According to the poem, the “afterlife” that these species will experience will be in “square glass altars” (line 21). Initially, the reader can see that the tortoise will be going somewhere where they will be honored. Although the poem does not say it, “square glass altars” can mean display cases at the museum for everyone to see. Display cases can be what Atwood portrays of where the tortoises will be once they are extinct, as were other extinct species are displayed. Yes, I think it was a fitting end for the tortoises. This is because although giant tortoises were not extinct during the time the poem was written, Atwood wanted to show her readers that species like the tortoise was on their way to extinction. Once the tortoises are extinct
