Julie Tagg| Think and Write for CSEC English A and B

The speakers in “A Lesson for this Sunday” and “Birdshooting Season” present acts of cruelty. The speakers in each poem witness these acts. With close reference to the poems, write an essay that discusses the experience of the speaker in EACH of these poems. In addition, you should compare the reaction of the speakers to what they have witnessed and examine one device that is used to present the speaker’s experience in EACH poem.

OR

Select TWO poems that deal with the theme of cruelty. Write an essay that assesses both speakers’ experience with the acts of cruelty. Furthermore, you will need to identify ONE literary device that is found in EACH poem and discuss the effectiveness of its use.

Both Derek Walcott’s poem “A Lesson for this Sunday” and Olive Senior’s poem “Birdshooting Season” address the subject of animal cruelty. In “A Lesson for this Sunday,” the speaker, an adult, reflects on a childhood memory of seeing boys torture a bird. Despite the speaker’s attempt to intervene, the boys continued their cruel act. The poem uses vivid imagery and sensory details to create an emotional response from the reader. In contrast, the speaker in “Birdshooting Season” witnesses a group of hunters shooting birds while walking in nature. Although not directly involved, the speaker reflects on the senseless violence of the act. The poem uses metaphor to emphasize the destructive and violent nature of hunting. Both poems highlight the theme of animal cruelty and the importance of respecting and protecting the natural world.

Make it more detailed

The two poems, “A Lesson for this Sunday” by Derek Walcott and “Birdshooting Season” by Mary Oliver, both explore the theme of animal cruelty. In “A Lesson for this Sunday,” the speaker, a grown-up, reflects on a childhood event where he witnessed a group of boys torturing a bird. The speaker, in an attempt to intervene, was powerless to stop the boys from continuing their cruel acts. The poem uses vivid imagery and sensory details to create an emotional response from the reader, such as “the bird’s eyes bulged like black marbles” and “the dust rose from its wings.” These details help to emphasize the horror and cruelty of the boys’ actions and the speaker’s feeling of helplessness.

In contrast, the speaker in “Birdshooting Season” is out walking in nature and observes a group of hunters shooting birds. Although the speaker is not directly involved in the act of cruelty, he reflects on the senseless violence of the act. The poem uses metaphor to compare the birds to “fingers of a green flame” and the hunters to “the flames’ owners.” This metaphor emphasizes the destructive and violent nature of hunting and the speaker’s concern for the well-being of animals and the natural world.

Both poems use different techniques to present the experiences of the speakers and convey the theme of animal cruelty. In “A Lesson for this Sunday,” the use of vivid imagery and sensory details creates a visceral and emotional response from the reader, while in “Birdshooting Season,” the use of metaphor emphasizes the destructive nature of the act of hunting and the speaker’s concern for the natural world. These techniques help to underscore the theme of animal cruelty and the importance of respecting and protecting the natural world.

In conclusion, both “A Lesson for this Sunday” and “Birdshooting Season” share a common theme of animal cruelty, but the experiences of the speakers and their reactions are different. While the speaker in “A Lesson for this Sunday” is more emotionally affected, the speaker in “Birdshooting Season” reflects on the senseless violence of the act. Despite the differences, both poems highlight the importance of treating animals and the natural world with respect and compassion.