18 pages • 36 minutes read
The Armadillo
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Literary Devices
Form and Meter
“The Armadillo” has 40 lines arranged in 10 stanzas. Each stanza contains four lines. The syllable count in these four lines ranges widely, from five syllables to 11 syllables. In other words, the lines do not follow a strict metrical pattern. This lack of consistent meter points toward the poem being free verse. However, unlike some free verse poems, “The Armadillo” has a consistent rhyme scheme. The second and fourth lines of every stanza rhyme (ABCB). In the first stanza, the first and third lines also rhyme. In the second stanza, a rhyme from the first stanza is repeated. The rhyme scheme of the first two stanzas is ABAB CDBD. The repeated rhyme in these two stanzas (the -ight sound in “night,” “height,” and “light” [Lines 2, 4, 7]) returns in the seventh stanza with “white” and “sight” (Lines 26, 28).
Bishop uses some slant rhymes and visual rhymes. An example of a slant rhyme is in the sixth stanza, where the second and fourth lines end with “fire” and “pair” (Lines 22, 24). These words almost sound the same, but not quite, making the rhyme slant. In the final stanza, the end word of Line 37, “mimicry,” looks like the word “cry” in the following line, but the two words are pronounced differently, creating a visual rhyme (as opposed to an auditory one). The rhyme in this case can be seen instead of heard. The form and content mirror each other, as mimicry is often visual and not exactly the same.
Enjambment
Bishop uses enjambment—continuing a sentence in the following line—throughout “The Armadillo.” One moment of enjambment within the eighth stanza leaves white space after the word alone: “Hastily, all alone, / a glistening armadillo left the scene” (Lines 30-31). This emphasizes the meaning of the word alone with the poetic device of a line break. In other words, the word alone is isolated in Line 30. Enjambment here also helps to emphasize the lone armadillo from which the poem takes its name.
Another moment of enjambment occurs between the sixth and seventh stanzas: “The flame ran down. We saw the pair // of owls” (Lines 24-25). This enjambment leaves some ambiguity about the pair being humans or owls. In Line 23, a human house is described, leading the reader to initially think that the pair in Line 24 is a couple of humans. However, this expectation is challenged when the pair turns out to be two owls. The enjambment here works in a similar fashion to how the armadillo is personified through its mailed fist at the end of the poem. Bishop repeatedly breaks down the division between humans and animals to imply that what hurts the animals could also harm humans.
Generally, enjambment is a good way to soften rhymes. When rhyme words do not appear at the end of sentences, it gives the poem a slightly more conversational sound. A strong emphasis on rhyme makes a poem sound more formal. Bishop’s use of rhymes in the middle of sentences, as well as slant and visual rhymes, make the poem feel more modern.
Similes and Metaphors
Bishop uses similes and metaphors (types of comparisons) throughout “The Armadillo.” Similes are a direct comparison and often contain the words “like” or “as.” For instance, the fire balloon that fell from the sky “splattered like an egg of fire” (Line 22). Here, the balloon is directly compared with a broken egg. A metaphor is a less direct comparison, such as the rabbit being “So soft!—a handful of intangible ash” (Line 35). This metaphor compares things that are dissimilar: life and death. Fur is part of a living animal, while ash is created after death by fire. The fur of an animal can be touched, but ash disintegrates when touched. This comparison can be contrasted with how an egg and a balloon have similar shapes and are more easily compared.
Overall, the fire balloons can be read as a metaphor for weapons, like bombs or missiles, that were developed during the Cold War. This is not a direct comparison, but hinted at in various ways through The Condemnation of Human Violence. The fire that descends from the sky to the earth can be applied to both balloons and bombs. The diction of “big one fell” (Line 21) alludes to a bomb developed during the Cold War (the Tsar Bomba) that was called the big one. The image of “falling fire” (Line 38) is repeated in the final stanza, emphasizing the metaphoric reading of the fire balloons as weapons for the Cold War.
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By Elizabeth Bishop
