Atavism By William Stafford Analyzed by Saadiq Chloe

Atavism By: William Stafford Analyzed by: Saadiq, Chloe, and Emma

Figurative Language “Alert/as an otter…” – simile “…suddenly born/like the evening star into wide still worlds…” - simile “…aisles of/shadow…” – metaphor “A pencil of sunlight…” – metaphor “A withheld presence almost/speaks , but then retreats, rustles/a patch of brush” personification

Imagery “…down a forest aisle is a strange, long/ plunge, dark eyes looking for home. ” “…aisles of/ shadow lead away; a branch waves…” “For delicious minutes you can feel your whiskers…”

Sound Devices “…sunlight slowly travels…” - alliteration “…retreats, rustles…” – alliteration “ …whiskers/wider…” – alliteration

Mood/Feeling Depression Longing for the past Regression

Message/Theme At times you want to return to the past. You experience the past of your predecessors in a negative way. Rebirth.

Prediction About The Call of the Wild We predict that The Call of the Wild will have a character that might have gone through regression. For example, in the poem Atavism the first paragraph the speaker was a person living a cheerful life. However, in the second paragraph the speaker has changed into an depressed animal which shows that he regressed. Evolution might also be connected to this. The person regressed into a creature that was an evolutionary “ancestor” to him. This might be in the book.