Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump is a poem written by David Bottoms. I found this poem to be interesting, yet disturbing. This poem makes the readers wonder why the kids are attracted to shooting the rats. Why are they so violent? The answers to these questions are not specifically told in this poem, but we can make some assumption by what is said and described in the detailed words in the poem.
In the beginning of the poem we find that the kids are drinking. This means that the parents are most likely not in the picture very much, which could be one reasoning for them shooting the rats. We know this because line 1 says “Loaded on beer and whiskey, we ride.” We also learn that it is not just a very small group or just a couple of children, but many of them going to the Bibb County dump. We know this because line 2 says “to the dump in carloads.” I found the line that talks about the groups of people getting to the dump turning on their headlights is meaningful in more than one way. I see this light as a way to show the vulnerable rats in the waste field. It also can relate to how the groups of people that are engaging in this activity are shown as vulnerable like the rats. This poem shows that the darkness seems to be where it is safe, for the rats and the people alike. I kind of get an idea that they may live in a ghetto neighborhood.
The middle of this poem tells about the violence of killing the rats. The first line that speaks about the actual violence of murdering the rats says “Shot in the head, they jump only once, lie still/ like dead beer cans” (Bottoms, lines 5-6). The poem then begins to depict what would happen to the rats that get shot, but do not die instantly. Bottom describes a vivid picture of the rats crawling into the darkness (where it is safe). He does this by saying
“Shot in the gut or rump, they writhe and try to burrow
into garbage, hide in old truck tires,
rusty oil drums, cardboard boxes scattered across the mounds,
or else drag themselves on forelegs across our beams of light
toward the darkness at the edge of the dump” (Bottoms lines 7-11)
Again in this section of the poem, Bottoms speaks about the importance of the light and dark. This has a great symbolic reasoning in this poem. Bottoms makes the ending of this poem very interesting and makes his readers begin to think.
“It's the light they believe kills.
We drink and load again, let them crawl
for all they're worth into the darkness we're headed for” (Bottoms line 12-14).
I begin to get the feeling that the characters in this poem are lonely or not believed in. They see the darkness and avoiding others is a way staying safe. I see the rats in this poem as a type of young children that do not know what is in store for the future. The children shooting at them see themselves as powerful for once and are teaching the “children” (the rats) what is in store and that the world that they live is not so great.
5 comments:
I found this poem VERY interesting, but I had a hard time digging deeper into the meaning. I tried my best, but there is so many ways that this poem could be interpreted. If you have any other interpretations, please share them!
I agree, if these children are shooting rats, then they must live in a rat infested area.I like how you used the term "ghetto" because it well explains where they live. Usually nice rural areas would not have rats running around everywhere. The parents must not watch the kids very well if they are drinking and shooting rats all the time. It seems to me that these children need to live in a better environment without rats so they do not get into trouble.
This is a very interesting analysis. You explained the poems deeper meaning in a way I would not have thought of. I like that you observed details like fact that they were out and drinking and wondered where their parents were. I agree, they might very well live in a ghetto. Their parents might by working double jobs or night shifts,or might just not care. This group of kids might not be able to afford other kinds of entertainment like video games and such, so this is what they do for kicks.
This poem was very insightful and I agree that the characters are lonely. When the children starts shooting they feel stronger and powerful as you said, but they wont to inflict there pain on the rat.I also agree with the other commenters in asking and wondering where the parents were.
Where do you get the idea that these are children?
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