One connection I found in this set of poems was Bishop’s fascination with animals, particularly birds. I decided to focus on her poetry and their allusions to animals because I thought there was more of a connection to be had between the different poems.
“Some Dreams They Forgot” is a rather somber poem and it starts off by describing the death of bird: “The dead birds fell, but no one had seen them fly” (PPL, 139). The poem refers to the birds for a few lines before it focuses on the people in the town and what they see. I find it curious that this poem first mentions birds whilst titled “Some Dreams They Forgot,” because it seems like the birds may perhaps be representative of dreams themselves or perhaps, in the context of this poem, nightmares. These birds are of an unknown species yet the people “all held them …show more content…
In fact, the narrator is extremely frustrated with all the animals starting with “that damned ape” (PPL, 190). Even the birds, which she often worries about, seem to tax her as she laments about the parrot who is “after me” and the cockatoo that has joined the fray (PPL, 190). However, unlike the other two poems this one does not seem to follow the same patterns. In “Some Dreams They Forgot,” the birds are described androgynously and generally. There is not a particular species they are associated with and neither is there a specific gender. As for “The Birds,” this section of the poem does describe a particular bird species, the Nightingale, but along with describing it sweetly this is a bird that is normally not described crassly as a cockatoo or parrot might be; by this, I mean that typically Nightingales are applauded for their songs and are not particularly flashy birds while a cockatoo and parrot are typically known for their abrasive squawks and flashy figure (the other two birds are also more exotic). Also, the Nightingale is not referred to as a particular
“Some Dreams They Forgot” is a rather somber poem and it starts off by describing the death of bird: “The dead birds fell, but no one had seen them fly” (PPL, 139). The poem refers to the birds for a few lines before it focuses on the people in the town and what they see. I find it curious that this poem first mentions birds whilst titled “Some Dreams They Forgot,” because it seems like the birds may perhaps be representative of dreams themselves or perhaps, in the context of this poem, nightmares. These birds are of an unknown species yet the people “all held them …show more content…
In fact, the narrator is extremely frustrated with all the animals starting with “that damned ape” (PPL, 190). Even the birds, which she often worries about, seem to tax her as she laments about the parrot who is “after me” and the cockatoo that has joined the fray (PPL, 190). However, unlike the other two poems this one does not seem to follow the same patterns. In “Some Dreams They Forgot,” the birds are described androgynously and generally. There is not a particular species they are associated with and neither is there a specific gender. As for “The Birds,” this section of the poem does describe a particular bird species, the Nightingale, but along with describing it sweetly this is a bird that is normally not described crassly as a cockatoo or parrot might be; by this, I mean that typically Nightingales are applauded for their songs and are not particularly flashy birds while a cockatoo and parrot are typically known for their abrasive squawks and flashy figure (the other two birds are also more exotic). Also, the Nightingale is not referred to as a particular