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Snakehas a unique way of dealing with the moral." Snake is a poem thatConsciousness of society". Explain the statement citing examples froethe poem.rOm |
| Answer» <p>InD.H. Lawrence’s poem ‘Snake’ the poet describes his encounter with a snake in physical,emotional and moral terms. He successfully uses the physical settings and chainof events to throw light on his state of moral being. The poet has presented thecomplexities of moral consciousness adeptly, in the form of a short poem. Hisskill lies in the manner in which he has conveyed so much in a few lines. Thepoem is a thought provoking one.</p><p>Whenthe speaker first spots the reptile at the water trough, he behaves in anatural and unprejudiced manner. He does not disturb the snake and waits forhis turn. As humans are naturally curious, he is filled with fascination andsimply looks on. However, soon enough, the ‘educated’ aspect of his personalityreminds him about the dangers that a snake can pose. As a result, he attemptsto hit the snake. That one act gives the poem its depth, for it forces thespeaker to introspect and brings out various aspects of moral consciousness.</p><p>Whileeducation thrives on logic and reasoning, it is ironically at loggerheads withmoral consciousness. The speaker’s understanding of snakes suggests thatcertain varieties are ‘harmless’ while yet others are venomous and potentiallydangerous. This prompts him to act violently, thus raising questions about howsubjective humans are in setting and enforcing morality. There are no set normsthat define when a snake should be or should not be killed. Similarly, a humanwould probably not be held accountable for killing a snake despite it nothaving caused any harm. This further raises concerns over the whether moralconsciousness also deals with the issue of humans having the right to kill othercreatures or not. </p><p>Atanother level, the speaker feels torn between wanting to simply stand and stareand being compelled to act. Though at a personal level, he considers the creaturea ‘god’, he is forced to act like ‘a man’. Here too, the accepted tenets of moralconsciousness are not in sync with personal desire. In order to be normal, societalnorms urge him to attack the snake. It immediately fills him with remorse. Thissuggests a strong disconnect between the established norms of society and moralconsciousness. Had the act been morally right, the poet would not have felt somuch negativity later. </p><p>Itis extremely difficult to clearly lay down any guidelines for what is ethicaland what is not, an idea that D.H. Lawrence has handled with great dexterity.</p> | |