Poetry Analysis

Select two examples of personification in the poem.

• “As the oceans receded, fish sprouted whiskers.” (line 6)

• “Certain animals grew four legs and were able / to roam from shore to shore.” (lines 7–8)

• “Mountains grew from fiery heat” (line 12)

• “After darkness and light settled their / differences” (lines 18–19)

• “the way a butterfly speaks” (line 28)

What is an important theme, or message, of the poem?

• Animals have many names.

• Eagles have excellent vision.

• Animals understand the earth.

• People know more than animals.

What is one way the theme, or message, is developed throughout the poem?

• by personifying animals

• by using rhyme and repetition

• by listing animals according to their habitats

• by emphasizing the differences between animals and people

Read the excerpt from the poem.

Yes, I said. / I know what they have done. (lines 27–28)

Then, answer the question. What inference can you make about what has happened to the city in “The Last Wolf”?

• It has been rebuilt.

• People have ruined it.

• Animals have attacked it.

• An earthquake has destroyed it.

Which of the following is noted in the poem?

• All of the city’s buildings have been destroyed.

• The speaker doesn’t know what has happened.

• The wolf threatens the speaker, as if it is hungry.

• Lights continue working, as if people are still there.

What idea is shared by both this poem and the poem “Animal Wisdom”?

• Animals find strength in groups or pairs.

• Animals possess a strong awareness of their surroundings.

• Animals and humans have been and always will be at odds.

• Animals resent the damage humans have done to the planet.