The Snake Freudian Idealisms, Human Self Conflict And...

The Snake: Freudian Idealisms, Human Self-Conflict and Religious Integrity By: Josh Howe For: Mrs. Polivick Date: 9/23/14 At the turn of the 20th century, a plethora of poetic revolutions took place due to the social, political, and religious events that defined the era. Imagism is one of the most notable movements, as it spawned many forms of poetry that still thrive today, forms such as: jazz poetry, pylon poetry, and, most notably, nature poetry. Nature poetry shows man’s appreciation of nature, and more importantly man’s ability to use nature to represent large-scale issues through simplistic natural occurrences. D.H. Lawrence is one of the more successful nature poets, as he is able to tie an abundance of themes that†¦show more content†¦He feels it necessary to destroy the snake because that is what he was taught to do, but he doesn t want to hurt it because he â€Å"liked him† and was glad â€Å"he had come like a guest in the quiet.† In the end, the speaker throws a log at the snake. However, he immediately regrets it and thinks himself â€Å"paltry†, â€Å"vulgar†, and â€Å"mean.† Immediately, he despises himself for his action and feels he needs to atone his sins and â€Å"expiate† his â€Å"pettiness†. But the symbolism of the snake cannot be ignored and suggests that Lawrence may have been exploring something other than simply a snake. The snake also makes a rather large symbolic appearance in The Bible as it represents temptation and Satan himself. Lawrence uses a repetition and imagery to show that it is a really hot day, and snake has come from the burning bowels of the earth and Lawrence uses simile to say it is â€Å"Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld. These allusions can’t be overlooked, as he represents the obstinate desire in every law-abiding citizen to ignore social order and give in to the temptation of wrong-doing that hangs over everyone’s head. He resists his education’s urges for him to not give into his temptations, and after he successfully obeys his learned behaviors, he regrets his decision to do so and wishes he had broken societal order to give into his twisted temptation. Lawrence demonstrates that he is willing to discuss the perverse topics that people often