[Ttha-potm] Snow in the Suburbs

[carolyn mcgrath]

Yes, David, I agree that it 'should' read anapest + iamb, but I do feel an inclination towards some additional stress being placed on the 'him' in the final line. There's the personification (well, at least male sexing) of both the cat and sparrow which creates maybe the need to clarify that it is the cat that is meant here, especially given those similar lines above: 'And overturns him, / And near inurns him', in reference to the bird, which are not stressed. Also, as I mentioned in my first (maybe daft but striving to be relevant) posting, strictly following the expected metre would not give as much a sense of closure as maybe the final words of the poem require. I'd put what I think is termed 'secondary stress' on the 'him'. 

The poem does end abruptly enough: the expected 8 lines are reduced to 4 and the line is shortened. I experience both the secondary stress and the abrupt ending of the poem as a means of firmly closing the door on that winter scene. I'd be interested to hear how others experience that abrupt ending. By the 'closing of the persona's door', so to speak, the wintry world and domestic interior are separated and we are left with a strong impression of the wintry world and that sparrow continuing in their harsh existence. It seems like a wry nod and a wink from Hardy regarding which has the upper-hand and fulfils that insight of James Gibson that Hardy seldom writes merely to describe.

How do people take the 'we' that is introduced in that final line? It could refer just to the inhabitants of No.63, Suburbia but seems to be more inclusive than that. Maybe this is part of the comment also: that
'we' share our hearth with some species, but not others, and that this has implications for how we perceive the world and our relationship with it. I am not immune to the sensory delight of the poem, as Kathy beautifully described, and I obliquely referred to it in my own posting, but it is the oddities of the poem that have caught my eye and which I think are of ecocritical interest in the poem.

I do agree, for example, with David about the sparrow's 'blithe spirit', but it is not explicitly voiced in the poem in the same way as the cat's 'feeble hope'. The bird is identified as male, but there is no description of the bird's mental state. The ambiguity of 'lights on a nether branch', which applies simultaneously to the snow-lump (grammatically) and to the movement of the bird (semantically), adds to that lack of design, or reversal of the expected, that 'Snow in the Suburbs' brings: the world is transformed by the snow (as we are currently experiencing in UK - and which is why I am not at work!) and snowy confusion abounds. The predators huddle indoors and the prey shakes off the snowy confusion - despite 'A snow-lump thrice his own slight size'. We are not given insight into the small bird's mind beyond the association of 'lights' which is not referring to him at all. 

The cat is, however, directly anthropomorphised, maybe reflecting its greater domestication and closer association with humans. Saying that, the inanimate 'lost' snow-flakes are personified which I suppose is invitation enough to anthropomorphise the scene as a whole. It is of moot interest as to whether anthropomorphism is an inevitable but damaging or beneficial perspective or facility and it is for this reason that I think the poem lends itself to an ecocritical reading. I don't feel knowledgeable enough regarding this way of reading to comment other than describe my response to the poem and raise questions. I shall follow up the useful reading suggestions that were posted on the Hardy forum regarding this aspect of Hardy's poetry. 

We did have similar discussions around those comical-tragical insects in 'An August Midnight'. Like David, I hear echoes of that poem in this - I think it is the similar effect of stage directions with, "A sparrow enters the tree,". There is that comical causality which reveals the stoic survivor in the bird.

As regards the luckiness of the black cat, there always seems to be a miscellaneous reception to the sighting of one, some finding it a harbinger of good and some of evil. Certainly black cats figure on 'Good luck' cards, particularly weddings, so that must be the prevailing view. I think the opposition of cat/sparrow, black/white, up/down and inside / outside and which has the 'upper-hand' which struck me more. There is a sort of 'Twelfth Night' upside-down/reversed feel to the poem, which is what 'Snow in the Suburbs' is actually all about. With a foot of snow in the night, the most snow for 18 years and more snow forecast for Thursday 1:5 UK workers stay at home! 

It's as if you knew, Betty!! Spooky!
 
best wishes

Carolyn McGrath