Animals
by Walt Whitman
Stanza-wise Explanations
1.I think I could turn and live with animals,
they are So placid and self-contain’d
I stand and look at them long
and long.
Explanation:
The poet here desires to turn into an animal and live with
them as he is impressed by their calmness and the purity of their mind. Animals
appear to be contented with their lives. The poet stands and looks at them for
a long time.
2. They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God.
Explanation:
The poet is quite impressed by the animals that they do not
complaint and cry about their conditions like human. They eat and sleep they
have nothing to worry about peacefully. The animals are pure and they do not
pray to God for forgiveness or ask God to fulfil their desires like humans.
3. Not one is dissatisfied,
not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another,
nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
Explanation:
Animals do not possess material things like humans and they
are happy and satisfied without all the worldly items. Animals are free from
the habit of praying to their ancestors. When the poet says ‘not
one is respectable’ he means that since all of them are equal, there is no
question of respect for some and insult to other. Thus animals are happy and
uncomplaining.
4. They bring me tokens of myself,
they evince them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those
tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
Explanation: The poet feels that animals represent human
beings in some way. This means that animals seem to have virtues, like kindness
and innocence, which humans once had. They symbolise the lost values of human
race. The poet believes that humans dropped these virtues a long time ago and
have forgotten them.
Short
Questions with Answers
Q1. In the first line
of the poem, ‘I think I could turn and live with the animals’, What is the poet
turning from?
Ans. The poet Walt Whitman says that he can identify himself
better with the animals, for their qualities of serenity and calm composure. So
he intends turning towards them, away from his human companions.
Q2. Do humans kneel
to other humans who lived thousands of years ago?
Ans. Yes, many
communities of humans follow the practice of worshipping saints and sages, who
lived thousands of years, and led an exemplary life of high moral values and
therefore reflect the image of ‘God Almighty’ and are worshipped by generations
of humans.
Q3 What are the
‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago and which the animals
have kept for him?
Ans. Humans and animals have similar basic instincts. While
civilization has changed the man, these basic instincts are preserved in the
animals and they help the humans to reconnect to their true self; so man seeks
comfort in the company of animals.
Q4. Mention three
things that humans do and animals do not do?
Ans. The poet Walt
Whitman in his poem ‘Animals’ compares animals to human beings and
differentiates between them on the basis of their characteristics. According to
the poet’s perception, animals are ranked much higher than humans. Animals do
not complain about their situation and are much happier than humans. Animals
live in natural surroundings, they accept nature. Human beings on the other
hand, do not accept nature i.e., they complain about it and try to change it
leading an unhappy life. According to the poet, animals possess many qualities
which humans don’t. Some of these are calmness, lack of greed and the ability
to stay happy and contented among others. Animals never weep for their sins,
they never sweat and whine about their condition. They do not make anybody sick
discussing their duty to God. Above all, human beings suffer from the mania of
possessing things which animals do not
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