The Day the Bulldozers Came

Poem:

The Day the Bulldozers Came

Prepared by: Nurhafizah Yaacob

Learning Objectives

Success Criteria

David Orme

• Born in 1948.

• Initially trained as a teacher.

• Full-time writer from 1986.

• Has published over 300 books, including poetry collections and anthologies, fiction for children, non-fiction and teachers books.

• 
  

  http://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/professional-directory/david-orme.html

Vocabulary

Rook (n)

The rook is a member of the crow family in the passerine order of birds.

Sizzled (v)

make a hissing sound when frying or cooking

scatter (v)

separate and move off quickly in different directions

leapt (v)

move quickly and suddenly

Stirred (v)

move or cause to move slightly

trembled (v)

a trembling feeling, movement, or sound

The Day the Bulldozers Came

by David Orme

Stanza 1

The day the bulldozers came

Rooks were building

Crazy egg baskets in the oaks;

Green flies sizzled by the pond

And a cold-eyed toad

Waited for them.

Stanza 2

The day the bulldozers came

Squirrels were scattering

Up tree trunks,

And leapt from branches

That were hardly there.

Stanza 3

The fox

Stirred in his sleep

As the ground trembled.

      ‘Ha ha!’ he thought,

      ‘I’m quite safe,

Deep down in the Earth,

No one can get me here.’

Then the bulldozer came.

Meaning

Stanza 1

The persona tells about a day when the bulldozers arrive at the forested area. The animals are going about their lives. The rooks are building their nests high on the tops of the oak trees. Green flies are buzzing about near a pond. A toad is motionless eyeing its food.

Stanza 2

When the bulldozers arrive, the squirrels run away quickly in every direction. Some run up tree trunks while others try to escape by jumping from one branch to another. The persona describes the branches as "hardly there". This indicates that the trees are very far apart as many have been cut down before the land can be cleared by the bulldozers.

Stanza 3

The persona describes how the fox reacts as the bulldozers come. The fox's slumber is disturbed when the ground begins to tremble under the weight of the large heavy bulldozers. However, the fox is not worried. He mocks at the thought that the bulldozers can harm him. The fox feels that he is "quite safe" in his underground burrow, which is deep below the Earth's surface. He is certain of his safety when he says "No one can get me here". However, his sense of security is only temporary. The blade of the bulldozer can perch into the soil and reach him. We know that even the cunning fox is not safe deep in his underground burrow, when the persona says "Then the bulldozers came".

Settings

• 1. Place

  The poem is set in any forested area destined to be destroyed or cleared in the name of progress and development

• 2. Time

  The poem refers to modern times when development projects are ongoing

Themes

• Conservation is important

• Nature is fragile

• Respect for all living things

• Social responsibility

Moral Values

• We should take step to conserve and preserve the environment

• We should plan for and develop infrastructure in a responsible way

• We should always maintain a balance between development and ecosystem