How Dalat Got Its Name: Tone & Mode

Tone and Mood

* In this poem, the tone is one of the anger and indignation.
The poet is angry because Man has not taken good care of the environment.
In Stanza 1, he points out some effects of pollution - a dead crow, a baby
and an old man gasping for air.

Structure and Style

*It is written in free verse. This is in line with the poet's wish for a pollution-free
environment.

* The poet is written in two stanzas. Each stanza has four lines.
* The poet uses only one main literary device - symbol.
'The Dead Crow' is a symbol of the deadly effects of pollution on Man and Nature.
Repetition is also used to demand a clean environment.
( I want..... I want....)

The Dead Crow: Themes & Moral values

Themes

* Environmental pollution is a serious threat to health and life.
* There is a need for environmental preservation.
* Development must be planned so that a clean environment is
preserved for future generations.

Moral Values

* We must take steps to preserve our environment.
* We must leave a pollution-free environment for our children and future generations.
* Politicians and capitalists must take action to preserve the environment.

The Dead Crow: Persona & Setting

Speaker / Persona

In this poem, there are two personas.

Stanza 1
The persona is the third person narrator. The pronoun used is 'he', signifying the
third person. He is looking from the outside and talks about the effects of
pollution due to Man's neglect of the environment.

Stanza 2
The persona is the poet - first person narrator and the pronouns used are
'I' and 'we'. The poet is disappointed with the situation and is demanding or a
better environment for everyone - the 'we' in this stanza. The poet tells us
about what he wants for the future - a land where there is clean air to
breathe, trees and grass growing and rivers flowing. In short, he wants
the politicians and capitalists to shop exploiting the land and have better
plans for the future.

Setting

The following are some of the physical settings in this poem :

* A drain by the post office
* A health clinic
* Open land / earth
* The forest
*Rivers

The Dead Crow

Overview

The poem 'The Dead Crow' is about what has happened to our environment due to neglect
and abuse by Man.
In this poem, the poet voices his anger about what we have done to our environment.
Among the victims of pollution are an old man, a baby and a crow.


Paraphrase

Stanza 1
He saw a dead crow in a drain by the post office. He also saw an old man and a baby
with a breathing problem in a crowded morning health clinic. The poet wonders why
we are still sufffering when we have a country that is so abundant with natural
resources like clean air and clean water.

Stanza 2
The poet demands clean air for his grandchildren. He wants the greedy businessman
who make huge profits from timber to stop destroying the forests. He wants a
green environment. He wants the politicians / government to plan development
carefully so that a clean and healthy environment may be preserved for now and
for future generations.