"The Hound" by Robert Francis

"The Hound" by Robert Francis

Life the hound
Equivocal
Comes at a bound
Either to rend me 
Or to befriend me.

I cannot tell
The hound’s intent
Till he has sprung
At my bare hand
With teeth or tongue.
Meanwhile I stand
And wait the event.

In the poem “The Hound”, Robert Francis compares the unpredictability and mystery of life to that of an unknown dog. By using this metaphor, he is able to describe many of the situations and struggles we face throughout our lives. In the beginning, Francis says that life (portrayed through the dog) comes to him unexpectedly, not knowing if it would either hurt or help him. With the idea of how unpredictable it can be in mind, he doesn’t know which way life is taking him until it is right there in front of him. So patiently, he must wait to see what the futures holds for him. Life can either go well for you or not, but in the end, you never really know where it will take you. This is what Francis is trying to convey by using the dog—just like life, an unknown dog can spring up out of nowhere and put you in this dilemma of uncertainty. You’ll ask yourself, Is this ‘dog’ going to hurt me or is it going to be my friend? You can’t possibly know until the dog reacts, and when it does, it will either attack you or greet you with kindness. As simple as this poem is, Robert Francis does a great job of strengthening its meaning by using the metaphor of life and the dog. There’s no way of knowing what will happen when you chose a path in life, and Francis illustrates this in such a beautiful, yet sincere, way.

Harper Lee and her use of Metaphor in To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee uses multiple forms of figurative language within her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Metaphor and symbolism are two of the many literary devices that she uses to advance and develop the story. The mockingbird, in particular, is a metaphor for the loss of innocence of the two children, Jem and Scout Finch, who symbolize innocence and harmlessness themselves. Being that the plot revolves around the trial of a black man, named Tom Robinson, being falsely accused of raping and killing a white woman, the children witness firsthand the prejudicial mores of their community. The children are slowly stripped of their innocence as the story progresses, and this is subtly shown through Lee's use of the mockingbird. The mockingbird appears several times throughout the novel, serving as an indication of the loss of their purity and innocence each time. However, even though they are so exposed to the world around them, including the hypocrisy of their fellow townsfolk, because of how their father Atticus allows them to be independent, they still serve as primary figures of innocence throughout the novel. They question and respond to the good and bad going on around them, and are always willing to make the right decisions and foster goodness within their community.