My Poetry thoughts
By robert Barnes
“Hedgehog” by Paul Muldoon
The poem can be found at this site: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/52430 “Hedgehog” begins with the description of a snail and how he shares his secret with the hedgehog. Yet when others ask the hedgehog of his secrets and opinions, he refuses to come out of his shell. The other creatures do not understand why he is so private, but they forget that “the god under his crown of thorns” (the hedgehog) will not trust in the world again. This poem drew me in because of the change that occurred in the final stanza of the poem. The symbolism of the hedgehog to a god or Jesus is a very interesting approach because he depicts a negative relationship between Jesus and “the people.” In my opinion, this is a unique and successful way of writing his poem because Muldoon speaks about the possibility that Jesus’ is mad at the world for what it did to him, and while he may forgive it, he will not forget or trust in it again. I also believe that the snail is symbolism for the prying nature of people and their incessant need to know everything about other people and have their trust, which is displayed by the snail saying, “come out of yourself.” However, the hedgehog is aware of the abuse that one can suffer from giving that trust to others and he refuses to go through that pain again. The final stanza of the poem is the most important because it reveals the entire meaning of the writing. Before that point, the story just appears to be about a forest animal’s distrust of the other animals and it’s own insecurities. The last stanza is also key because it is crucial to understanding the symbolism this is present within the poem. It justifies the meaning behind Muldoon’s words when it says, “never again will a god trust in the world.” I enjoyed reading this poem and believe that it is well written and thought out due to the timing that Muldoon reveals information and the way he builds to the true meaning. This is shown when he writes, “We wonder what a hedgehog has to hide, why it so distrusts,” because he has directly questioned the behavior of the hedgehog right before he provides the answer to his own inquiry. Another aspect of the poem that makes it worthwhile to read is how accurately Muldoon compares the nosiness of the other animals to the nosiness that actual people would have in the same situation. He displays this with their promises to “love” him and how they “mean no harm.” Lastly, his expert use of symbolism by describing the hedgehog as “the god under his crown of thorns,” truly ties the entire piece together to create a poem that has a large impact on the reader. Overall, I thought that it was a successful and memorable poem.
7 Comments
Macalla
10/6/2016 08:11:37 am
I think you had a very well developed post. I liked how you mentioned the symbolism of the hedgehog compared to a god or Jesus.
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Eng
10/7/2016 05:22:10 am
I like how you've interpreted the hedgehog's hesitation to share himself with the world. "We mean no harm" and "we will love you" can be read as a deceitful snoop, as you've pointed out. What do you think about the analogy between the hedgehog's movement and a Hovercraft?
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Eng
10/7/2016 05:24:16 am
Obviously I mean the snail, not the hedgehog
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Kelly Ivy
10/7/2016 06:25:01 am
I love your interpretation of this poem. It is well thought out and thorough. I agree with you on the idea that Muldoon made the hedgehog a symbol of Jesus or God. The snail represents the inquiring, curious nature of humans and our desire to ask our deity questions about life. What are we supposed to do about the issues in our society and how are we supposed to deal with them? Why are you not presenting yourself to answer our questions? Of course, the hedgehog, as you said, represents God and how the poet thinks that God no longer trusts man because of our greedy and deceitful nature. Good job, Rob (haha that rhymes).
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Niki Vemulapalli
10/8/2016 11:25:16 am
Your analysis of this poem was very well thought out. I like how you interpreted that the hedgehog symbolizing Jesus is depicting a negative relationship between Jesus and the people It helps explain the theme of distrust throughout the poem. What would you describe the impact to be on the reader?
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So Yun
11/4/2016 06:09:07 am
I loved how your interpretation introduced me to new thoughts that I have not discovered when I was personally reading the poem. I thought it was very interesting how you connected the snail to the "prying nature of people," constantly wanting to reveal the vulnerability in others that are "bigger" than them like the hedgehog. Great analysis Rob!
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Malloree Mullins
11/4/2016 07:37:21 am
I like the way you interpreted the poem. I see how you get the connection between "the hedge hog" and "god." I also caught myself making the same connection. This poem was very small but very deep at the same time. I like how you seen the poem as a whole and figured it out. Very nice job!
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