An Introduction to the Poem
The poem ‘Animals' is written by Walt Whitman, who is comparing the nature of human beings with that of animals so that they can realize their flaws and focus on changing them. The poet believes that humans had all the qualities of tranquility, lack of greed, and the ability to stay happy very long ago, but now they are lost. Therefore, in this poem, Walt Whitman presents an educational perspective in front of the people.
God shaped humans and animals to live on the earth. He gave humans a higher status than animals. Walt Whitman, a great American poet, believed that animals are superior to humans. The poet evaluated some characteristics of animals that humans do not possess. He expressed his observations about animals and people in his poem "Animal.”
Walt Whitman loves animals’ companies very much. The poet wants to live amongst animals because he finds it calm and pleasing. They do not moan or cry about their condition. They are always happy and fulfill their duty to God.
According to Whitman, animals always show love and respect for humans. Animals are well satisfied in their lives. They are not obsessed with owning things. Sadness and happiness are similar to them. People are crazy about material things. Eventually, they lose control of the little things while the animals remain pretty happy. They do not waste time discussing their obligations to God as humans do.
He also states that humans do not have the qualities of animals such as signs of love, calmness, tenderness, selflessness, honesty, patience, and empathy. These qualities are absolutely essential to a wonderful life.
About the Poet
Walt Whitman, an American poet, essayist, and journalist was born in New York on 31 May 1819. Walt Whitman was one of the most prominent poets in American literature and is often called the father of free verse.
The Theme of Class 10 English Poem Animals
The poem ‘Animals’ written by Walt Whitman creates a comparison between human beings and animals. In this poem, the poet stresses the fact that animals are better than human beings as their love for humans is genuine. They possess qualities like love, respect, contentment and happiness like humans, sometimes better than them.
According to the poet, humans are losing empathy due to the rat race, whereas animals still value love and belongingness. They value nature more than us. Humans are too busy to find fault in others, whereas animals are satisfied with their own self. The poet says that humans are suffering because of their dissatisfaction and actions towards fulfilling their selfish motives. So, the poet wishes to turn and live with animals.
Class 10 English Poem Animals Summary
In this poem, Whitman compares man to animals. It is the souls of animals that are meant to reflect the truth in humanity. The central idea of this poem is to highlight the difference between human beings and animals.
In the beginning, both were similar in their innate goodness; the man had lost it over the years. In the race of human civilization, humans have lost their nature. They have become self-centered, jealous, restless, unhappy and always dissatisfied about everything. They grumble and crib about every issue. They cry over their sins and look for ways to please God for their selfish motives. The humans have got into a race with each other in order to earn more luxuries and comfort. They have lost their sound sleep and most of the time are unable to enjoy even small joys and happiness.
The poet says that now humans lack many virtues that animals have. Humans have become a combination of complications, contradictions, and confusion. Animals, on the other hand, are peaceful, self-contained, thankful and happy.
The poet desires to live among the animals because they do not complain about their conditions like human beings. They do not have the craze of possessing materialistic things. The animals do not have to bow to another of their kind. They are all equals and remain satisfied. The poet has a deep desire to learn from animals because they do not have any kind of falsehood. The poet is very surprised by their quality.
Understanding the Poem
Let's look at each stanza and understand the poem line by line-
I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contained,
I stand and look at them long and long.
In this stanza, Walt Whitman praises animals for being much better compared to human beings. The poet wants to live with animals, where no one is complaining and living a life free of sin and suffering as the animals are very self-contained and satisfied with whatever they have.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
In this stanza, the poet says that animals are calm and self-sufficient. They do not moan or cry about their condition nor do they cry all night for all the wrongdoings that have happened. They are always happy and fulfill their duty to God, unlike humans who do things to showcase in front of God. Animals always show love and respect for humans and lead a life of satisfaction and peace. They do not waste time discussing their obligations to God as humans do
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
In this stanza, the poet is talking about how non-materialistic animals are and they are completely satisfied without any worldly goods and comforts, unlike human beings who want to own a lot of things unnecessarily. Animals do not pray to their ancestors and everyone is treated equally without any disrespect to anyone. They are not double-faced as human beings are, they exhibit their true behavior in front of other animals.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
In this last stanza, the poet wonders where did human beings lose their qualities such as signs of love, calmness, tenderness, selflessness, honesty, patience, empathy, and passed these qualities to animals. These qualities are the lost values once human beings possessed.
FAQs on Animals Summary
1. What is the theme of the poem, ‘Animals’?
The theme of the poem is the superiority of animals’ life over human beings. The poet, Whitman, compares animals with human beings. He finds animals far better than human beings. The poet highlights the reasons for humans’ suffering. Human beings are always dissatisfied and unhappy. There is always a selfish motive behind their action, but animals are far away from these things. Animals are selfless. They are never unhappy about their being. So, the poet wants to become an animal and live with this species.
2. How is the poem ‘Animals’ a contrast between Humans and Animals?
Humans are selfish, jealous, restless, unhappy, often cribbing and grumbling creatures. They have forgotten innate goodness over the years. They have become so unhappy that most of the time they are unable to enjoy even small joys and happiness in life. Animals are completely different creatures. They are peaceful, self-contained, thankful, selfless and happy creatures. They do not grumble about their lives. They are the happiest species on Earth and they indeed bring out the good qualities like love, respect, contentment and happiness, which humans have lost long ago.
3. What is the difference between Animals and Humans regarding their attitude to their condition, sins and God?
Human beings cry about their condition. They lie awake at night in the dark and weep for their sins. They make the poet sick by discussing their duty about God but animals do not do any of these things. That is why the poet likes them.
4. How are Animals different from Humans about owning things or kneeling to one another?
Human beings are maniacal about possessing things but animals do not care for possession. This craze is observed in the human race only. Animals do not kneel to other animals as humans do. For them, all are equal. Animals are very content in their lives and have no greed towards anything. They are not two-faced, unlike human beings who are kind in front of others but evil behind their backs. The animals are very self-contained and satisfied with whatever they have. They are not greedy and they know how to deal with their situations.