1. Why do you think we give certain animals human characteristics (for example, a wise owl, a sneaky weasel)?
2. Write a list of animals that are usually represented with positive characteristics in cartoons and films and a list of animals that are represented with negative characteristics.
COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING
1. Do you approve or disapprove of Dickinson using the description ‘A narrow Fellow in the Grass’ instead of the noun ‘snake’? Explain your answer.
2. What does the line ‘His notice sudden is’ tell us about sightings of the snake? Give reasons for your answer.
3. What kind of environment does the snake prefer, according to stanza two?
4. Why do you think Dickinson assumes a male persona in this poem? Give reasons for your answer.
5. What did the boy initially mistake the snake for? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.
6. Who or what do you think the snake symbolises? Explain your answer.
7. In stanza five the speaker explains how he feels about nature in general. What kind of attitude does he have to the natural world, in your opinion? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
8. In the final stanza how does the speaker feel whenever he encounters a snake? What do you think bothers him more, the snake or what he symbolises?
9. Compare the imagery in this poem to the imagery in ‘A Bird came down the Walk’. 10. How would you describe the tone of this poem? Give reasons for your choice.
11. What theme or themes can you find in this poem? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.
CREATING
1. ‘Ignoring the problems in Irish society won’t make them go away. It will only make them worse. We must confront these issues head-on.’ Write a radio talk beginning with these lines.
2. Your principal has agreed to your suggestion to display three extracts from three different poems by Emily Dickinson on the Leaving Certificate course in your school. You have been asked to choose the extracts and decide how and where they will be displayed. Write an article for your school’s website in which you explain your choice of poems, your ideas for their display and the impact you hope this project will have on the school community.
3. ‘Too many people in the world today pretend to be something that they are not.’ Write a discursive essay in which you consider the role of pretence and false appearance in the world today.
