The Summer Day
by Mary Oliver
The Poem :
"Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean -
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down -
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is,
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Summary of the poem :-
This is a simple and powerful poem about a lazy summer day. It reminds us to observe and celebrate the beauty of the world around us. It suggests to take in all its beauty and offerings, and to live each day to its fullest.
At the beginning of the poem, the poet enquires about the creator of the world. He mentions that the same person has created the swan and the bear and the grasshopper. Actually the poet reminds us that along with the world, all the creatures are also created by one person, the Almighty God.
Then the poet depicts all trivial activities of the grasshopper. The grasshopper has moved out of the grass with a lot of force and started eating sugar from the poet's hand. She moves her jaws back and forth instead of up and down. She acts according to her wish and flew away snapping her wings open.
Then the poet says that she does not know how to pray but she does know how to observe the beauty of the world attentively. She knows how to fall down into the grass and kneel down in the grass enjoy the bliss of nature. And she has been doing all those things to enjoy nature since the start of the day.
Finally the poet concludes that we can't help merely enjoy the beauty of nature. We all will die some day and its little time left for that day to come. So we should better observe the world around us and take all its beauty and offerings, and live each day to its fullest.
Comprehension
1. "This grasshopper, I mean -
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,"
a. What are the different things that the poet notices the grasshopper doing?
= The poet depicts all trivial activities of the grasshopper. The grasshopper has moved out of the grass with a lot of force and started eating sugar from the poet's hand. She moves her jaws back and forth instead of up and down. She gazes around with her enormous and complicated eyes. She lifts her pale forearms and washes her face thoroughly. She acts according to her wish and flies away snapping her wings open.
b. What does the poet wonder about the grasshopper, the swan and the bear?
= The poet wonders about the creator of the grasshopper, the swan and the bear. He mentions that the same person has created the swan and the bear and the grasshopper. Actually the poet reminds us that along with the world, all the creatures are also created by one person, the Almighty God.
c. The swan is a graceful, peaceful bird; while the bear is large and clumsy. Why do you think the poet uses such different images in the poem?
= I think the poet uses such different images in the poem to remind us that along with the world, all the creatures are also created by one person, the Almighty God. Every type of creature - graceful or clumsy - are the part of this beautiful nature and they have their own beauty to contribute, making the world so wonderful.
2. According to the poet, what can we do to connect to the world around us?
= The poet says to pay attention to the beauty of nature. She says to fall down into grass, to kneel down in the grass, to be idle and blessed and to stroll through the fields to connect to the world around us. She also reminds us to observe the world around us, to take in all its beauty and offerings, and to live each day to its fullest.
3. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. In what way is this poem a 'prayer'?
= This is a simple and powerful poem about a lazy summer day. It reminds us to observe and celebrate the beauty of the world around us. It suggests to take in all its beauty and offerings, and to live each day to its fullest. The poet symbolically prays to the creator of the beautiful nature by adoring its creations.
4. Read the last three lines of the poem once again. What is the main message that the poet wants to convey? Suggest a new title for the poem based on this message.
= In these three lines the poet says that everything dies at last. We have a very short life span. So our life is very precious. The poet indicates us to connect with the nature and observe it to its fullest. This is the better way to utilise our precious and short-term life.
A new title for the poem based on this message should be - 'Beauty of Living/Life'.
5. "Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
These lines are one of the most famous couplets in the literary world. Re-read the poem in silence, reflect on the poet's message, and write a short paragraph in response to these lines.
= The poet invokes the though that we can't help merely enjoy the beauty of nature. We all will die some day and its little time left for that day to come. So we should better observe the world around us and take all its beauty and offerings, and live each day to its fullest. The poet indicates us to connect with the nature and observe it to its fullest. This is the better way to utilise our precious and short-term life.
6. Do you think looking at and listening to your environment can inform your ideas and influence your thoughts? Why/Why not?
= Looking at and listening to our environment can definitely inform our ideas and influence our thoughts. Here in this poem the grasshopper eats sugar out of the poet's hand and it moves her jaws back and forth instead of up and down. It shows that the little creature does what it feels to do but not what it supposed to do. It gazes around with its enormous and complicated eyes.
It spreads the idea of observing our surroundings. It is spontaneous in its nature and instinct. It lives it s life each day to its fullest. This is the key instance for how looking and listening to our environment informs and inspires us to live life to the fullest everyday.