Analysis Of Tom Disch's Birdsong Interpreted

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Humans and the Mark on Nature Tom Disch in his poem "Birdsong Interpreted" takes an aggressive approach on attacking an intruder in hopes of scaring them away and reclaiming the peaceful homestead. In "Dead Armadillos" Gail White calmly, yet effectively discusses what she witnesses on her daily commute. On the surface the two poems may seem as if they would be two contrasting pieces, however with further investigation it becomes apparent just how comparable these two poems are. While both poems take a different approach in diction and images, it is apparent that these two poems share related themes concerning humans and the destruction of nature. The imagery provided by both poems shows what effect humans have on nature, but in two contrary ways that can also be …show more content…

The way that the speaker relays the message almost gives the sense of giving up, instead of the image of fighting and protectiveness that is portrayed in “Birdsong Interpreted.” The speaker discusses how the armadillos “collide with a ton of moving metal” (6-7), “They’re on my daily route” (8), and that “there are too damned many” (13-14). These lines show that armadillos die on a regular basis as a result of human activity, yet there are too many right now in order for people to take action. The speaker goes on to say that “when we’re down to the last half dozen” (18) the people will begin to care and take action to save the armadillos. This seems to provide the image of defeat, and that the speaker will just have to wait until it is almost too late for any action to be taken. While both poems provide images on death, “Dead Armadillos” provides an image of hopelessness and defeat with the armadillos who constantly "collide with a ton of moving metal" (7) and a lack of "Save the Armadillo Society(s)" (11-12), while “Birdsong Interpreted” provides the image of putting up a fight in order to protect

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