Transcript Hunting Snake - Ms Kempthorne

Hunting Snake
Judith Wright
1915-2000
About the Poet
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Judith Wright was born in Armidale, New South
Wales in 1915 where she spent most of her formative
years in Brisbane and Sydney. She spent most of her
time in the country until her death in 2000.
One of only two Australian poets considered for the
Nobel Prize for Literature
Her Poetry describes the feeling most Aboriginals
have about the Australian landscape and their love
for it
Became a major force in Australian poetry by the
mid-60’s when she was widowed. Her style became
more hardy and muscular with the freer rhythms of
direct speech and anger.
Hunting Snake
Sun-warmed in this late season’s grace
under the autumn’s gentlest sky
we walked, and froze half-through a pace.
The great black snake went reeling by.
Head-down, tongue flickering on the trail
he quested through the parting grass;
sun glazed his curves of diamond scale,
and we lost breath to watch him pass.
What track he followed, what small food
fled living from his fierce intent,
we scarcely thought; still as we stood
our eyes with him as he went.
Cold, dark and splendid he was gone
into the grass that hid his prey.
We took a deeper breath of day,
looked at each other, and went on.
Relaxed and calm
Sudden shock
Positive, breath-taking image
Admiration
Fear
Admiration
Relieved that danger has passed
Links to beginning, carries on with life
as if nothing had happened
TASK
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Identify the language features in this poem by
circling / highlighting / underlining them
directly in your Anthology.
Annotate the features by making small notes
around the poem – which poetic technique is
used? Comment on the reason it has been used.
To create what effect? (This can be anything
from emphasising an idea to creating tone or
atmosphere, or creating pattern or rhythm).
Language Features
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“autumn’s gentlest sky” – personification
“great black snake” – adjectives
“reeling”, ”flickering”, “quested through” –
verbs
“Cold, dark and splendid” - adjectives
The Plot - TASK
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State what is
happening in each
stanza in the poem.
One or two sentences
is sufficient to
identify the action
taking place
Hunting Snake
Plot
STANZA ONE
The poet is walking with an unknown person in a
warm sunny day in late autumn when suddenly a
snake passes them.
STANZA TWO
The snake is moving and parted the grass. The
sun is reflected off its skin. They are either
amazed or scared.
Plot Continued
STANZA THREE
They are wondering what animals fled from it.
They are still watching it carefully as it
moves.
STANZA FOUR
The snake has gone into the grass for his
food. They take a sigh of relief.
The Structure - TASK
Language of structure
includes:
Elements of structure
 Stanza
include:
 Quatrains
 Form of poem
 Couplets
 Rhyme scheme
 Rhythm / rhyme
 Construction of lines
 Lines
and verses
 Caesura
 Metre / syllables
 Enjambment
*Annotate the features of this poem’s structure on
the poem itself.
Structure
The poem is very controlled with the
traditional four-lined stanzas.
 Has 16 lines all together
 4 quatrains
 It has simple rhyme and rhythm
 There is an alternate rhyming scheme of
ABAB “grace, sky, pace, by”
except for last stanza which is ABBA “gone,
prey, day, on”
What possible reasons are there for such an
orderly, tightly structured poem? How does
this choice of structure complement the
themes?
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Structure
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8 beats per line (except for
line 5) recreating the
movement /pace of the
snake in the poem
Reflecting the balance of
nature and the control the
snake has over people.
Does this conflict with or
reflect the human world?
Change in rhyme scheme in
final stanza indicates change
in mood of poem as the
people feel relief and carry
on with their walk.
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Effect is to create a
certain (definite)
purpose “head
down”, “quested...
Fierce intent”
Snake oblivious to
people watching –
People powerless to
do anything but
watch.
Tone
Wright’s attitude towards the subject changes
from first stanza to last stanza, each having
different tone. The persona of this poem is Wright
herself.
STANZA ONE – warmth and shock
Describes nature’s warmth and surroundings
and in the last line a sense of shock
 “sun-warmed in this late seasons grace”
 “froze half-through”
Tone Continued.
STANZA TWO – mysterious and admiring
The feeling of admiration is conveyed as the
persona comments on the snake’s action,
appearance and beauty of the wild animal.
 “tongue flickering”
 “sun glazed his curves of diamond scale”
Tone Continued
STANZA THREE – suspenseful
The poem reaches a intriguingly suspenseful
mood, as she starts to use serious adjectives to
enhance the action of the poem towards the
readers as if experiencing it themselves
 “fierce intent”
 “scarcely thought”
 “eyes went with him as he went”
Tone Continued.
STANZA FOUR – mystical
Lastly she portrays the attitude of being
frightened, afraid, dark, evil type mood, which is
effective as we are left with a pondering yet cold
and mystical feeling.
 “cold, dark and splendid he was gone”
 “deeper”
 “prey”
Overall the changes in tone are deliberate as she leads us to
becoming and realizing the appreciation of nature, a marvelling
attitude especially at the end.
Themes
Humans cant have the pleasure of interacting with
nature, we will always be intruders.
Power of nature –
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“The great black snake” a title that links with “lost
breath to watch him past” showing the snake as a king,
admiring nature.
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“what small food fled living” compared to the snake,
if he wants to eat you then you’re all ready food.
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“cold, dark, splendid” amazing power drawing in the
audience
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“we scarcely thought” links with “looked at each
other and went on” showing how we can never
understand nature because it is too complex.
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Complete the paragraph you have started
today. Check your ideas and proofread for
mistakes you can correct in grammar, spelling,
punctuation.
Hand in to me on a clean piece of refill or A4,
named clearly.