Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Levine - Animals Passing

Here we are again with proud animals. Rich’s poem ended with tigers standing strong; Levine’s verse describes a pig utterly determined to keep his dignity, even as he is prepared for slaughter.

This pig savagely comments on humanity. For instance, he refers to “pudgy white fingers” that grope and squeeze out his insides – a sickening image. He actually uses imagery associated with swine to verbally attack housewives, noting how they “squeal” and “shit.” Lastly, he mentions in the last stanza that humans hope he’ll “turn like a beast,” the implication being that he is only like a beast, whereas humankind is the true savage species.

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