Unseen Poetry- Hatching and Looking Into The Field.

Both Looking Into The Field and Hatching are written about life an a farm, and the things that happen there. Although one is written from many point of views, the animals, the farmers and even a complete outsiders view, whereas the other is from the point of view of someone watching the animals. This changes the mood and feel of the type of poem, however they do both share the same themes and moods, they are both about an animals passage of life, and how they react to situations and cope with things.

Looking Into The Field is the poem that has the most unanswered questions in it. Such as, when it says 'four stiff legs of a dead sheep', is it actually dead? Because later in the poem it talks about the sheep 'bleat[ing] and waddl[ing] to new grass. If the sheep was really dead this can't happen? Has the farmer brought the sheep back to life? 'legs kicking again'  Is this evidence that the farmer has brought the sheep back to life. Or was it never dead in the first place. The sheep is obviously not dead then? But what happened? When it says, 'dead sheep' is it just scared to death? However, other than the unanswered questions, there is a obvious theme to the poem. Throughout the poem it suggests that the ewe is scared and anxious about the world it is in. For example 'pulls and rolls the ewe', when a sleep is scared they roll into their sides, and the farmers have to come and roll them back upright and calm them down. So was the Sheep just scared to death? Obviously this itself doesn't completely suggest the ewe is scared of the world. Scared, yes, but from just saying this it doesn't indicate that the ewe is scared of the world in particular. However, 'waddles to new grass', this gives the impression that it is new to her, or has changed. Although, as she is a ewe, an adult sheep, it can't be new to her. The author has made it come across, and created an image to the reader, that the sheep is cautious of its surroundings, perhaps something had shaken her. So maybe some of the questions presented at the beginning have been answered. When it says 'dead sheep', what does that mean? Personally i think it is an example of the traditional saying, 'scared to death'. Many things lead me to think this, 'grasp fistfuls of tight wool', trying to cause the sheep pain to get its attention and wake it up, or it could be, trying to get a grip to later begin 'pull[ing] and roll[ing]' the sheep. Either way, the farmer is trying to get the sheep's 'legs kicking again.' This is why i think it is just scared, not dead. The farmer would know if it is dead and there is a sense of calm to the farmers actions, he knows what the sheep is doing, he knows it is only scared. However, each person will interpret it differently.

The whole poem has the feel of changing points of view. Sometimes it feels like it's spoken from the animals point of view, 'This is the man who brings food', this is obviously the animals point of view. Other times it sounds like the farmer or a complete outsider, such as a narrator talking. For example the title, 'Looking Into The Field', this cannot be the animals, and it cannot be the farmer, this is where my idea of a narrator ot complete outsider comes from. A narrator explaining what he sees. There is also a lack of precise detail of what is actually happening, this reinforces my thoughts of a narrator, or a narrator actually physically there, however outside the farm, 'looking into the field'. The lack of detail is due to the distance that the possible narrator is situated.

In comparison, in the Hatching the whole poem is from the point of view of a person watching the chick, 'His night has come to an end', ' And he is out'. It gives a feeling that it is being documented. By doing this, much more detail has been added to the birth, similes and adjectives are added a lot in this poem, unlike the other poem, 'makes a mark like lightning'. This is a very small detail to pick up on, that only someone close to it can observe. Much like 'He shivers' It is a seemingly simple line, however, when you think about more. A Chick is tiny, and for anyone to see it shivering means they would have to be very close, just simple to observe that shiver. Whereas in the first poem, Looking Into The Field, the changing points of view and possible narrator at a distance has resulted in a lack of detail of what is actually going on and has only provided a simple description.

In Hatching, the chick, much like in Looking Into The Field, is anxious about the world, 'He huddles under wings' but in this case the chick is actually new to world and that is his reason to be worried and scared. Where as the sheep in Looking Into The Field is an adult and has had a shock, resulting in the anxiety of what to now expect of the world. In Hatching, as i said the chick is worried ans scared but quickly grows into his life, 'by instinct/ Returns for food', he knows what he has to do and he has an adult view on life. Had become comfortable with being a bird and is no longer scared. His fear of the world quickly disappears, 'Avid for air'. The chick now has forgotten his earlier fear and has stopped 'huddl[ing] under wings'  and has become wildly enthusiastic for air and for flying.

Although both poems have different view points, they do share similarities, both show an image of an animals passage through life and how the grow, both physically and emotionally. The big difference between the two however, is how the animals behaviour has been portrayed. In comparison to each other the sheep in Looking Into The Field seems a lot more cowardly whereas the new born in Hatching seems to be more grown up and more confident.







(sir, dunno if i have done that right, at all. But i am kinda proud of it, please don't crush me! Let me down on my failure gently ;) thanks!:D)