Sophia Fregoso
Karli Sultzbaugh
Mr. Leal
AP Lit Per. 2
19 February 2010
TPCAASSSTT of “Traveling through the dark” by William Stafford
Title:There is no formal title of this poem; it’s simply the first line.
Paraphrase: While driving, I came upon a recently killed deer on the side of the road. The driver did not swerve because he feels his life outweighs that of a deer. I moved the carcass towards the cliff, but I realized the doe was pregnant. This revelation caused me to pause momentarily and feel sympathy for the deer. I thought about it, felt guilty, and then pushed her off the cliff into the river because that’s what people do.
Connotation: “Red” connotes hurt and power—the power man has over nature. The car causes this destruction.
“Glow” connotes pregnancy and also innocence. Interesting that the tail light glows because it is part of the murder weapon. Glowing also connotes light, as people are said to have “gone into the light” when they have passed.
“Stiffened” also connotes death when rigor mortis occurs. Once the doe is dead, she is no longer significant.
“Swerving” connotes an uncontrolled car, but also in this poem in connotes wavering thoughts in the second to last line that allow him to think about man’s impact on the natural world.
“Purred” connotes an animal noise that tries to connect the machine and nature.
Allusion: This poem alludes to the environmental movement that was going on at the time (1962). People were starting to advocate for the health of the planet, so the public was forced to develop a consciousness of their actions.
Attitude: The attitude of this poem is mostly solemn and contemplative of the influence of his actions. He feels badly that the doe was killed when she is helpless in defending herself. He begins to notice how much man has begun to negatively impact nature.
Structure: This poem seems to not follow any recognized format. It does, however, contain 4 quatrains and a couplet. There is no consistent meter, and there are no indentations. There is a slight rhyme scheme with every 2nd and 4th line of the quatrains (“road” and “dead”, “killing” and “belly”, “waiting” and “hesitated”, “engine” and “listen”). Golly sir, no funky punctuation present here.
Symbolism: Red = blood and destruction deer is dead, car is responsible
Group = all of humanity and it’s destruction of nature
Pregnant deer = ideas of vulnerability and helplessness of nature
Shifts:Line 12 of the poem seems to mark a turning point in the narrator’s consciousness. His hesitation is perpetuated by an apparent internal conflict as he learns that the doe is pregnant. The couplet at the end of the poem indicates the last shift as the narrator ultimately determines of the doe’s fate.
Title:This poem has no apparent title
Theme:“Traveling through the dark” examines the complexities in the relationship between humans and nature. The poem explores the boundaries of human morality and respect toward the natural world that surrounds them, ultimately discovering man’s disregard of anything outside the industrialized world.