In this poem, Gill describes the death of a whale and how it is mercilessly killed by whale hunters. It describes in detail how the whaler's harpoon buries its way through the flesh of the poor mammal, and finally the struggle the whale gives before it dies. David Gill clearly tells us how cruel we are to the animals we live with in this world.
Gill has used various methods of poetry in this poem. He has used a great variety of similes such as "like a squirt of paint" or " like an umbrella." These similes are good to tell us how the objects he is describing work when they are put into action. Gill has also used some metaphors to describe certain objects in the poem. However, Gill has not used any rhyming words in this poem.
I like this poem because it clearly makes you feel how much pain the whale goes through when it is dying. For instance, when he is explaining how effective his descriptions are. Gill also indicates in this poem how he feels towards the slaughter of whales at the end of the poem. The last two words, "give oil' indicate that he thinks that whales are killed for very little reason and that whales are killed only for their oil and for nothing else.
Once again, I think that the poem is well written
and Gill has used very effective diction to describe the whale's
death.
by Bernard Lim, September 7, 1990.
Gill's poem describes the procedure in preparing to kill a whale with the loading of dynamite into the harpoon and taking aim ready to fire. Gill then goes on to describe the terrible reactions the whale feels after being hit, and the painful death it foes through. The poem is obviously trying to put across a message about the slaughtering of whales in a very down-to-earth manner. The poem starts off with a detailed description of the build-up to the slaughter, more like a guide to killing a whale, than a campaign to save the whale. But as the poem continues, it supplies concrete evidence of the poet's aim to save the whale, for example, "It dies with some panache/ Whipping the capstan like a schoolboy's wooden top,/ until the teeth of the machine can hold its anger grip."
The poem is very descriptive and detailed about
the topic, giving a terrific outlook to what the slaughter is like. I
felt the poem was very effective and gave a clear view. Overall I
would give "Killing a Whale" an 8.5 out of 10 for its very
descriptive writing.
Paul Ashmore
The poem is written in varying moods as it changes
from a purely descriptive verse, written not unlike a recipe, to an
extremely emotional final verse as the whale thrashes the ravished
sea and finally dies an agonising death. . . .I think it expresses
the waste of life in a terrible death just for an insignificant
amount of oil.
Daniel Sturrock
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