NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poem 9 The Snake Trying

Short Note:

• W. W. E. Ross was a Canadian poet, and this short poem captures a brief but intense moment of a snake trying desperately to escape from a man who is chasing it with a stick.

• The snake swims swiftly across a pool of water, moving in a zigzag pattern, trying to reach the safety of the reeds and rushes on the other side.

• The poem ends with uncertainty about whether the snake manages to escape, leaving the reader with a sense of tension and sympathy for the frightened creature.

Short Note:

• The poem's central theme is the fear and vulnerability of a wild creature facing an unprovoked threat from a human being.

• It subtly criticises the instinctive human tendency to harm or kill snakes out of fear or aggression, without any real justification, evoking sympathy for the snake instead.

• The poem also captures the beauty and grace of the snake's swimming movement, contrasting its natural elegance with the violence of the pursuit.

Short Note:

• Imagery: Vivid visual images describe the snake's swimming motion and the setting of the pool and reeds.

• Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds add rhythm and emphasise the snake's swift, fluid movement through the water.

• Enjambment: The poem's lines often run on without pause, mirroring the continuous, urgent motion of the fleeing snake.