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A key theme in the poem is time and how to deal with it. The poem begins with nighttime since it’s “[s]till dark” (Line 1), but, by the end of Stanza 1, day arrives, since day answers the inquiries of the bird and dog “directly, simply” (Line 8). Thus, the passage of time offers solutions. These solutions aren’t roundabout or complicated; they’re basic and upfront. The animals didn’t strain to solve their supposed inquiries. They didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything. The answers to their questions—“if that is what they are” (Line 7)—occurred effortlessly. Day comes and tells them what they need to know, so all they had to do was wait for “day itself” (Line 9) to arrive, which requires no input from the animals.
The theme of time and effortlessness continues with the description of the morning as “[e]normous,” “ponderous,” and “meticulous” (Line 10). The morning is roomy, thoughtful, and exact; it’s comfortable, precise, and doesn’t pressure the bird to wake up immediately and start rushing around. As morning arrives, the “bird still sits there” (Line 14), and the most the morning compels him to do is perhaps “yawn” (Line 14).
Conversely, the passage of time riles up the dog as morning pushes him to run “in his yard,” (Line 15), bounce “cheerfully up and down” (Line 19), and then make “circles in the fallen leaves” (Line 20). The owner yells at the dog, “You ought to be ashamed!” (Line 17). Maybe the owner castigates the dog for hurrying around and going against the ease of time. Then again, perhaps the owner admonishes the dog for excessively enjoying the passage of time and the ease with which he can joyously mark the transition from night to day. The running around isn’t hard labor but a carefree celebration.
The speaker emphasizes the cool casualness of time when they declare, “Yesterday brought to today so lightly!” (Line 25). In other words, yesterday becomes the present without toil. A person doesn’t have to labor over time, which might be why the speaker adds, “A yesterday I find almost impossible to lift” (Line 26). To lift something requires exertion, and there’s no need to make an effort when it comes to time since time passes on its own accord.
The theme of humans versus nature and animals manifests through the literary device known as juxtaposition, as the poem compares and contrasts the behavior of nature, the bird, the dog, the owner, and the speaker. The animals and nature appear aligned, as day, an aspect of nature, provides answers to their supposed questions. Like nature—or, more specifically, morning—the animals are “ponderous” and “meticulous” (Line 10); they’re curious and specific—the dog barks “just once” (Line 4), and the bird “inquires / once or twice” (Lines 5-6). The bond between nature and animals continues because the dog welcomes the new day when he “runs in his yard” (Line 15) and “rushes in circles in the fallen leaves” (Line 20). It’s as if the day is the dog’s friend, so the dog is excited about seeing them again.
The owner represents humans. Unlike the animals and nature, which include the naturalness of time, the owner is “stern” (Line 16). The owner imposes themself on their environment when they tell the dog, “You ought to be ashamed!” (Line 17). The severity of the owner conflicts with the pleasantness of the animals, time, and nature. The owner doesn’t go with the flow since they’re antagonistic. However, the speaker arguably subverts the theme and the juxtaposition when they exclaim, “A yesterday I find almost impossible to lift” (Line 26). Presumably a human, the speaker wants to be on the side of the graceful, easygoing animals, time, and nature. They don’t want to perpetuate the strict, aggravating elements represented by humans and the owner.
In Line 17, the owner tells the dog, “You ought to be ashamed!” As this is the only quotation in the poem, it stands out and turns the idea of shame into a notable theme. The speaker doesn’t know why the dog should be ashamed. “What has he done?” asks the speaker in Line 18. Thus, the meaning of shame isn’t universal in the poem. What’s shameful for the owner might not be shameful for the dog, bird, or speaker. The theme of shame circles back to the juxtaposition between people and animals, nature and time. Shame is a human concept centered on guilt and embarrassment. Since animals aren’t humans, they have nothing to feel guilty or embarrassed about; it’s like the owner is trying to bring the dog into the human world. Based on the dog’s actions, the owner thinks the dog should be ashamed for “cheerfully” (Line 19) bouncing around. There is something ignominious about marking the arrival of day with blatant enthusiasm.
In Line 21, the speaker states, “Obviously, he has no sense of shame.” This is a compliment since it means the human world hasn’t sullied the dog. Neither the dog nor the bird takes directions from humans since:
He and the bird know everything is answered,
all taken care of,
no need to ask again (Lines 22-24).
With the theme of shame, Bishop upends its typical definition. The lack of shame is a good thing because it involves going with the flow and taking it easy. There’s “no need to ask” (Line 24) questions or assert oneself because time has “taken care of” (Line 23) all questions. While humans might find such a passive, relaxing attitude shameful, Bishop makes it seem like a natural and aspirational disposition.
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By Elizabeth Bishop