Practice Question 3:
Almost a Conversation
I have not really, not yet, talked with otter*
about his life.
He has so many teeth, he has trouble
with vowels.
Wherefore* our understanding
is all body expression –
he swims like the sleekest fish,
he dives and exhales and lifts a trail of bubbles.
Little by little he trusts my eyes
and my curious body sitting on the shore.
Sometimes he comes close.
I admire his whiskers
and his dark fur which I would rather die than wear.
He has no words, still what he tells about his life
is clear.
He does not own a computer.
He imagines the river will last forever.
He does not envy the dry house I live in.
He does not wonder who or what it is that I worship.
He wonders, morning after morning, that the river
is so cold and fresh and alive, and still
I don’t jump in.
Mary Oliver
*otter – an animal that lives mainly in rivers
*Wherefore – As a result of which…
a) Explain how the poet presents her thoughts about the otter.
In your answer you should consider:
- the poet’s descriptive skills
- the poet’s choice of language
b) How does the poet use form and structure to present her thoughts about the
otter?
Support your answer with examples from the poem.
Indicative content:
a)The poet’s descriptive skills:
- the poet describes her encounter with an otter and gradually reveals how they
communicate through ‘body expression’, suggesting that one does not need
to talk in order to communicate
- the poet suggests that her relationship with the otter will develop and a trust
will be formed when she says ‘not yet’; she will discover more about the
creature and that this is not her first encounter, as she returns ‘morning after
morning’; the otter provides the poet with a bond to nature
- the otter is described as making guttural sounds, as ‘he has trouble with
vowels’
- the poet uses anthropomorphism to compare the otter’s life with her own and
is possibly suggesting that the otter’s simple life is better, as the river appears
to be better: ‘and still/I don’t jump in’
- the otter appears to be full of life and vitality (‘dives and exhales and lifts’), but
the poet remains still, ‘sitting on the shore’
- the otter appears to have no fears about the future or of his habitat: ‘imagines
the river will last forever’
- the poet describes her admiration of the otter (‘I admire his whiskers/and his
dark fur’) and abhors the thought of how otters’ fur is used by humans (‘I
would rather die than wear’).
The poet's choice of language
Reward all relevant examples of language and comments on its
effectiveness, e.g.:
- the use of a simile compares the otter with a ‘sleekest fish’, suggesting it is
smooth and graceful in movement
- the use of the tricolon with powerful verbs to describe the otter’s strength:
‘dives’, ‘exhales’ and ‘lifts’; these conclude with a gentle image of ‘bubbles’
- the use of the dash signals that the poet will provide detail of the otter’s ‘body
expression’
- alliteration, particularly with the use of sibilance, conveys an almost silent
atmosphere, possibly with a slight wind, the ripple of water or
- the poet whispering so as not to disturb the otter: ‘swims like the sleekest
fish’, ‘sitting on the shore./Sometimes he comes close’
- the use of a list of things the otter does not have, and the things that the poet
does, suggests that the otter’s life is simple and uncomplicated unlike the
poet’s life
- the use of ‘imagines’, ‘envy’ and the repeated ‘wonder(s)’ has almost Biblical
connotations and this is supported with the reference to religion, ‘worship’; the
words convey strong emotions and are often linked in philosophy
- the list of three presents the river as being ‘cold and fresh and alive’; the
positives of the otter’s environment are juxtaposed with the possible negativity
of the poet’s ‘dry house’.
b)The poet's use of structure and form:
- the poem is written in free verse, possibly to reflect the unrestricted freedom
and/or movement of the otter
- the six stanzas vary in length: the ideas become more fluid and detailed as
the poem progresses, perhaps deliberately chosen to present widening
thoughts or a ripple effect
- first person narrative provides a personal reflection of a magical moment
- repetition, ‘Little by little’, ‘He does not’, ‘morning after morning’, emphasises
the simplicity and gentleness of the otter’s life
- the otter ‘does not envy’ the poet, but the tone of the poem suggests that the
poet envies the otter’s life.
These examples are suggestions only. Accept any valid responses.
Reward a clear personal response, provided this is well supported
from the text.
