Form 3 Poems [Notes]

   Form 3 Poem: The Day the Bulldozers Came – David Orme | Themes & Moral values|

The day the bulldozers came

Rooks were building

Crazy egg baskets in the oaks;

Green flies sizzled by the pond

And a cold-eyed toad

Waited for them.

The day the bulldozers came

Squirrels were scattering

Up tree trunks,

And leapt from branches

That were hardly there.

The fox

Stirred in his sleep

As the ground trembled.

       ‘Ha ha!’ he thought,

       ‘I’m quite safe,

Deep down in the Earth,

No one can get me here.’

Then the bulldozer came.

 Meaning of the Stanza

Stanza	Poem	Meaning
Stanza 1	The day the bulldozers came Rooks were building Crazy egg baskets in the oaks; Green flies sizzled by the pond And a cold-eyed toad Waited for them.	When the bulldozers came to the forest, Rooks (a type of bird) were making nests (egg baskets) in oak trees. Green flies were buzzing around the pond while a toad was waiting to eat them.
Stanza 2	The day the bulldozers came Squirrels were scattering Up tree trunks, And leapt from branches That were hardly there.	When the bulldozers came to the forest, squirrels were scared and they were running up the trees. They tried to leap from branch to branch, but the tree branches were no longer there. The bulldozers had knocked them down.
Stanza 3	The fox Stirred in his sleep As the ground trembled. ‘Ha ha!’ he thought, ‘I’m quite safe, Deep down in the Earth, No one can get me here.’ Then the bulldozer came.	The fox woke up from his nap but he went back to sleep. He felt the ground shake but he thought he was safe deep down in the foxhole. However, the bulldozers came and dug him out of the soil!

 Themes:

1. Destruction of nature

The bulldozers are designed to knock down trees and flatten lands for development. However this has resulted in the destruction of nature. Many trees are knocked down. Animals lose their home and have no where to go.

            2.  Change is inevitable

Life is always changing. Change cannot be avoided. For example, the bulldozers are invented to replace the animals and help human to develop new lands.

            3. Alertness

It is important to be alert to our surroundings. For example, the fox believes that as long as he hides in the hole, he will be safe. However he does not realize that the change that humans make is now able to harm him even though he is deep in the ground. He needs to be alert so that he can survive the change.

            4. Disruption of life

The lives of the animals in the forest are disrupted by human’s activities. For example, the bulldozers knock down the tree branches where the squirrels live. The bulldozers also disrupt the home of the foxes by digging up the foxholes.

        Moral values:

1. We should be alert to any threats and changes around us.
2. We should be ready to face changes.
3. We should respect the nature and the animals that depend on it.
4. We should protect flora and fauna and the only Earth we have.
5. We should understand that development projects can bring harm to the nature.

Form 3 Poem: Poisoned Talk By  Raymond Wilson  | Meanings,  Themes & Moral values|

Who killed cock robin?
I, said the worm,
I did him great harm.
He died on the branch of a withered tree
From the acid soil that poisoned me..

Who killed the heron?
I, mouthed the fish,
With my tainted flesh
I killed tern, duck and drake,
All the birds of the lake.

Who killed the lake?
I, boasted Industry,
I poisoned with mercury
Fish, plant and weed
To pamper mens’ greed.

Who killed the flowers?
I, moaned the wind,
I prowl unconfined,
Blowing acid rain
Over field, flood and fen.

Who killed the forest?
I ensured that it died,
Said sulphur dioxide.
And all life within it,
from earthworm to linnet.

.

Meaning of Stanza

Number	Stanza	Meaning
1	Who killed cock robin? I, said the worm, I did him great harm. He died on the branch of a withered tree From the acid soil that poisoned me..	The worm said the acid soil poisoned it and now it had poisoned cock robin after the bird ate the worm
2	Who killed the heron? I, mouthed the fish, With my tainted flesh I killed tern, duck and drake, All the birds of the lake	The fish said its poisoned flesh killed all the birds of the lake.
3	Who killed the lake? I, boasted Industry, I poisoned with mercury Fish, plant and weed To pamper mens’ greed.	Industry (factories) said it poisoned the lake with mercury. All fish, plants and weed died because men polluted the lake.
4	Who killed the flowers? I, moaned the wind, I prowl unconfined, Blowing acid rain Over field, flood and fen.	The wind said it killed the flowers because it blowed acid rain over field, flood and fen.
5	Who killed the forest? I ensured that it died, Said sulphur dioxide. And all life within it, from earthworm to linnet.	Sulphur dioxide (from cars and factories) said it killed the forest and everything that lived in the forest

 Themes :

Environmental Pollution
Men are willing to destroy our mother nature for more money and power. The factories, cars, and other vehicles release poisonous gas and substances like mercury. This pollutes the lake and the flora and fauna in it.

Destruction of nature

Nature has flora and fauna. They affect one another. When the lake gets polluted, the fish that lives in it will get poisoned. When the birds eat the fishes, the birds get poisoned. Also, if the wind is polluted, it brings the poisonous gas everywhere; all plants will wither and die. In the end, it destroys our mother nature.

Moral Values :

We must be responsible for the things we do.
We must take actions to stop pollutions.
We must respect nature.
We must appreciate the Earth.
We must not be too greedy  (for money and power)
We must protect our environment