Poisoned Talk

by Raymond Wilson
 Who killed cock robin?
I, said the worm,
I did him great harm.
He died on the branch of a withered tree
From the acid soil that poisoned me.
Who killed the heron?
I, mouthed the fish,
With my tainted flesh
I killed tern, duck and drake,
All the birds of the lake.
Who killed the lake?
I, boasted Industry,
I poisoned with mercury
Fish, plant and weed
To pamper men’s greed.
Who killed the flowers?
I, moaned the wind,
I prowl unconfined,
Blowing acid rain
Over field, flood and fen.
Who killed the forest?
I ensured that it died,
Said sulphur dioxide.
And all life within it,
From earthworm to linnet.
Stanza 1
Line 1 :
The narrator demands to know who killed cock robin. A cock
robin is a common male bird in England.
Line 2 – 3 :
The worm replies and confesses that he is the one responsible
for the cock robin’s death.
Line 4 – 5 :
The worm describes where the bird died on the branch of a tree.
The cause of his death is poisoning. The bird ate the worm which
is poisonous. The worm is poisonous because he was poisoned
by the ‘acid soil’. Acid soil is toxic and is harmful to plants and
trees. That is why the tree where cock robin died is ‘a withered
tree’, meaning the tree is dry and weak.
Stanza 2
Line 6 :
The narrator asks who killed the heron (a large bird
that feeds on fish)
Line 7 :
The fish confesses to killing the heron.
Line 8 :
The fish killed the heron when the bird fed on his
poisoned flesh. The word ‘tainted’ means
contaminated of polluted.
Line 9 – 10 :
The fish says that he killed all the birds of the lake
including the tern, duck and drake.
 Line 11 :

Stanza 3 The narrator wants to know who killed the lake.

Line 12 :
‘Industry’ boasts that he killed the lake. The word ‘boasted’ tell us
that ‘Industry’ is not sorry for killing the lake, but is proud of it.
Line 13 – 14 :
‘Industry’ explains how he killed the lake. He poisoned the fish,
weeds and the plants in the lake with mercury. Mercury is a very
poisonous substance. It is released into the environment through
industrial processes and careless disposal of industrial waste.
Line 15 :
‘Industry’ says that he poisoned the lake to please ‘greedy men’.
The word ‘men’ refers to mankind, people, you and I (people who
do not want to spend money to dispose of hazardous industrial
waste properly because they want more profits). The real reason
for the death of the lake is men’s greed.
Stanza 4
Line 16 :
Next, the narrator asks who killed the flowers.
Line 17 :

The wind confesses to the crime. The word ‘moaned’

tells us that the wind is sad.
Line 18 – 20 :
The word ‘prowl’ tells us that the wind moves around
like an animal looking for prey. The word ‘unconfined’
means freely. The winds explain that he killed the
flowers by carrying acid rain over the land, be it
cultivated field, flooded carrying acid rain over the
land, be it cultivated field, flooded land or wetlands
(fen). Like acid soil, acid rain destroys plants
Stanza 5
Line 21 :
The narrator wants to know who killed the forest.
Line 22 – 24 :
Sulphur dioxide answers that he made sure the forest died along with all the wildlife and
creatures that dwell in it. Sulphur dioxide is a smelly gas or liquid produced through industrial
processes and the burning of coal and petroleum. It dissolves in water to form acid. Air
polluted by sulphur dioxide turns rain into acid rain, which is harmful to plants and wildlife.
Line 25 :
Sulphur dioxide says that he killed all life from the earthworm to linnet (a small European bird).
This covers all living creatures. It tells us how powerful and lethal sulphur dioxide is.
Setting
+ PLACE +
- Countryside where all kinds of animals and plants live.
- England and Europe where birds like robins, terns,
herons, ducks and linnets are commonly found.
- Not far from the industrial area which polluted the place

+ TIME +
- 20th century – scientists only began studying the effects
of acid rain in the late 1960s.
 Persona

The answers of the

The main voice in this
creatures and elements
poem is the omniscient
which confess to the
narrator who asks who
crime are put in
is to blame for a death.
italicised text.
Themes

Who is responsible • In all the cases, a chain effect led to the death of creatures or
for the destruction plants. On the surface, the ones who confess to the killings appear
to be guilty. However, if we follow the chain of cause and effect, we
of the environment realise that the real killer in all the crimes is us humans.
and wildlife?

The effect of man’s • Man’s greed causes them to use cheaper sources, such as coal-
burning, instead of cleaner but more expensive forms of energy.
greed on the They also refuse to dispose of industrial waste properly because it
costs more. Their irresponsible attitude leads to the pollution of the
environment. environment and the destruction of nature and life.
 MESSAGE 1 : • In the poem, the creatures and elements who confess to the
killing of wildlife and the environment are non-human. The poet
Take gives each of them a human voice. In this way, he makes us think
responsibility for about who is really to blame for the crimes. As we look for the
answer, we realise that the real killers are not those confessing.
our crimes The deaths are caused by pollution, which is caused by human
beings.
against nature

MESSAGE 2 : • The poet tells us that many animals have died – ‘all the birds of the
lake’ (line 10), all kinds of life – ‘fish, plant and weed’ (line 14), all
flowers ‘over field, flood and fen’ (line 20) and all life from ‘earthworm
Protect the to linnet’ (line 25).
• By pointing out the seriousness of the effects of pollution, the author
environment, wants to tell us to do something to protect the environment. To
prevent the destruction of the environment, we must act to stop
stop pollution pollution.
 Moral Values
It is the greed of mankind (line 15) that
is the main cause of the pollution that is
destroying the environment. The poem
reminds us that we need to be
moderate in the way we live, not be
extreme and greedy, to want more than
we need.
Love for nature
Responsibility
Moderation By warning us about the effects of
pollution on the environment, the
author is reminding us to love nature.

It is us humans who poison the

environment with out careless
attitude and greed. We must take the
responsibility for the crimes against
nature.
 Tone and Mood

Ironic and
Grim and Chilling
Sombre
The character that confess to the killings in each
The poem focusses on unnatural death and killing.
verse are not the real killers. The poet uses irony to
In the last stanza, the last killer says that he
draw attention to the truth, that humans are the
‘ensured’ that the forest and all the creatures in it
real killers.
died.
For example, in the first stanza, the worm confesses
The use of words like ‘killed’, ‘great harm’, ‘died’,
that he killed cock robin. Ironically, the worm himself
‘withered’, ‘poisoned’, ‘tainted’ and ‘moaned’
is twice a victim, first, he was poisoned by the acid
creates the grim atmosphere.
soil. Then, he was eaten by the bird.
Language and Style
• The poem has 5 verse consisting of five
lines each.
• The rhyme pattern: abbcc
• Each verse begins with a question about a
crime against nature, followed by a
confession in italicised text to
differentiate it from the question.
 • The use of irony is seen
Repetition
Ironic
in the confessions to the
crimes.
• Each of the culprits
confessing to a killing is
not the real killer.
• They are either victims
themselves, such as the
worm and the fish in the
lake or they are
accessories to the crime,
such as Industry, the
wind and sulphur
dioxide.
• Even though there seems
to be so many killers,
when we trace the cause
and effect chain, we
discover that there is
only one killer – man.
• The question ‘who killed’
Personification
Symbolism
• The creatures and
and the reply ‘I’ are environment elements
repeated at the mentioned in the poem
beginning of each stanza. are given human
• Repetition gives the qualities.
poem a definite rhythm. • They can ‘talk’.
• It emphasises the idea • The ones confessing to
that the environment the killings speak about
and wildlife are being their crimes in a human-
destroyed and that we like voice and they use
need to do something to the first person pronouns
stop it. ‘I’ and ‘my’.
• Industry begins with a
capital letter like a name
and ‘boasted’ like a man
(line 12)
• The wind ‘moaned’ and
prowls (line 17-18)
• Sulphur dioxide ‘ensured’
the forest died (line 22)
• The crimes spoken about in
the poem symbolise the
destruction of the
environment.
• The poison mentioned in
the poem symbolise
pollution.
• The killing of cock robin
symbolises the destruction
to wildlife via the natural
food chain as a result of
land pollution.
• The killing of the heron and
the birds of the lake
symbolises the lethal effect
of water pollution.
• The killing of the lake
symbolises the danger of
industrial waste.
• The killing of the flowers by
the wind refers to air
pollution.
• The killing of the forest
symbolises the threat to
the whole Earth.
Any questions?
The End…

Not!