Discussion Topic
Analysis of Poetic Devices, Tone, Mood, Themes, and Imagery in D. H. Lawrence's "Bat"
Summary:
D. H. Lawrence's poem "Bat" employs a range of poetic devices to explore themes of fear, prejudice, and the unexpected disruptions of life. Initially, the speaker's perception of swallows evokes pleasant imagery through metaphors and personification, but upon realizing the creatures are bats, the tone shifts to disgust, highlighted by exclamations and alliteration. The poem uses vivid imagery, such as "sewing shadows together," to enhance sensory experiences. Themes include irrational fear of the night and the unsettling shift in consciousness, reflecting Modernist ideas. The poem's mood transitions from peaceful to apprehensive, engaging readers in thoughtful reflection.
What poetic devices are used in David H. Lawrence's "Bat"?
"Bat" is a lyrical poem that traces the speaker's change from delight at what he thinks are swallows flying in the twilight air at dusk in Florence to his disgust when he realizes that they are bats.
Lawrence uses imagery and metaphor to highlight the contrast. When the speaker thinks the flying creatures are swallows, he uses pleasant imagery to describe them, such as "a quick parabola under the bridge arches" and "spools of dark thread sewing the shadows together." However, once he realizes they are actually bats, the imagery changes: they become "lumps" and " disgusting old rags."
Lawrence uses other literary devices to underscore the emotional change the speaker experiences at his realization. For example, he uses exclamation points three times after his discovery to highlight the shock and alarm he feels. He calls the bats by their Italian name, pipistrello , as if the jolt...
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of awareness has shocked him into another language. The exclamation point with "Bats!" also conveys his surprise and disgust. The exclamation points, sharp and precise, are used as contrast to another form of punctuation, the vague drifting ellipses at the poem's beginning that show the speaker's dreamy, unfocused state of mind:
When the tired flower of Florence is in gloom beneath the glowing
Brown hills surrounding ...
In the first three stanzas, the speaker is simply drifting in his thoughts.
The speaker employs alliteration, which is when words beginning with the same consonant are placed in close proximity, to express some of his unease at the bats, which are "A twitch, a twitter" and then "little lumps" in the air.
Lawrence uses interior dialogue (rather than monologue) to indicate the change in consciousness the speaker experiences as he applies knowledge to his perceptions:
And you think:
"The swallows are flying so late!"
What are the themes of D. H. Lawrence's "Bat"?
In the poem "Bat" by D. H. Lawrence, the speaker seems to be exploring themes of fear of the actual animal while also exploring how the bat represents fear of darkness and the night. The speaker originally thinks that the bats that are flying above his head are just swallows. However, the speaker soon realizes that the creatures are indeed bats, and the speaker is suddenly filled with fear, disgust, and a sense of creepiness and apprehension as the bats swoop down closely above his head. Humans are often afraid of the night, and the creatures that become active during the night are often used as symbols for this fear and apprehension. The bats did not incite fear when the speaker thought they were swallows (which are creatures active during the day), but the speaker immediately became fearful once the creatures were determined to be bats—representative of the coming night.
What is the theme of D.H. Lawrence's "Bat"?
One of the major themes in D.H. Lawrence's "Bat" is irrational prejudice, the fact that our dislikes, even hatreds, are visceral rather than cerebral and can only be described, not explained. Lawrence explores various types of prejudice in his animal poems, notably in what is perhaps his best-known poem, "Snake," when he throws a log at a snake, not because he particularly wants to, but because people generally dislike snakes, and he feels a gesture of hostility is required.
In this poem, the speaker really does seem to loathe bats. He describes their physical appearance in words filled with repulsion:
Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep;
And disgustingly upside down.
Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags
And grinning in their sleep.
Bats!
One possible theme you might like to consider is life's nasty little habit of dashing one's expectations. It's evening, and the speaker sits on a terrace in the beautiful city of Florence. He is truly enraptured by the fading sun, the glowing brown hills, and the little green light emerging under the arches of the Ponte Vecchio against the stream of the River Arno.
Yet this scene of tranquility is soon disturbed by a dark cloud of bats swooping down from the sky. At first, the speaker thinks they're just swallows flying later in the day than usual. But to his disgust, he soon realizes that they're those disgusting creatures with wings like bits of umbrella. The whole delightful scene of Florence at evening time has been disrupted and ruined by this unwelcome invasion.
We might see this as a metaphor for life itself, which often promises us beautiful swallows, only to end up giving us bats.
References
As part of Lawrence's anthology of poems entitled Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, "Bat" seeks to make a statement that shows how the natural world can communicate realities within the human one. A thematic aspect of this is how Lawrence sees the experience of the bats in his poem reflective of the shift in human consciousness that is an essential part of Modernist thought. Virginia Woolf describes this essence behind the Modernist movement: “All human relations shifted,” Woolf continued, “and when human relations change there is at the same time a change in religion, conduct, politics, and literature.” The theme that explores this shifting in human consciousness lies at the essence of Modernism, and is a significant theme in Lawrence's "Bat."
The poem's exposition reveals a beautiful world in which the human being lives. The sun drenched stones of Italy casts an impression both reader and poet alike. There is a beauty in consciousness, even with the image of "the tired flower of Florence," the feeling one develops is a joy of being in the world. Lawrence accentuates this with the belief that the swallows emerge at night. The poet wonders why the swallows "are flying so late." It is here in which the shift emerges into something more sinister, more unknown. The illuminating power of the sun is replaced with the potential malevolence in the night. This theme of shifting one's being in the world lies at the center of the poem's thematic purpose: "Bats, and an uneasy creeping in one's scalp/ As the bats swoop overhead." The uneasiness in consciousness is a reflection of the shift that is intrinsic to Modernism. Lawrence uses the natural world to evoke realities within human consciousness, seen in lines such as "Little lumps that fly in air and have voices indefinite, wildly vindictive." The bats come to represent the pain of being in the world, a far cry from the poem's exposition. Lawrence concludes the poem with a description of the bats, "Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags/ And grinning in their sleep." This adds to the shift in being in the world. When the poem ends with "Not for me," it is almost a raging at the condition of consciousness, a raging at the shift of being from the light of the swallows that "are gone" and replaced with the pain and fear at the "grinning" of the bats.
With this shift, I think that one of the dominant themes in the poem is how individuals experience a change in consciousness. Whether one wants to frame this theme as a loss of innocence into experience or the change that Woolf identifies as part of Modernism's essence, Lawrence's "Bat" articulates a fundamental difference in being. This experience is a part of the human predicament. Lawrence's poem revels in the theme that juxtaposes happiness with a sense of fear and looming fear that is inescapable in what it means to be a human being.
References
What is the tone and mood of D. H. Lawrence's "Bat"?
The tone of a piece of writing presents the author's attitude about the subject matter. Tone can shift slightly or greatly throughout a work as the author develops ideas and navigates imagery. In “Bat” by D. H. Lawrence, the speaker begins with a peaceful tone as he watches the sun set over Italy. The brown hills glow in the gloom, and the light dances across a stream.
Then, however, the speaker notices something flying, and his tone shifts to curious and engaged. He wants to know what these things are. They look like “swallows with spools of dark thread sewing the shadows together.” He watches with interest as they dip and swoop and loop.
But then the speaker realizes what these creatures are. They are bats! The speaker is now disgusted. He dislikes bats, and they make his scalp creep. He compares them to “disgusting old rags” and “bits of umbrella.” The Chinese may consider the bat a “symbol of happiness,” but the speaker certainly does not.
The mood of a piece of writing is the attitude it evokes in the reader. As we read this poem, we are deeply engaged with the poet's imagery, which inspires reflection. We look at common occurrences and things through a fresh lens, seeing them in new and creative ways. Most of us have probably never thought of the sunset surprising the world or of bats as sewing with dark threads or as black gloves. Lawrence provides us with another way to view the world, and we are invited into a mood of thoughtful interest.
What type of imagery does D. H. Lawrence use in "Bat"?
D. H. Lawrence packs his poem “Bat” with all kinds of imagery, especially visual imagery, using personification, metaphors, and similes. Let's work our way through the poem and look at some of the excellent imagery we can discover therein.
In the first stanza, we read that the sun is departing, “and the world is taken by surprise.” Notice the personification here. The world being taken by surprise by the sunset is appealing imagery that makes us think about common occurrences in fresh, new ways.
In the next stanza, Florence is a “tired flower” (a metaphor), but the brown hills around the city are glowing in the gloom. The sensory details are vivid here, and the contrast of gloom and glowing brings them out in an interesting way.
Then the speaker sees something flying. At first he thinks that they are “swallows with spools of dark thread sewing the shadows together.” This is a delightful metaphor that presents a vivid mental picture. These flying creatures swoop and make “a quick parabola” (another metaphor) under a bridge, turning and dipping.
As the speaker watches, he wonders if these are actually swallows. They perform “dark air-life looping” (a vivid but subtle image that suggests that these creatures are bringing life to the air and taking life from the air). They twitter and twitch with “an elastic shudder in flight.” Notice the metaphor here, the comparison of flight to elastic that snaps and shudders. As the speaker looks more closely, he notices in a marvelous simile that these creatures are “like a glove, a black glove thrown up at the light.” They are not swallows; they are bats!
These bats, the speaker continues, are swooping and “flying madly,” and they make his scalp creep. They look like “little lumps,” and they have “wildly vindictive” voices. The poet compares them to “disgusting old rags” as they hang upside down in sleep, and he says that they have “wings like bits of umbrella.” Bats may be symbols “for happiness” in China, but they certainly are not for him!
How does D. H. Lawrence utilize diction and punctuation in “Bat”?
In “Bat,” D. H. Lawrence uses diction and punctuation to spotlight the surprising, unpleasant appearance of the bats. The diction and punctuation create contrast and suspense for the inevitable entrance of the creature that is named in the title.
At first, the diction is calm and ornamental. Lawrence’s choice of words produces a Romantic set of images built on nature and light. The repetition of “when” alerts the reader that these traditionally poetic moments won’t last. The when and the ellipses give the reader a feeling that the relaxing moments could suddenly disappear any second.
Sure enough, following the third ellipsis, Lawrence implores the reader to “look up.” Now, the diction turns from languorous to frantic. The arrival of the swallows/bats compels Lawrence to switch to action words. The shock and dismay engendered by the bats are reinforced by the punctuation. The word bats is accompanied by an exclamation mark on three separate occasions. The punctuation seems to equate bats with something dramatically horrible.
The emergence of the bats also allows Lawrence to be a bit playful with his diction. He can drop the long, lofty lines that occur at the start of the poem and have some fun. Perhaps the touch of alliteration (a “twitch, a twitter”) and the sprinkling of rhymes are used by Lawrence to inject the poem with lighthearted, childlike energy, which might connect to the symbolism of the bats.