RAYMOND WILSON

Poisoned talk

MEANING OF LINES
STANZA 1
Line 1 : The narrator demands to know
who killed cock robin. A cock robin is a
male bird. The robin is common in England.
Line 2-3 : The worm replies and
confesses that he is the one responsible for
the death of cock robin.
Line 4-5 : The worm describes where the
bird died on the branch of a tree. The cause
of his death is poisoning. The bird ate the
worm which is poisonous. The worm is
poisonous because he was poisoned by the
acid soil. Acid soil is toxic and it is harmful
to plants and trees. That is why the tree
where cock robin died is a withered tree,
meaning the tree is dry and weak.

STANZA 2
Line 6 : The narrator asks who
killed the heron (a large bird that
feeds on fish)
Line 7 : The fish confesses to
killing the heron.
Line 8 : The fish killed the heron
when the bird fed on his
poisoned flesh. The word tainted
means contaminated of polluted.
Line 9-10 : The fish says that he
killed all the birds of the lake
including the tern, duck and drake.

STANZA 3
Line 11 : The narrator wants to know who killed
the lake.
Line 12 : Industry boasts that he killed the
lake. The word boasted tell us that Industry is
not sorry for killing the lake, but is proud of it.
Line 13-14 : Industry explains how he killed the
lake. He poisoned the fish, weeds and the
plants in the lake with mercury. Mercury is a
very poisonous substance. It is released into the
environment through industrial processes and
careless disposal of industrial waste.
Line 15 : Industry says that he poisoned the
lake to pleased greedy men. The word men
refers to mankind, people, you and I (people who
do not want to spend money to dispose of
hazardous industrial waste properly because they
want more profits). The real reason for the death of
the lake is mens greed.

STANZA 4
Line 16 : Next, the narrator asks who
killed the flowers.
Line 17 : The wind confesses to the
crime. The word moaned tells us that the
wind is sad.
Line 18-20 : The word prowl tells us
that the wind moves around like an
animal
looking
for
prey.
The
word
unconfined means freely. The winds
explain that he killed the flowers by
carrying acid rain over the land, be it
cultivated field, flooded carrying acid rain
over the land, be it cultivated field, flooded
land or wetlands (fen). Like acid soil, acid
rain destroys plants.

STANZA 5
Line 21 : The narrator wants to know who killed the forest.
Line 22-24 : Sulphur dioxide answers that he made sure
the forest died along with all the wildlife and creatures that
dwell in it. Sulphur dioxide is a smelly gas or liquid
produced through industrial processes and the burning
of coal and petroleum. It dissolves in water to form
acid. Air polluted by sulphur dioxide turns rain into acid rain,
which is harmful to plants and wildlife.
Line 25 : Sulphur dioxide says that he killed all life from
the earthworm to linnet (a small European bird). This
covers all living creatures. It tells us how powerful and lethal
sulphur dioxide is

PLACE

TIME

The main voice in this poem is the

omniscient narrator who asks who
is to blame for a death.
The answers of the creatures and
elements which confess to the
crime are put in italicised text.

THEMES

Who is responsible for

the destruction of the
environment and
Do you know ?
wildlife?

The poem tells us that wildlife,

the lake, the flowers and the
forest have been killed. The
culprit who confess to the
crimes are:
the worm who killed cock robin
the fish who killed the heron
Industry who killed the lake
the wind who killed the flowers
Sulphur dioxide who killed the
forest
However, are these the real
killers?

CASE

Cock robin died after eating the

worm which has been poisoned
by the acid soil. So, the worm is
actually a victim. The worm is part
of the natural food chain and he
was caught and eaten by the bird.
The bird died because the worm
was poisonous due to the acid soil.
The real culprit then is the one
who polluted the soil and made
it acidic.

CASE

The heron died because it fed

on the tainted flesh of the
fish. Like the worm, the fish is part
of the food chain. The fish is also a
victim, poisoned by water pollution.
All the birds of the lake died after
eating the poisoned fish. The real
killer
is
the
person
who
polluted the lake.

CASE

Industry killed the lake by

poisoning al life in it with
mercury. He says it is to satisfy
mens greed. So, it is mens greed
that caused industry to pollute
the lake and destroy the life in
it.

CASE

The wind confessed that he

killed the flowers. He did it by
carrying acid rain everywhere he
blew. Acid rain is the weapon used
to kill the flowers. But how did the
rain become acidic? It is through
air pollution. So the real culprit
is the one who caused air
pollution.

CASE

The forests killer is sulphur

dioxide.
Sulphur
dioxide
is
produced by the burning of coal
and petroleum for industry.
Who is the real culpit? Man.

In all the cases, a chain effect led

to the death of creatures or
plants. On the surface, the ones who
confess to the killings appear to be
guilty. However, if we follow the chain
of cause and effect, we realise that
the real killer in all the crimes is
us humans.

Mans greed causes them to use

cheaper sources, such as coal-burning,
instead of cleaner but more expensive
forms of energy. They also refuse to
dispose
of
industrial
waster
properly because it costs more. Their
irresponsible attitude leads to the
pollution of the environment and
the destruction of nature and life.

MESSAGE 1 : Take responsibility for

our crimes against nature
In the poem, the creatures and
elements who confess to the killing
of wildlife and the environment are
non-human. The poet gives each of
them a human voice. In this way, he
makes us think about who is really
to blame for the crimes. As we look
for the answer, we realise that the real
killers are not those confessing. The
deaths are caused by pollution,

MESSAGE 2 : Protect the

environment, stop pollution
The poet tells us that many animals
have died all the birds of the lake
(line 10), all kinds of life fish, plant
and weed (line 14), all flowers over
field, flood and fen (line 20) and all life
from earthworm to linnet (line 25).
By pointing out the seriousness
of the effects of pollution, the author
wants to tell us to do something to
protect the environment. To prevent

MORAL VALUES
Love for nature
By warning us about the
effects of pollution on
the environment, the
author is reminding us
to love nature.
Responsibility
It is us humans who
poison the environment
with
out
careless
attitude and greed. We
must
take
the
responsibility for the
crimes against nature.

Moderation
It is the greed of
mankind (line 15) that
is the main cause of
the pollution that is
destroying
the
environment.
The
poem reminds us that
we
need
to
be
moderate in the way
we live, not be extreme
and greedy, to want
more than we need.

TONE : Ironic and sombre

The character that confess to the killings in
each verse are not the real killers. The poet
uses irony to draw attention to the truth, that
humans are the real killers. For example, in the
first stanza, the worm confesses that he killed cock
robin. Ironically, the worm himself is twice a victim,
first, he was poisoned by the acid soil. Then, he was
eaten by the bird.

MOOD : grim and chilling

The poem focusses on unnatural death and
killing. In the last stanza, the last killer says that
he ensured that the forest and all the creatures in
it died.
The use of words like killed, great harm,
died, withered, poisoned, tainted and
moaned creates the grim atmosphere.

LANGUAGE AND
STYLE
The poem has 5 verse consisting of
five lines each.
The rhyme pattern: abbcc
Each verse begins with a question
about a crime against nature,
followed by a confession in
italicised text to differentiate it
from the question.

IRONY

PERSONIFICATION

 The question who killed and

the reply I are repeated at
the beginning of each stanza.

REPETITI
ON

Repetition gives the poem a

definite rhythm.
It emphasises the idea that
the environment and wildlife
are being destroyed and that
we need to do something to
stop it.

SYMBOLISM
The crimes spoken about in the poem symbolise
the destruction of the environment.
The poison mentioned in the poem symbolise
pollution.
The killing of cock robin symbolises the destruction
to wildlife via the natural food chain as a result of
land pollution.
The killing of the heron and the birds of the lake
symbolises the lethal effect of water pollution.
The killing of the lake symbolises the danger of
industrial waste.
The killing of the flowers by the wind refers to air
pollution.
The killing of the forest symbolises the threat to
the whole Earth.