Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Earthworm’s Monologue Explanation.
The Earthworm’s Monologue is basically a monologue written by Elizabeth Jennings. It is about an Earthworm talking about its life. So, the speaker is Earthworm itself speaking with a person who is presumably present in the garden. The poem begins with the earthworm candidly.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of George’s Secret Key To The Universe and The Adventures of An Understudy so, you can check these posts as well.
The Earthworm’s Monologue Explanation
Stanza 1
The poem begins with the earthworm stating that it is food for birds and fish. Continuing with the food imagery, it describes its body as a sausage and then regrets how it had nothing beautiful like snake. It feels dull and colourless when compared to the snake. The poem seems to be sinking into a depressive state when earthworm talks about being absurd and then all of a sudden, try to redeem its existence by mentioning how spring depends on it for readying the soil.
Stanza 2
The earthworm feel miserable for it accepts the fact that it is often mocked at. Continuing with the high and the low tide like the movement of the poem, it boasts of being able to come together again when it is cut in half. Seeking to establish a rapport with the reader, the earthworm earnestly asks if the reader hasn’t ever felt miserable about his/her physical appearance. The unsaid answer is yes. This makes the earthworm and the reader friends, for both have felt same emotions and hence, have common background.
The earthworm would have liked to sympathize with the reader, cannot do so, because it is too busy tilting the soil. It asks the person to bend over it. Also, the person is not yet tall, indicating that the earthworm is talking to a child or with a man of little height. It is an attempt to make people realise that they are not alone in feeling the way they do and also to sensitise them to the fact that even if a person or a creature looks fine on the outside, he may be depressed.
The only way to keep the negative thoughts away is by being proud of what one has. Ironically, the earthworm has trouble doing the same. It feels wrecked and then discovers a reason to be proud of itself, but the ups and down continues till the poem finally ends. Everyone has felt worthless at some point in lives but does not give one excuse to give up.
So, this was The Earthworm’s Monologue Explanation.