By: D

avid

Orn

e

The Day the Bulldozers Came

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STANZA 1

MEANING OF LINES

The first stanza describes what was happening in a forest or countryside on the day the bulldozers came.

Rooks, similar to crows, were building up their nests in the oak tree. Green flies buzzed by the pond while a toad was waiting for a chance to catch them.

This reflects stage in the cycle of life – reproduction, feeding and death. This routine was interrupted by the arrival of the bulldozers

STANZA 2

The five lines of stanza 2 continue with a description of squirrels running up trees and jumping from the branches. The word ‘scattering’ shows that the squirrels were running in all direction.

There is a sense of fear and panic as the bulldozers came closer. The tree branches ‘were hardly there’ possibly because they had been cut off. The branches are usually cut before the trees are felled.

STANZA 3

The third verse tell us that the fox,

sleeping in its den, was woken up by the shaking of the

ground as the bulldozers

approached

The fox, however, was not worried. He felt safe in his

hole deep underground

The last begins with ‘then’ which indicates that the fox was actually

not safe from the bulldozers

ELEMENTS OF THE POEM

Setting

PLAC

E

The setting of the poem is the countryside or a forest. There are trees (oaks), a pond and underground dens. This is the natural environment where

animals, birds and insects live. The creatures mentioned in the poem –

rocks, squirrels and foxes – indicate that the setting is in a western country such

as England or America.

Setting

TIM

E

The poem describes the arrival of bulldozers in the countryside. Bulldozers were invented in the early 20th century.

These powerful machines are used to clear forests for development.

Therefore, the poem is set in modern times.

The persona of this poem is the third person omniscient narrator. The narrator describes what can be observed, such as the birds building their nest (line 2 -3) and what cannot be seen, such as the fox in its underground den. The narrator is omniscient, for he even knows what the fox was thinking (line 15 -18)

Persona

Deforestation and habitat loss

THEMES

Bulldozers are used for logging or to clear land for agriculture and housing. Deforestation destroys the natural habitat of native wildlife. The poem describes how the bulldozers were going to destroy the natural habitat.

1

The effect of modern development on the environment

THEMES

The poem describes the natural world and provides details on what the creatures were doing before the machines arrived to destroy their world. The birds were preparing nests to lay their eggs, the toad was waiting for its meal, the squirrels were scampering around as they always do and the fox was sleeping underground. Later, trees would be bulldozed away. There would be broken nests, the animals’ homes would be destroyed and the creatures would have nowhere to hide. Such is the destructive impact of modern development on the environment.

2

Machines versus nature

THEMES

The bulldozers are powerful machines. Nature is helpless against these machines. The creatures were unaware of the destruction coming their way. For example, the fox thought he was safe underground but ‘then the bulldozers came’ and would destroy even what lay underground.

3

Think about the effect of development on nature

MES

SAGE

S

1

The poem shows us the cycle of life in the natural world. Birds were preparing to lay their eggs. The flies were buzzing around happily while the toad waited for the chance to get his dinner. This is the natural cycle of birth, growth and death that keeps the balance of nature. This natural cycle was destroyed when the bulldozers arrived to clear the trees.

By showing us the beauty and balance of the natural world, the poet makes us feel a sense of horror at its destruction. The poet wants us to think about the effect of development on nature.

Preserve the forest and protect the animals

MES

SAGE

SThe poem describes the natural wildlife in the countryside and how the arrival of the bulldozers would destroy the trees and natural habitat. The creatures would not survive. The poet is telling us to preserve the forest and the natural habitat of the creatures so that they can live.

2

Love for nature

MORAL VALUES 1

The description of the creatures living in the wild and the poet’s message to protect their habitat supports this moral value.

Respect for life

MORAL VALUES

The poem portrays nature as being full of life and activity with the creatures living out their life cycle in peace. Then, the bulldozers came, bringing death and destruction. The poem makes us aware that living things are being killed because of development.

2

Tone: lighthearted then forebodingThe tone of the poem is lighthearted at first. The use of the expression ‘crazy eggs baskets’ refers to something fun. However, the tone turns serious and foreboding from the end of the first stanza. The ‘cold-eyed’ toad waiting to catch a fly refers to the cycle of life which involves feeding and dying. However this reference to a predator and death is a foreshadowing of the death and destruction that was coming.

The second stanza continues on this note of foreboding for the squirrels were ‘scattering up the trees (line 8), and leaping off branches (line 10), as if they were in a panic.

Mood: dark and fearful

The mood is dark and fearful. The third stanza strengthens the sense of doom. The earth ‘trembled’ (line 14) which reflects fear. The fox thinks it is safe underground but the last line beginning with ‘then’ tells us that it is not true.

Language and Style

• The poem has three stanzas of different lengths.• There are 19 lines altogether.• The poem is written in free verse and has no

rhyming pattern.• The poem sounds like natural speech or

narration. Direct speech is used as in storytelling (lines 15 and 16)

• There is a vague rhythm due to the repetition of the line ‘the bulldozers came’ (lines 1, 7 and 19)

Repetition• The first line of the poem is repeated in the

first line of stanza 2 and also partially in the last line of the third verse.

• The repeated lines act like a reminder of the important event and help build suspense.

Imagery• The poem is rich in visual and movement imagery.

Descriptive words like ‘crazy’, ‘green’, ‘sizzled’ and ‘cold-eyed’ are used in the first verse to provide a clear picture of the creatures in their natural habitat.

• No descriptive words are used in the following two verses. This creates a sense of urgency as the bulldozers arrive.

• Movement imagery in the poem is used to depict life and activity in the countryside. Action words like ‘building’, ‘sizzled’, ‘scattering’ and ‘leapt’ are used for movement imagery.

• The word ‘sizzled’ is also sound imagery because it helps us ‘hear’ the sound of the insects buzzing.

Foreshadowing

• The toad waiting to attack and devour the flies foreshadows the fate of the creatures.

• The toad is ‘cold-eyed’ meaning unfeeling, just like the machines that came to destroy the trees and the wildlife living among them.

Personification• In line 14, the ground ‘trembled’. This

refers to the physical shaking of the earth as the big and heavy bulldozers approach.

• This is also a metaphor for fear. Nature shakes with fear as the machines arrive.

• In lines 15 to 18, the fox thinks like a human.

Symbolism

• The bulldozers symbolise development.• They are also a symbol

of destruction and violence resulting from human disregard for the environment.

Compiled by: Miz MalinzTHANK YOU