
faced with the aborigine, making them have a much deeper sense of
respect towards him.
In the final stanza, the snake finally makes its way past the
author and her companion, paying little if no attention to them.
Juxtaposition is used in the phrase cold, dark and splendid. This
indicates how the snake, or the aboriginals bring about a unique sense
of beauty and mysteriousness that only certain people, like the author
herself, can come to appreciate. The strong imagery used here shows
how the author is possibly encouraging us not to impulsively respond
to our immediate reactions when faced with something unknown, or
something we dont fully understand. This brings about the theme of
racism, as the whites often prejudge the aboriginals and see them as
dirty, unknowledgeable and brutal beings, when there is no such
evidence. She is encouraging us to reflect upon our preconceived
notions about a particular person or situation, in this case the
stereotype we have of the black aboriginals. The phrase we took a
deeper breath of day,/ looked at each other, and went on gives a
resolution to the whole poem, in that the poet and her companion
finally snap out of their trances and snap back into reality. The phrase
deeper breath of day could symbolize how the poet now has a
deeper, more thoughtful understanding of the aboriginals in Australia
and now has a lot more respect for them.

In conclusion, through an extended metaphor, the poet tells us of


the symbiotic relationship between the snake and man. There is no
maudlin talk about the prey or the cruelty of the snake as a hunter but
merely an acknowledgement of the sense of purpose behind the
movement of the snake. Mainly, Wright depicts this symbiotic
relationship so that man reflects upon his treatment of a) the natural
world around him and b) the indigenous people group found in a
country.

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