Essay Questions

Explain the ending of the poem ‘’The Armadillo’’.

The end of the poem ‘’The Armadillo’’ presents an apocalyptic image of various animals running for their lives. Among the animals mentioned are owls, an armadillo, and a rabbit, all forced to flee when a fire balloon dropped from the sky and stared a fire. The balloon is used in this poem as a symbol to suggest the dangerous ideas a person may have. When the balloon crashed, those ideas became a reality and they affected real people, or the animals mentioned in the poem. The animals were unable to protect themselves and all they could do was flee and hope to reach safety. Thus, the ending of the poem has the purpose of showing how much ideas can influence people and how they can have a negative impact on the innocent bystanders.

What is a filling station and what is a monkey suit?

Both terms are mentioned in the poem entitled ‘’Filling Station’’ in which the narrator describes a family-run business. A filling station is another way to refer to a gas station. A filling station also sells lubricants for various vehicles and thus the mentioning of the oil-stained tables in the poem is fitting. A monkey suit is a uniform a person may wear every day to work. In this context, the monkey suit is most likely composed of overalls.

What is the place described in the poem ‘’Arrival at Santos’’?

The place mentioned in the poem is most likely a city named Santos in Brazil. The poem was written in 1952 and it is told from the perspective of a presumably well-off woman who travelled for 12 day, probably from Europe. The city is described in derogative terms and the impression left is how the people living there are savages. The narrator is surprised to see coins and a flag and is afraid she will be robbed. This transmits the idea that the place where the narrator went is not regarded as being a civilized one.