Still Citizen Sparrow by Richard Wilbur - Critical Appreciation

{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}

Introductory

 

Two birds, one still and other striking are two characters sketched by an American Poet, Richard Wilbur, each portraying talkative and virtuous attitude of life. The poem is a satire on the so-called modernity of the modern people. The poem's title is a mockery on the above-mentioned behaviour of the people. The poem magnifies the positive side of the ugliness of vulture.

 

Development of Thoughts

 

To analyze the poem thematically, the themes of restless duty and un-actioned beauty are portrayed through vulture and sparrow respectively. The calm sparrow, a colourful bird is the master in the art of singing. It sits on a wall or a branch of a tree, merely chirping and doing practically nothing. It is admired and liked by every citizen or civilized human-being. But on the other side, a vulture, a bareheaded ugliness, scorned by the civilized sparrows and people too, is seen hunting for the dead flesh of dead birds and animals.

 

The naked-headed one. Pardon him, you

Who dart in the orchard aisles, for it is he

Devours death, mocks mutability,

 

The gliding vulture flies in the air, unlike the still sparrow, he looks for the dirt, rotten flesh in the garden, woods or lake etc. He 'eats it away'. Thus he keeps the environment clean and grooved biologically. Despite his services, he is hated by the masses. Yet, without considering about any insult, he moves to engulf the mess, which not only corrupts the echo-system but also but also provokes the diseases to hunt like wild cats.

The poet moves ahead and asserts the biblical and divine services of the vulture. When prophet Noah was ordered to create a boat by Allah Almighty, it was the vulture, not the "citizen sparrow" who nailed the wooden planks to make the boat swim on the flood which drowned all the sinful living creatures. He ate the dead-bodies, thus he performed a hideous task of sweeping the whereabouts and making the planet earth livable and loveable again.

The poet highlights the significance of vulture and wants the readers and listeners to change their perception regarding the biological saviour of our echo-system.

 

A Continuous Symbolism

 

The poem is a continuous symbolism which Is not easily fore-gone. Here the still and citizen sparrow signifies the people of words who bang like empty vessels but they are absolute while elephants in reality. They are criticizers and dust throwers on the services of the vulture, which symbolizes the gutter-cleaners, street-sweepers, garbage pickers and the people of a lower caste who are installed for the cause of cleaning. Symbolism is continuous and runs through the whole poem smoothly, requesting the readers to get itself unfolded.

 

Structure and Setting

 

The poem holds an urban setting along with the spherical river on which the boat of life floated. The poem is divided into several quatrains, each portraying a quality of the vulture. Richard Wilbur is a classical poet with a classical rhyme scheme of abba, cddc and so on. To invoke a sense of respect for the vulture, the poet uses the pronoun 'He' instead of 'It'.

 

Concrete Imagery

 

The poet achieves satirical impression through vivid and concrete imagery to signify the qualities of the vulture. Lumber, rotten office, sky, heaven's height, hammer, water and ears are some notable images.

 

Conclusion

 

The poet wants everyone to "forgive the hero" as "all men are Noah's sons". The poem is thought-provoking, well-imaged and lesson-giving to the members rhymed and unrhymed family.