Section I- Text 3- "The poem" (1 Viewer)

[*Baby-K*]

So, after walking out of the exam and being greeted by the principal carrying a basket full of chocolates *yum* someone had to ruin it by saying " Hey guys did you realise that the poem spoke about a dog". Well I didn't I thought it was a person, although I did get a slight feeling that it could have been- all that repetition of 'the nose' and 'the Wet' and the smells. However when I read 'as I step backwards onto the plane' I was convinced that it's about a persona 1. Because dogs don't walk backwards, 2. Because they don't walk onto planes.

So now I am confused: was it about a dog or not?
Did you think it was?

Discuss

 

[Livie---!!]

i tried understanding the poem but on my 3rd attempt i gave up. i just pulled random quotes out from it and hoped for the best
the question was only worth 3 marks and im pretty dead sure i did well in everything else so im not too concerned.
but really, i have no idea what it was about lol.

 

[veloc1ty]

I thought the dog was a spirit and it left him towards the end (somewhere after the beacon part).

Anyway, it didn't make sense then and it sure won't make sense trying to remember it 8 hours later.

 

[u-borat]

my understanding is that the dog is a metaphor?

btw nice principal!

 

[ArnoldS]

Don't worry, it wasn't a dog (it would make no sense to capitalise the breed of a dog)

 

[munchiecrunchie]

i think the poet used the dog as a metaphor, in order to explore the smells of the place. I thought it was kinda obvious when it said something about a wagging tail at the beginning. I don't think that it was overly important to answering the question though.

 

[veloc1ty]

Who thought you know, maybe BOS purposefully chose a poem that can have multiple readings? "It would make no sense to capitalise the breed of a dog" - don't be so narrow-minded. How do you even identify metaphors in what you read if you think like that?

 

[Yamiyo]

I thought it was kinda obvious when it said something about a wagging tail at the beginning.

I totally thought that was a metaphor for the emotional baggage he had with him or something stupid like that lol.

 

[littlebigpsycho]

IT was a symbol/metaphor for something but i would have no idea about what.

hated the poem, struggled to understand it so pulled random quotes from the poem that i could make sense of/

 

[Communist Panda]

Much of the Imagery was talking about Charles Darwin, the namesake of the NT city of Darwin, i.e. Galapogas was where he supposedly formulated his theory, he travelled upon a ship called the Beagle etc. I wrote that it was metaphor for how the town has "evolved".

 

[Azreil]

Much of the Imagery was talking about Charles Darwin, the namesake of the NT city of Darwin, i.e. Galapogas was where he supposedly formulated his theory, he travelled upon a ship called the Beagle etc. I wrote that it was metaphor for how the town has "evolved".

Nice work picking that up, didn't see it myself, but in hindsight, definitely.

Most of my year walked out going "Uhh... was he trying to be metaphorical?"

 

[old.skool.kid]

It thought the mention of the dog was the sniffer dog for the airport.

Yes i agree text 3 WAS A DOG!

 

[mango678]

Isn't it a bit unfair that the poem referenced Charles Darwin and the people who studied On Giants' Shoulders for imaginative journeys would have known a lot more about him because he's one of the scientist's discussed in the text? Meaning that they would have picked up the subtle references and had an advantage.

 

[gonutsmate]

I reckon it was more along the lines of the memory of the old Darwin is being phased out as it is renewed with buildings and stuff.
Memories can exist as both visual and in the form of smell.

 

[conics2008]

that poem was the shittest poem i have ever read, i read it like 9 times adn still didnt understand anyshit from it.. so i randomly picked some quotes to support some bull shit view.. lol.. hope i get a mark or 2 xD

 

[risole91]

Thank god.

everyones telling me its about a dog...i didn't refer to the dog at all.

 

[jennyk456]

well this is what i said, the question asked something like what reflections of a journey are presented when going back to childhood home? i quoted how only the physical has changed, and elaborated on the ability of the journey and the power of memory, that is the ability of journey to trigger these memories and challenge the journeyer mentally, i also spoke about the numerous reference to smells and perfume and stuff and how this can symbolise spirituality, gave quotes and rote about how the poem reflects the spiritual element of a journey to your childhood home bla bla bla, then at the end i briefly sed how the journey to the poets childhood home made him not want to leave, quoted something about the "precious island" and the pull factor of it...in the end i rote ..."im summation, an adaption to an old adage: you can take the boy out of Darwin but you can't take Darwin out of the boy."

really i have no idea if this stuff is rite, coz the poem really confused me..

 

[gezzill]

i did until it said it was 25 years old

 

[MadamGuilia]

:| I really didn't read that much into it - dang it.

It sounded like a human to me :S... also... The memories of it all seemed to fit into a human's life, perhaps they were remembering a dog? I dunno.

Ahhhh geez, really need to study for Modules now, feeling nervous about it. I'm a bit stuck methinks.

 

[ghost-blade]

it wasn't literally a dog, that parts obvious.

The persons journey into his past was metaphorically related to that of a dog sniffing out its past.

lolz i realised this through i 3 or so read through, seemed pretty weird that the guy was sniffing everything, unless unless wer all wrong and he was just a coce adict having a halucination...........hmm that might have made a good creative writing story.