Wolves are my favourite arctic animal - strong, cunning, and communal. Unfortunately, the speaker of this poem (i.e. the hunter) cannot seem to keep consistency on their opinion of the "king of the arctic." Lines 3 - 6 describe a ferocious "beast" that will "frighten my children," "eat," "bristle," and "growl." Yet, it is also "slower than expected" and frequently referred to as "little wolf." The bouncing affect of the relationship with the hunter to its prey may be used to show the inner struggle of the murder of an animal, but this is not explicit. Instead, the incongruent perspective makes the voice seem rather untrustworthy, while the poem itself reads thick and confusing to the extent that the harsh ending - "I pull the trigger" - almost procures a sigh of relief. |
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Interesting interpretation! I wonder to what extent Bifford adopts a kind of persona in this poem. The "measly twin propellor" that easily outruns the wolf seems to suggest these hunters are not playing fair; I picture a group of rich guys who don't really know how to hunt, but chase after these animals for the thrill of conquering something so wild and elusive. The "little wolf" doesn't seem to stand a chance against these guys, and the speaker doesn't seem to recognize the weight of his act of pulling the trigger at the end.
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