Chapter:
1. SUMMARY OF THE POEM TRAVELLING THROUGH THE DARK:
Travelling Through The Dark is an ironical and sentimental poem composed by William Stafford, where the poet presents the two realities of life, efficiency and responsibilities on one hand and the emotions warmer than responsibilities and deeper than good judgement on the other hand. The poet does full justice to the full justice to both sides of the conflict.
In this poem, the poet describes how he is moved by the death of the pregnant doe. As the poet is travelling along the mountain road at night, he finds deer lying dead on the edge of the Wilson River road and thinks to remove it from the narrow road. As he goes near the deer, he finds her pregnant. Her body is already stiff, almost cold. He drags the doe off and thinks seriously about the fate of the fawn still living and waiting to be born in the womb of the dead doe. The poet is filled with pity as it is impossible for the fawn to be born. He hesitates to do anything for some time. The traveller thinks hard for all. He knows that his love and pity towards the fawn could not save it as the mother is already dead. He knows that his delay is only a waste of time, so he finally pushes the doe into the river and marched towards his destination.
The poem is ironical and suggestive. The irony is directed towards those so-called nature lovers who drive carelessly and put the life of innocent animals in danger. Because of the human beings irrational and uncontrollable exploitation of nature, the whole civilization is traveling towards the dark road.
2. Show how action develops stanza by stanza in poem,Travelling Through Dark.
William staffords travelling though the dark is an ironical poem which develops stanza by stanza. The poem is split into five stanzas. The speaker finds a dead deer on the edge of the wilson river road in the first stanza. The speaker stops his car and goes near the deer. He find that it is a pregnant doe witch he drags the doe off. In the third stanza he thinks of the fate of the fawn inside the dead doe. For some time, the poet hesitates to do anything. In the fourth stanza, he describes the sound of the machine of his car. In the final stanza, he makes rational decision in which he pushes the doe into the rivers thereby he wished to clean the environment . In this way actions get developed stanza by stanza in the poem.
3. What is central idea of poem?
In the poem travelling through the dark the poet william staford presents an irony that the so-called lovers of nature and wild animals drive carelessly in the narrow roads killing innocent animals and causing environmental damage.
The central idea of the poem travelling through the dark is the concern over environmental and ecological destruction. The poem deals with the process of decision making whether leaving the dead doe on the way or remove it by pushing over the edge into the river. Because of human beings irrational and uncontrollable exploitation of nature the whole civilization is travelling towards the dark road . It means we have no so bright future regarding our activities upon conservation of nature. All of us should save the wildlife is the major moral lesson of the poem.
 Guest
                                              Guest