more through the poem.My gaze slipped off his hat toward the empty skyThat circled over the black knot of men, Over us and the calf waiting for the first blow. (“The Bull Calf” line 14-16).This puts the event into perspective. While it is only a small event, it is related to the whole world that shows its importance. “Struck,” (“The Bull Calf” line 17). This is the first line in the third stanza, it is only one word, but is very effective and gets the point across. The three periods in a row shows something is expected to happen it is going to be important but one does not know weather it is going to be good or bad. “Darkening eyes” this is imagery. Imagery emphasizes the effect of the idea, line, or stanza that helps the reader understands the poem. “Of his frightened look growing smaller and smallerTill we were only the ponderous mallet” (“The Bull Calf” line 22 & 23). This shows the unimportance of humans once this happens. The humans are degraded down to a stick. This makes sense because the calf doesn’t care about the humans, only about the weapon that did this to him. “Like a block of wood.” (“The Bull Calf” line 26). This is a simile it helps to show the harsh treatment by relating it to something else. “It made a wet sound, a sepulchral gurgle, As the warm sides bulged and flattened.” (“The Bull Calf” line 30 & 31). Here the narrator uses more imagery to emphasize the horrible death of the calf. The narrator uses the word “asleep” it shows that the animal is peaceful now and is in a comfortable position. “Bereft of pride and so beautiful now,” (“The Bull Calf” line 34). The calf is beautiful in death, which shows the inner beauty of the calf. “Bereft of pride” brings the reader back to the beginning of the poem but there is no pride any mo...
