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Within "The Black Snake" by Mary Oliver, she utilizes her use of free verse to shift the tone throughout the poem. Oliver uses it to shift from a more lighthearted mood immediately to a somber and dreadful one; however, she switches the tone back to that of a hopeful one.

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In "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" by Emily Dickinson, she uses the common meter which allows for Dickinson to stress certain lines of the poem. This stressing allows for tonality shifts throughout the poem.

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Throughout "Snake" by D.H. Lawrence, he makes use of the free verse structure of the poem because it allows Laurence to speed up the poem, but also slow down in other areas. Lawrence speeds up when the narrator throws the log at the snake representative of how the action was done hastily yet still regrettable; however, the poem slows down after the log was thrown to show how to panic and regret begins to set in and consume the narrator.

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Comparison of use of Meter in Snake Poems 

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Comparison of use of Meter in Snake Poems 

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While not all poems use the same meter, the impacts of it are still very similar. For example, in all poems, the use of meter allows for tonality shifts to take place. In both "The Black Snake" and "Snake" they utilize the use of free verse to allow for the shift of speeds throughout the poem; moreover, Emily Dickinson's use of common meter in "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" does not allow for such speed changes as it follows more of a rhythmic scheme. In addition, Dickinson's selection of common meter allows her to stress certain lines better than the other poems.

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How do the snakes' connections with the author change throughout the three poems? 

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How do the snakes' connections with the author change throughout the three poems? 

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Throughout the three poems, the poets connections with the snakes they write about change. In the first two poems, the authors tend to relate and admire the snakes. They use various types of imagery such as visual imagery or imagery that you can see. They also use kinesthetic imagery when describing how the snakes moves throughout the story by describing how it slithers between blades of grass. In "Snake" by D.H. Lawrence especially, the author uses organic imagery or potrayal of bodily feelings such as hunger or thirst. This is seen when the snake in the story drinks from the trough as it is observed by the poet.

When the author is in presence of the snake in "Snake" by D.H. Lawrence and "The Black Snake" by Mary Oliver, the tone is on normal pacing and the authors even take time to admire the snakes. However, whenever the Snake dies or leaves from the author, the tone slows drastically and allows for even more time for the author to reflect on their missing snake who they admired.

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In "The Black Snake" written by Mary Oliver, features extensive parts of Figurative Language embedded in the short poem. Similar to "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" by Emily Dickinson, it features similies. The immediate example in Stanza two is, "Now he lies looped and useless as an old bicycle tire" (Oliver, lines 5-6). This was discussing how a snake, hit by a truck, lies dead on the side of the road. The simile further illustrates that, giving imagery of a likely deflated and warped tire that could be seen on the side of the street, and comparing it to the Snake. Later on, the author further elaborates the detail of the creature, claiming it is "-as cool and gleaming as a braided whip, he is as beautiful and quiet as a dead brother"(Oliver, lines 9-11). This amplifies the misfortune of the Snake, as the snake has a great appearance, even in the event of its death.

In the duration of the whole poem, there's apparent personification of the Snake. While the author compares the Snake to inanimate objects, the author also has constant use of Male Pronouns about the animal. This is very similar to "The Narrow Fellow in the Grass" poem mentioned earlier, although the difference is that this narrator addresses themself in the writing, using "I" frequently. This creates a more personable reading, as it acts like a conversational piece with the reader.

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A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Figurative Language

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A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Figurative Language

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In "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" by Emily Dickinson, there are many examples of figurative language used throughout the poem. The immediate one noticed would be similes. The first example of a Simile can be seen in stanza two, "The Grass Divides as with a Comb,"(Dickinson, lines 5-6). The grass is being compared to hair having a comb run through it, to then reveal that it is a Snake that divides it. Later on, in Stanza 4, Dickinson writes "a Whip Lash Unbraiding in the Sun-"(Dickinson, lines 13-14), comparing a Snake to an unbraiding Whip Lash.

The author also uses personification to add character to the Snake. Dickinson commonly uses the pronouns He, Him, and His to address the Snake. "His notice instant is." and "He likes a Boggy Acre" all show examples of the author turning the Snake into a personable character.

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In a "Narrow Fellow in the Grass" the tone is much different from the other poems. Instead of drastic changes back and forth, Emily Dickinson uses tone to build up suspense and leaves clues to what the poem is truly about. Because the mention of a snake is not in the starting stanza nor the title of the poem, the author is left to put context together up until the end where they understand what the poem is about. The starting stanza reads as follows:

"But never met this Fellow,

Attended or alone,

Without a tighter Breathing,

And Zero at the Bone."

Up until this part of the poem there was very vague hinting of a snake but this closing stanza acts as the climax of the poem. It shows the poems meaning and puts a dark twist on snakes as a whole as it describes a snake wrapping around its victims and killing them.

In "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass," Emily Dickinson does a great job to relating the poem itself to a snake. Similarly to a snake, the looseness of the poem starts to "tighten" like a snake, with the stanzas becoming more strict and proper with better rhymes and organized stanzas as the poem progresses.

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The poem "Snake" features many examples of figurative language throughout. Firstly, the poem has very little similes in comparison to the other two. The writer, D.H. Lawrence uses them to just draw connections and seems to write them very casually. The example that should be drawn attention to would be this in stanza 6 stating, "He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do, And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do..." (Lawrence, Lines 13-14). Author, D.H Lawrence, uses this to compare the visiting snake to a cow, as cows drink from a trough like the snake did in the writing.

The biggest thing that shows a similarity between this poem and the others is the personification, yet it also shows a big difference between them. This poem's whole story is about a personified gold snake that interacts with an Italian man, with him knowing that these snakes are poisonous in Sicily. The simplest example of personification in the poem, with so many examples to choose from, would be this, "But must I confess how I liked him, How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough"(Lawrence, lines 26-27). The narrator is very much treating this snake as if he is a person, later on adding "Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him? Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him? Was it humility, to feel so honored? I felt so honored" (Lawrence, lines 30-33). D.H Lawrence made it apparent, that the snake in this poem is like a person, a real human to this man, yet still has its animal qualities. The poem "Snake" has extreme amounts of Personification, which ultimately defines the base that this story stands on.

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Over the length and breadth of the poems, the authors use sound devices to strongly convey the rhythm, tone, and mood in their writing. For instance, in "Snake", by D.H. Lawrence, the author uses repetition in the seventh stanza stating, "Was it cowardice... Was it perversity... Was it humility". The author's use of repetition causes a change of tone and mood, creating more suspense in the poem. In comparison, Mary Oliver's, "The Black Snake", uses the phrase "it is", to begin a metaphorical comparison that adds to the development of the theme. While Emily Dickinson chose not to use repetition in "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass", she instead uses a rhythmic pattern that becomes more and more prevalent as the poem progresses. In conclusion, each poem uses sound devices to contribute to the overall meaning and progression.

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All three poets write about their experience and encounters with a snake. They take the time to inspect and describe the snake, admiring ts features from a distance. Most of the authors admire the snake but understand that it is dangerous.

This is why the tone and tempo of the passage speed up when the snake is encountered. When the snake is near, the poem sounds more frantic and the tempo is increased. When the snake leaves the author, the poem slows down and takes time to reflect on the encounter with the snake. Part of the reason for the pause is because of the fact that the author is in thought of the snake and its qualities, but some could argue that it is similar to the nerves of the author. For example, when the snake is near the poem speeds up and is more frantic, a lot like the the author's nerves at the moment. The opposite is true as the snake leaves and the authors' nerves calm.

Some of the poems include different kinds of figurative language such as similes, moments of personification, metaphors, etc. There are also sound devices such as assonance and consonance and alliteration throughout these poems. All of these literary divices are methods that these poets use to stress certain lines over others. This can be seen when the authors come to a conclusion after contemplating how and why their snake left, such as in "The Black Snake" by Mary Oliver.

In this story, Oliver writes about a snake who is unsuspectingly ran over by a vehicle. She pulls over and reflect on the snake. In the end she uses repetition and personification to describe death as a whole as she comes to her conclusion.

"It is the story of endless good fortune. It says to oblivion: not me!" (Oliver 5).

The repetive use of the word, "it", and the potrayal of death denying oblivion puts emphasis on the sentence and makes it sound out as she reaches her conclusion. In the end, Mary Oliver comes to the conclusion that death is inevitable and sometimes sudden.

In "Snake" by D.H. Lawrence, Lawrence uses assonance to stress the description of a snake drinking at his trough.

"Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body, Silently." (Lawrence 3)

Lawrence not only uses assonance but also irregularly capitalizes the word, "Silently", to emphasize the quiet and simple life of a snake.

Through all of these literary devices, the same conclusion is made. Literary devices can help stress the meaning of the poem; the fact that there can be beauty found in simplicity. The authors of these poems find a simple creature like a snake and are able to look deeper into it and its characteristics.