The Day The Bulldozers Came

Overview of the Poem

The poem describes the routine activities taking place in the nature
the day the machine came. We are not told exactly what happened to
the animals and the trees when the machine arrived. However, we can
infer that the bulldozers brought death and destruction to the forest
because they came to clear the land.
 Meaning of Poem
Stanza 1
The first verse describes the routine life in a forest on the day the bulldozers
came. The black crows were building nests in the oak trees. Green flies were
flying noisily in the pond area while the “emotionless” toad was waiting to catch
the flies. The first stanza presents the stages in the cycle of life – reproduction,
feeding and death. This routine was about to be interrupted by the arrival of the
bulldozers.
• Stanza 2
Repetition of the title “ The day the bulldozer came” suggests disaster
and destruction in the forest. Squirrels were running up trees and
jumping from branches. “Scattering” means “running in all directions’.
The squirrels panicked and got scared when the bulldozers came. They
jumped but the tree branches were not longer there because they had
been chopped off.
Stanza 3
The fox was asleep in its underground den. It was woken up by the
shaking ground. The ground was shaking because of the heavy
bulldozers. But, the fox did not worry and felt that he was safe in his
hole deep underground. The last line begins with “Then” which hints
that the fox was wrong to think he was safe from the bulldozers. The
bulldozers were powerful machines and could destroy anything.
THEMES
1. Deforestation is destructive
- Deforestation destroys the natural habitat of wildlife. These
machines are used to cut down trees in order to clear land for
agriculture and housing

2. The effect of modern development on the environment

- Rapid development affects environment. When the bulldozers
arrived, this natural world would be destroyed. Trees would be
bulldozed away, the nests would be broken, the animal’s habitat
would be destroyed and the creatures themselves would have no
protection and shelter. This is the destructive effect of modern
development on the environment.
3. Machines versus nature
- The bulldozers are big powerful machines. Nature is helpless against them.
- The animals were unaware of the destruction coming their way. For
example, the fox thought he was safe underground but “then the
bulldozers came” and would destroy even what was underground.

MORAL VALUES
1. We should take care/ protect and preserve the forest and the animals.
2. We should think about the effect of rapid development on nature. Don’t
let human’s greediness destroy our ecosystem. In the cost of development,
living things are killed.
3. We should respect for life.
• Rooks, Green flies and Toad
• A type of black crow/ a type of bird
• The rooks’ nests / The birds’ nests
• Green flies
• Squirrels
• Squirrels scattered up tree trunks leapt from branches to escape from the
bulldozers
• The tree branches were no longer there because they had been chopped off by
the bulldozers
• The ground was shaking/trembling because of the heavy bulldozers
• In its underground den
• I’m quite safe. Line 5.
• Sizzled
PT3 Practice
Read the poem The Day The Bulldozers Came and answer the following
questions.
1. What were the birds doing the day the bulldozers came? – building their
nests
2. In stanza 2, what does the word “scattering” mean? – running in all
directions
3. According to Stanza 3, where was the fox? – in its underground den
4. What does the expression “crazy egg baskets” in line 3 refer to? – the
rooks’ nests
5. According to Stanza 2, what has happened to the tree? – chopped off/ cut
off/ bulldozed away
6. In Stanza 3, how did the fox feel about the coming of the bulldozers?? – the
fox was not worried and felt safe / was overconfident that he would be safe
PT3 Practice
Read the poem The Day The Bulldozers Came and answer the following questions.
HOTS
1. How do you feel after reading the poem? Give a reason for your answer.
- I feel sad because the bulldozers came to clear the land and destroy the animals’
natural habitat
2. What lesson can you learn from this poem? Explain.
- I learnt that development destroys ecosystem, so we must protect the natural
environment from too much development.
1. Give two reasons why the bulldozers came to the forest
- Agriculture, development of new buildings, housing and build factories
1. Why the phrase The Day The Bulldozers Came was repeated many times in the
poem?
- Suggests disaster and destruction in the forest