The Dodo
·
Hilaire
Belloc – Anglo-French writer and historian.
·
Written in a very nursery rhyme manner.
·
Poem taken from his book “The
Bad Child's Book of Beasts”.
·
It is a very simple, two verse poem.
·
Simple analysis :
o
Talks about the extinction of the bird Dodo.
o
Memories of the Dodo walking around in the “sun and
air”.
o
No “squawk and squeak” anymore.
o
Only place to find the “bones and the beak” is the
museum.
·
Analysis for 3rd year Literature students :
o
The Dodo is a representation of the Natives.
o
Just like the bird, the natives have also become
extinct.
o
This is true to many native tribes in Australia,
Canada and other colonies – entire tribes have been washed away.
o
Poet draws link between how the natives (like the Dodo)
used to walk around the land freely before the colonizers came – “sun and air”
meaning freedom – world of nature.
o
“Sun yet warms
his native ground” – the nature is unaffected by the strange happenings on the
earth – it goes on as usual – sun rises and sets – doesn’t wait for anyone.
o
“The voice that…dumb---” – talks about how with the
death of the natives, their culture, traditions, language and everything related
to them died – this can never be revived.
o
“Yet you may…Mu-se-um” – only the clothes and hunting
weapons and other exotic things that interested that colonisers is preserved in
the museum – but the real culture is all washed away.
o Is it just me or the
word “Mu-se-um” is not only for rhyming and empsasis but when looked closely
forms the word “Muse” – to be absorbed in thought – may be the poet is asking
us to think beyond the obvious (the bird Dodo) and look at the plight of the colonized,
who were killed.
THE POEM
The Dodo
The Dodo used to walk around,
And take the sun and air.
The sun yet warms his native ground --
The Dodo is not there!
Is now for ever dumb --
Yet may you see his bones and beak
All in a Mu-se-um.
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