Hyeree Park

IB1English

04/03-08

Commentary: Wild Bees

The poem Wild Bees by James K. Baxter is a descriptive poem about a place in the southern hemisphere in January when it is summer. Specifically when the speaker and his friends steal honey from by burning a beehive. Baxter presents a speaker who appears to be engaged in observing the bees, and is fascinated by the natural instincts of the bees especially their preparations for winter. The speaker also compares himself to the Romans in Carthage and the Greeks in Troy, where the fires created killed many people, when depicting the flaming of the beehive that destroys half of the honey which can be seen as a protest against violence.

The narrative is in first person and it is clear that the poet himself is the speaker as it refers back to a memory. The poet seems to prefer nature rather than materialistic items, as he points out “loss [honey] is a precious stone to me” (28), alluding to the honey which is lost in the fire. He also refers to honey as “their[bees’] gold” (24) as it is as important and valued as gold to them. Moreover the poet recognizes that “Tragedy is written distinct and small” (26), although his friends who went to smoke the hive would not have been as sensitive or reflective. However, the speaker does take part in the burning of the hive in the poem, which may be a sign that his remorse came afterwards. Also the poem is written in the past tense suggesting that the thoughts in the poem are of those that at the time of writing it.

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Rhyme and rhythm are important in differentiating the general introduction to the poem and the main story. There is a rhyme scheme which is fairly consistent; the second line and last line of each stanza rhyme, with the exception of the first stanza where the third line rhymes instead of the second line. There is also a caesura in the first stanza, which effectively separates it into two parts. The poem begins by “Often in summer” (1) which misleads the reader into believing that the poem is going to discuss a pleasant memory of the poet’s past. Although the ...

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