Vol - II - IT@School

Notes
Images are pictures in words. By
choosing lively and specific
language, poets invite you to see
the world in a fresh and original
way. In ‘The Bat’ for example,
Roethke creates a vivid picture
when he says that this creature’s
‘fingers make a hat about his head.’
• What are the other visual images
used in the poem?
• Read the poem ‘Sugarfields in the
extended reading part of your
Coursebook on page 124 and identify
images of sound and taste.
• How is the image in line 10 appropriate to the end of
the poem?
• What effect does the poem have on your feelings
about bats?
Here are a few responses to this poem by a few readers
like you.
This poem is so true. I saved a bat once,
set it outside the window and let it go. Though
they are nocturnal creatures, the bat showed
up the next morning on my window pane, as
if to say thank you. -Saleena
I read this poem. I don’t
really think this poem is about a bat at all.
I think the author is trying to tell us about some
of his personal experiences. I am not quite sure.
This is just my opinion. -Roy
• Attempt a choreography of the
poem.
If the bat by day is cousin to the mouse,
then by night it is cousin to humans- frightening
and threatening. It is transformed by night into
something that evokes a feeling of the presence of
ghosts- an object of fear. -Maya
Writing a Poem about Animals/ Birds
Write a short poem about an animal or a bird
that fascinates you. First, list the animal’s interesting
qualities. When you write, organize the lines in pairs,
as Roethke does. When you revise, read your poem to
a classmate and ask him or her whether your images
are clear. Replace general words with lively and specific
ones in your final draft.
122 English Coursebook VIII