The Elephant and the Tragopan
Analysis of Poetic Devices in the Poem
This poem employs various poetic devices to highlight the exploitation of
animals by humans, their contradictory nature, and the urgent need for unity
among animals. Below is a detailed explanation of the significance of each
poetic device used in the poem:
1. Personification
Example:
“The black bear dances to his whim.”
• Significance: Personification gives animals human-like qualities,
making the reader empathize with their suffering. Here, the black bear is
portrayed as dancing to the whims of humans, emphasizing how animals
are forced to perform for human entertainment rather than living freely
in their natural habitats.
• The elephant as a speaker is also a personification, as it thinks,
analyzes, and speaks like a human, making its argument more powerful
and persuasive.
2. Rhyme Scheme
Pattern: AABBCC…
• Significance: The regular rhyme scheme creates a rhythmic flow,
making the message more engaging and memorable. It also adds a
musical quality, which contrasts with the serious theme of exploitation,
making the harsh reality even more striking.
3. Alliteration
Examples:
• “Beasts of Bingle”
• “Served-studied”
• “Flying fox-fun”
• “Grant-grace”
• Significance: Alliteration enhances the musical quality of the
poem, making it more rhythmic and engaging. It also emphasizes key
ideas, such as the plight of the animals and human cruelty.
4. Metaphor
Examples:
• “The sticky centre of this mess is an uneasy selfishness.” (Selfishness
is compared to a sticky substance.)
• “If he is thirsty, we must thirst… If he hungers, we must die.”
(Human greed is metaphorically represented as thirst and hunger.)
• Significance: Metaphors create strong imagery and deeper
meaning. The “sticky mess” suggests that human selfishness is difficult to
escape from, while thirst and hunger emphasize how human desires
directly lead to animal suffering.
5. Irony
Examples:
1. “Sometimes he worships us as Gods… When has he truly cared for
us?”
• Humans celebrate animals in stories and religion but do not
genuinely care for them.
2. “The leopards who may fancy here a forest full of fleeing deer… You
too will have to flee from water.”
• The leopard, a predator, thinks it is in control, but it will
eventually be a victim of human destruction.
• Significance: Irony highlights human hypocrisy and ignorance. It
forces the reader to question their actions and recognize the unintended
consequences of their behavior.
6. Juxtaposition
Examples:
• “He is a creature mild and vicious, practical-minded and capricious,
loving and brutal, sane and mad, the good as puzzling as the bad.”
• Contrasting qualities of humans are placed side by side to
show their contradictory nature.
• “Begins to thrust its way across these gentle slopes of fern and moss
with axe, explosive, and machine.”
• The peaceful natural world contrasts with the violent
destruction caused by humans.
• Significance: Juxtaposition emphasizes contradictions, making
the reader reflect on human duality and how destruction is disguised as
progress.
7. Visual Imagery
Examples:
• “He rips our flesh and tears our skin.”
• “The leopard’s spots are his to wear. Our ivory unknots his hair…”
• Significance: These lines create disturbing and vivid images of
cruelty, making the reader emotionally connect with the suffering of
animals.
8. Auditory Imagery
Example:
• “The trumpet-call drew the attention of them all.”
• Significance: The sound of the elephant’s trumpet signals
urgency, gathering the animals for an important discussion. It also adds
realism to the poem.
9. Oxymoron
Example:
• “After your happy, passing slaughter”
• “Happy” suggests joy, while “slaughter” signifies violence
and death.
• Significance: The contradiction highlights the absurdity of
enjoying destruction, making the reader reflect on how some humans
take pleasure in harming animals.
10. Anaphora
Examples:
• “Or sings of us at Eisteddfods— Or fashions fables, myths, and
stories…”
• “If he is thirsty, we must thirst— For of all creatures, man comes
first. If he needs room, then we must fly;”
• “You too will have to flee from water. You will be homeless, like us
all.”
• Significance: Repeating words or phrases strengthens the
argument, reinforcing the idea that animals are forced to suffer because
of human greed.
11. Rhetorical Questions
Examples:
• “But what will happen to your stream?”
• “When has he truly cared for us?”
• Significance: These questions are not meant to be answered but
to provoke thought. They challenge the reader to consider the
consequences of human actions on the environment.
12. Onomatopoeia
Example:
• “Trumpet-call.”
• Significance: The sound of the elephant’s trumpet adds realism
and urgency, emphasizing the importance of the discussion among the
animals.
13. Symbolism
Examples:
• Strength and Majesty: The elephant represents power and
wisdom.
• Vulnerability: Despite their strength, even elephants are victims
of human greed.
• Innocence and Suffering: The suffering of animals symbolizes
the unjust consequences of human actions.
• Significance: Symbolism adds depth to the poem, allowing the
reader to see broader themes of exploitation, destruction, and survival.
14. Hyperbole
Example:
• “He sees the planet as his fief, where every hair or drop or leaf or
seed or blade or grain of sand is destined for his mouth or hand.”
• Significance: The exaggeration emphasizes human greed,
showing how humans act as if the entire planet belongs to them.
15. Repetition
Example:
• “If he is thirsty, we must thirst— If he hungers, we must die.”
• Significance: Repetition reinforces the theme of exploitation and
suffering, making the message more impactful.
Conclusion:
The poem uses a variety of poetic devices to create a powerful message about
the exploitation of animals and nature by humans. Through irony, metaphor,
juxtaposition, and symbolism, it highlights the contradictions in human
behavior—how humans celebrate animals in culture but destroy them in
reality. The use of rhetorical questions, imagery, and personification makes
the poem thought-provoking and emotionally engaging.
The final message is unity among animals, as they must stand together to
protect their habitat. The poem ultimately serves as a call to action, urging
readers to recognize the consequences of human greed and environmental
destruction.
Here’s a line-by-line analysis of the poem “The Animal’s Conference on
Peace” by Ogden Nash. The poem reflects on the destructive impact humans
have on nature and animals, urging the creatures to unite for their survival.
Line-by-Line Analysis:
1. “They talked for hours, and at the close At last the
elephant arose, And with a modest trumpet-call Draw the
attention of them all:”
• The elephant is the first to speak, symbolizing wisdom and
experience, given its significant role in nature. The modest trumpet-
call suggests the elephant is not boasting but speaking with
authority. It draws attention to a matter of great importance: the
assembly of animals discussing human impact.
2. “O Beasts of Bingle gathered round. Though in our
search for common ground I would not dream of unanimity I
hope our views may reach proximity.”
• The Beasts of Bingle refer to a group of animals, possibly in
a fictional place. The elephant acknowledges the differences among
them (unanimity may not be possible) but hopes they can find
common understanding. This suggests diplomacy and the need for
compromise.
3. “I speak to you as one whose clan Has served and
therefore studies man.”
• The elephant speaks with authority, implying that its
species has had a long history of interactions with humans and has
gained insight into human behavior. It presents itself as someone
who understands the situation well.
4. “He is a creature mild and vicious, Practical-minded and
capricious, Loving and brutal, sane and mad, The good as
puzzling as the bad.”
• The human nature is described as contradictory—mild
and vicious, practical and capricious. This juxtaposition
emphasizes the unpredictability of human behavior. Humans can be
both good and bad, making them difficult to understand.
5. “He grasps our substance as of right To quench and
spur his appetite, Nor will he grant us truce or grace To rest
secure in any place.”
• Humans are depicted as exploitative, taking resources
from animals without permission or care. The line illustrates greed
and selfishness, with humans taking from nature to fulfill their
desires and leaving no space for animals to be secure.
6. “Sometimes he worships us and Gods Or sings of us at
Eisteddfods, Or fashions fables, myths and stories To celebrate
our deeds and glories.”
• Humans often praise animals in stories, myths, and songs.
This use of irony shows the discrepancy between human
admiration of animals and their actual mistreatment. Humans
worship or romanticize animals in their cultures but fail to respect
them in real life.
7. “And yet, despite this fertile fuss, When has he truly
cared for us?”
• The rhetorical question here challenges the reader to
reflect on the lack of genuine care from humans despite the
superficial praise and admiration animals receive in myths and art.
This highlights human hypocrisy.
8. “He sees the planet as his fief Where every hair or drop
or leaf Or seed or blade or grain of sand Is destined for his
mouth or hand.”
• Humans are portrayed as treating the Earth as their
property, a fief to claim and exploit. The imagery of hair, leaves,
seeds, and sand reflects how every part of nature is taken for human
use, symbolizing greed and domination over the natural world.
9. “If he is thirsty, we must thirst––For of all creatures,
man comes first.”
• This line underscores human selfishness, where humans
place themselves above all other living beings. The idea is that
humans will prioritize their needs over those of any other species,
even if it means causing harm to others in the process.
10. “And similarly let me tell The leopards who may fancy
here A forestful of fleeing deer—After your happy, passing
slaughter, You too will have to flee from water.”
• The leopards are addressed directly, reminding them that
the environmental changes caused by human activity will also affect
them. The chain reaction of destruction will impact even predators,
who may lose their hunting grounds and water sources, highlighting
the interconnectedness of nature.
11. “You will all be homeless, like us all. It is this fate we
must forestall.”
• The animals are united in the idea that if humans continue
their destructive ways, they will all become homeless. The phrase
“we must forestall” emphasizes the urgency of action needed to
prevent this fate.
12. “So let me say to every single Endangered denizen of
Bingle: We must unite in fur and feather––For we will live or die
together.”
• This is the call to action: all the animals, regardless of
species, must unite to resist the threat posed by humans. The phrase
“fur and feather” symbolizes all animals, urging them to join forces
to ensure their survival.
Conclusion:
The tone of the poem is critical, concerned, and urgent, as the animals, led
by the wise elephant, express their distress about the negative impact humans
are having on the environment. The theme of environmental destruction and
the exploitation of nature is explored in-depth, with a focus on how human
greed affects all creatures on Earth. The mood is somber, with moments of
irony and reflection on human behavior, but also a sense of hope for the
animals’ unity and potential to make a change.
The poem ultimately delivers a powerful message about the
interconnectedness of all life and the need for a collective response to the
environmental destruction caused by human actions. The animals’ unity and
their rallying cry for action aim to raise awareness and inspire change in the
face of ecological degradation.
Here are well-structured answers to your questions based on the poem The
Animal’s Conference on Peace by Ogden Nash:
Beginner Level
1. What is the purpose of using words like “fief” and “whim” in relation
to humans?
Words like fief and whim highlight human dominance and selfishness. Fief
suggests that humans treat the earth as their personal property, while whim
emphasizes their unpredictable and self-serving actions.
2. Why do the animals feel unappreciated by humans?
The animals feel unappreciated because humans exploit them for their own
benefit—using their fur, ivory, and skins—without gratitude or consideration
for their survival.
3. How does the speaker view humans’ use of natural resources?
The speaker criticizes humans for recklessly consuming natural resources.
They see humans as exploitative, destroying forests and wildlife for personal
gain without regard for the environment.
C. Answer the following questions in 50-60 words
1. How are nature and wildlife depicted in contrast to human activities?
Nature and wildlife are shown as peaceful and harmonious, while human
activities are destructive and selfish. The poem describes humans cutting
down forests, killing animals, and polluting rivers, highlighting their reckless
exploitation of nature. In contrast, animals coexist with the environment,
valuing its balance rather than seeking to dominate it.
2. How do the animals react to the idea of human exploitation of the
forest?
The animals express concern and urgency over human exploitation. They
realize that deforestation and pollution will not only destroy their homes but
also harm all life, including humans. The elephant calls for unity among the
animals, emphasizing that survival depends on resisting human destruction.
Intermediate Level
1. What do the phrases “What tolls for us is your own bell” and “For we
will live or die together” suggest about the interconnectedness of life?
These phrases highlight that human destruction of nature will ultimately
harm all species, including humans themselves. The animals warn that
environmental damage affects everyone, emphasizing that survival is
interconnected—if animals suffer, humans will too.
2. How does the poem critique human progress in terms of its impact on
nature? Provide some examples from the poem.
The poem critiques human progress as selfish and destructive. It describes
how humans cut trees (“axe, explosive and machine”), hunt animals (“He rips
our flesh and tears our skin”), and pollute rivers. These actions, done in the
name of progress, ultimately lead to environmental destruction rather than
true advancement.
B. Answer the following questions in 50-60 words each:
1. Analyse how literary devices such as irony and juxtaposition are used
to highlight man and his contradictory nature.
Ans: The poet significantly uses poetic devices such as juxtaposition and irony
to highlight humans contradictory nature and the hypocrisy of humans. In the
poem the elephant says that he has known man with the passage of time by
experience and explains how humans can be unpredictable and confusing.
They are described as both good and bad, mild and vicious, practical minded
and capricious. This use of juxtaposition boldly implies that human nature can
be puzzling. Similarly, the poet uses striking irony to explain human hypocrisy
and how they worship and praise animals in myths, stories, traditions and
cultures but this is all just superficial admiration. In reality they exploit
animals for their own needs and resources. This contradiction between
admiration and cruelty reinforces the poem’s critique of human nature and
highlights the complexity of human nature.
