Billy Collins' "The Revenant" humorously explores a dog's posthumous reflections on its owner, revealing hidden animosity and discontent. The poem effectively challenges conventional notions of the human-dog relationship, offering a fresh and thought-provoking perspective.
Paraphrase:
The poem, "The Revenant" by Billy Collins, is a monologue delivered by a deceased dog returning from oblivion. The dog expresses its dislike for the person who euthanized it.
Despite outwardly friendly gestures, the dog harbored feelings of resentment and wanted to harm the person. The poem delves into the dog's perspective on various aspects of its life, detailing its aversions and frustrations. In the end, the dog is liberated from the mundane constraints of its previous existence.
Analysis:
The poem attempts to offer a humorous and satirical portrayal of the dog's posthumous reflections. Rather than evoking fear or nostalgia, it aims to entertain and provoke thought about the human-dog relationship.
The poet is effective in using the dog's voice to convey unexpected sentiments, highlighting the often overlooked nuances in the dynamics between pets and their owners.
The poem challenges the romanticized view of the loyalty and affection between humans and dogs, revealing a darker, more complex aspect of the canine perspective.
The complete question is:
The Revenant by Billy Collins
I am the dog you put to sleep,
as you like to call the needle of oblivion,
come back to tell you this simple thing:
I never liked you--not one bit.
When I licked your face,
I thought of biting off your nose.
When I watched you toweling yourself dry,
I wanted to leap and unman you with a snap.
I resented the way you moved,
your lack of animal grace,
the way you would sit in a chair to eat,
a napkin on your lap, knife in your hand.
I would have run away,
but I was too weak, a trick you taught me
while I was learning to sit and heel,
and--greatest of insults--shake hands without a hand.
I admit the sight of the leash
would excite me
but only because it meant I was about
to smell things you had never touched.
You do not want to believe this,
but I have no reason to lie.
I hated the car, the rubber toys,
disliked your friends and, worse, your relatives.
The jingling of my tags drove me mad.
You always scratched me in the wrong place.
All I ever wanted from you
was food and fresh water in my metal bowls.
While you slept, I watched you breathe
as the moon rose in the sky.
It took all of my strength
not to raise my head and howl.
Now I am free of the collar,
the yellow raincoat, monogrammed sweater,
the absurdity of your lawn,
and that is all you need to know about this place
except what you already supposed
and are glad it did not happen sooner--
that everyone here can read and write,
the dogs in poetry, the cats and the others in prose.
Discussion Questions
Paraphrase the poem.
What do you think the poem is attempting to do? Educate the reader, create nostalgia , or fear, evoke a mood, etc? Is the poet effective?