Animals

Summary

In this poem the poet, Whitman compares man to animals. He finds that man lacks many virtues that animals have. The poet says that he feels more at home with animals than with human beings because humans are selfish, fake and always dissatisfied, while the animals are not selfish. They are not fake and most importantly they are satisfied. They show their love for us.

Comprehension Questions 

Answer the following questions in 30-40 word: 

1. What is the difference between animals and humans with regards to their attitude to their condition, sins and God? 

Human beings cry about their condition. They lie awake at night in the dark and weep for their sins. They make the poet sick by discussing their duty about God. But animals do not do any of these things. That is why the poet likes them.

2. Why does the poet want to take a turn? 

The poet is fed up living in the world of humans. They don’t have a clear conscience and weep over their sins throughout the night. On the other hand, animals are content and possess all the ‘tokens’ of virtue that humans have given up. So, he wants to exchange places and live with animals.

3. Why do humans keep awake in the dark and weep for their sins while animals never do such things? 

Animals have a clear conscience. They are not confused or muddle-headed. Humans are ambitious, greedy and suffer from the mania of possessing and owning things. Their sins and misdeeds don’t allow them to enjoy a sound sleep at night. They weep over their sins.

4. Why do animals don’t kneel down to their fellow beings or ancestors? How do humans react to them? 

Animals don’t show unnecessary respect to their fellow beings and to their ancestors. They don’t indulge in such unnecessary civilities and formalities. On the other hand, humans express their respect not only to their ancestors but also to their fellow beings. They have a tendency to indulge in unnecessary civilities and decencies.

5. What is the message that Walt Whitman wants to give to the readers through this poem? 

There is nothing great about being humans. Human beings have degraded themselves to the extent that animals appear to be noble and superior beings in their comparison. No doubt, humans did possess those ‘tokens’ of love, innocence, simplicity, contentment and independence. But they have given up these ‘tokens’ long ago. Animals still practice those virtues and appear to be nobler than humans.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. The poem, ‘Animals’ tells us that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature. Which values will help you revive your basic nature?
In the race of human civilisation, humans have lost their own nature over the years. They have become selfish, jealous, restless, unhappy, and grumbling creatures. They grumble about their lives, lie awake at night, cry over their sins and discuss their duty towards God. In a race to earn more luxuries and comfort they have lost their sound sleep. On the contrary, animals are peaceful, self-contained and happy creatures. They are not unhappy and indeed bring tokens of man’s good nature lost long ago, when he possessed qualities like love, respect, contentment and happiness.

2. Why is the poet so impressed with animals that he wants to change sides and wishes to live with them?
The poet feels that humans have degraded themselves beyond redemption. Nothing great has been left with human beings. He is fed up with their behaviour and wants to escape from the world of humans. No doubt, humans were not so bad at one time. They shared ‘tokens’ of love, sympathy, contentment and innocence with animals. However, the spirit of greed, over ambition, and arrogance overpowered them. They gave up the path of virtue and the ‘tokens’ of love and sympathy. The burden of their sins and misdeeds lies heavy on their hearts and souls. On the other hand, animals still maintain the old virtues left by man long ago. They are content, self-sufficient and free from the burden of sins and misdeeds. Hence, the poet wants to change sides and wants to be a part of the animal world.

Questions from the text book. 

Thinking about the poem

1. Notice the use of the word ‘turn’ in the first line, ‚I think I could turn and live with animals…‛ What is the poet turning from?
The poet is turning away from living with other humans as he finds them complicated and false. He would rather live with animals that are self-contained and non-complaining.

2. Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.
The poet has drawn three comparisons between humans and animals.
-Humans sweat and work to make a living and later whine and sulk about the amount of work they have to do to survive. Animals, on the other hand, do not whine about their condition.
-Humans lie awake at night and cry for the wrongs they have done. Animals do not weep for anything they do and sleep peacefully.
-Finally, humans make each other sick by discussing their duties to God. However, animals do not a God to whom they pray or serve.

3. Do humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago? Discuss this in groups. (possible response)
Yes, humans kneel to other humans who lived thousands of years ago. They worship their ancestors and pray by kneeling in front of their portraits. They hold religious sermons and ceremonies in their memory.

4. What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him? Discuss this in class. (Hint: Whitman belongs to the Romantic tradition that includes Rousseau and Wordsworth, which holds that civilisation has made humans false to their own true nature. What could be the basic aspects of our nature as living beings that humans choose to ignore or deny? (possible response)

The token that the poet says he might have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him, is his true nature as a human. While humans came close to civilisation, they gradually moved away from their true nature. The natural instincts that humans had and the innocence with which they lived and helped each other have been left behind somewhere. As they got near civilisation, they chose to leave behind the virtues of kindness, sincerity, unselfishness, joy, satisfaction, respectability, and sharing. They took to vices such as greed, selfishness, desire to capture everything, and other such inhuman characteristics. Animals have carried forward the real instincts and characteristics, which the poet looks at and tries to remember where he had negligently lost his true nature.

Practice Questions

Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(a)

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,

Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them? 

I. What are these ‘tokens of myself’?

a. love and affection of animals
b. love and affection of the humans
c. greed and selfishness of animals

d. greed and selfishness of humans 

ii. What does the poet wonder about?

a. why did the animals get the tokens
b. how did the animals get the tokens
c. where did the animals get the tokens

d. when did the animals get the tokens 

iii. What does the poet accept?

a. He dropped the tokens himself. 

b. Animals are related to him. 

c. He is just as satisfied as the animals. 

d. He wants to live with animals. 

iv. Find a word from the extract which means the same as ‘carelessly’.

a. relations
b. possession
c. plainly
d. negligently

(b)

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth. 

I. What mania do human beings suffer from?

a. owning things
b. owning animals
c. satisfying their dead ancestors
d. satisfying God

ii. What is the attitude of human beings about those who lived thousands of years ago?
a. forgotten
b. disrespected
c. holy

d. respected 

iii. Who is unhappy over the whole earth? a. humans’ ancestors

b. animals’ ancestors
c. humans

d. animals  

iv. Find a word from the extract which means the same as ‘unstable’.

a. dissatisfied
b. lived
c. demented

d. mania

Q2. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. 

(a) Why does the poet prefer living with the animals? 

The poet says that it is better to live with animals as they show tokens of goodness. They are peaceful, self-contained and happy. Animals show innate goodness which is the human beings lack. Animals do not grumble about their lives, or cry over their sins. 

(b) What is the relevance of ‘tokens’ in the poem ‘Animals’? Who brings them to the poet? 

Animals show tokens of goodness. Animals are self-contained, peaceful, thankful and happy creatures. Animals do not grumble about their lives. Animals bring these tokens of man’s good nature lost long ago. 

(c) How are animals better than humans, according to the poet? 

According to the poet, the animals are more humane than humans. They have no such bad qualities as humans have. In their world, all are happy, equal and content. They show their relations to the poet and he accepts them. 

(d) What is the theme of the poem ‘Animals’? 

The poet, Whitman, compares animals with human beings. He finds animals far better than human beings. The poet finds the reasons for human suffering. Human beings are always dissatisfied. All their actions are with a selfish motive. But animals are far away from these bad qualities. So the poet wishes to turn and live with the animals.

Q3. Answer the following questions in in 100 -120 words. 

(a) ”Human beings are called the most civilised species in the entire world. But sometimes they lack the values which are better exhibited by the animals.” Elucidate the statement with reference to the poem, ‘Animals’.
Human beings lack the qualities of being respectable, happy, content and peace-loving which is still reflected in animals. Animals do not grumble about their lives, lie awake at night, cry over their sins or discuss their duty towards God as humans do. Animals do not have a mania for ‘owning things’, nor do they kneel before others like humans. Moreover, the tokens of goodness, love, respect and happiness have been dropped by human beings