This poem made me think of doggie heaven. Like what your parents tell you your pet went, when it really died. But there was the difference, there was still the voilence like there is on earth. But to me I thought about it as for one animal. Say a lion, they hunt all day wanting the best kill, thats what they do. So if you think about it, if you believe in heaven, you want to think that you can do whatever you want there, in the lions case, getting the best kill.
Some of the description also sets a good picture of what they think the animals want as animal heaven, like
To match them, the landscape flowers,
Outdoing, desperately
Outdoing what is required:
The richest wood,
The deepest field.
With this you can see the picture of the beautiful land the animals are on.
This poem makes me think that the author was trying to say that there is a difference between humand and animals and that they do more and think more then we believe they do.
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I think Dickey has a very interesting view on animal heaven. Like you, I always thought of it as a happy place that my pets went after they passed away, but I think that Dickey has a much better opinion about animal heaven. Before reading this poem I still would have told you that in animal heaven all of the animals get along and live peacefully together, but that's not what would have made them happy. The lions were happy to get a good chase and catch so I think that they should be entitled to do so. And while I think, that doesn't sound so good for the prey, they are already dead so really what's so bad about that? They'll just be reborn into heaven (again).
I think that Dickey's view of heaven is very interesting. I thought it was going to be a peaceful and nonviolent place. But in reality it turned out to be extremely violent and tumultuous. The prey stalking all the time and getting the ultimate kill. And then the animals dieing and coming back just seems to be cruel. I thought that Dickey's view of heaven was more like a hell for the non-predatory animals.
I imagined doggie heave too. Actually, I imagined the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven, honestly. I really began to think about heaven after reading this poem, and I think Dickey's perspective on heaven really does make sense, and heaven should be whatever your personally heaven is to you, whether you're a human or animal.
I really liked your comparison of this poem to the doggie heaven that most parents tell their children about. I also agree that Dickey had a more realistic view of what animal heaven would really be like. It makes sense why wouldn't a dog in heaven want to chase and eat rabbits all day? That's what my dog wants to do all day I could see that being her heaven.
Laura,
After we discussed this poem in class, I also related it to the “doggie heaven” in which I had been told about and had been reassured of when I was younger and my dogs died. I found it interesting however, that Dickey des not portray this heaven as being all sweet and perfect, yet very much like earth and the circle of life that exists here. I also find it interesting that in order to understand Dickey’s poem, you approached it through one particular animal and the wants and needs of that animal (the lion). In this way, you can come to understand and sympathize with the violence that will illicitly go on in the animal afterlife according to Dickey. I found it hard to wrap my mind around the concept of violence in Heaven as well, but feel that your viewpoint made it much easier for me to accept.
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