The Armadillo

The Armadillo

By Elizabeth Bishop

for Robert Lowell

This is the time of year
when almost every night
the frail, illegal fire balloons appear.
Climbing the mountain height,

rising toward a saint
still honored in these parts,
the paper chambers flush and fill with light
that comes and goes, like hearts.

Once up against the sky it’s hard
to tell them from the stars—
planets, that is—the tinted ones:
Venus going down, or Mars,

or the pale green one. With a wind,
they flare and falter, wobble and toss;
but if it’s still they steer between
the kite sticks of the Southern Cross,

receding, dwindling, solemnly
and steadily forsaking us,
or, in the downdraft from a peak,
suddenly turning dangerous.

Last night another big one fell.
It splattered like an egg of fire
against the cliff behind the house.
The flame ran down. We saw the pair

of owls who nest there flying up
and up, their whirling black-and-white
stained bright pink underneath, until
they shrieked up out of sight.

The ancient owls’ nest must have burned.
Hastily, all alone,
a glistening armadillo left the scene,
rose-flecked, head down, tail down,

and then a baby rabbit jumped out,
short-eared, to our surprise.
So soft!—a handful of intangible ash
with fixed, ignited eyes.

Too pretty, dreamlike mimicry!
O falling fire and piercing cry
and panic, and a weak mailed fist
clenched ignorant against the sky!

Summary of The Armadillo

• Popularity of “The Armadillo”: Published in the popular magazine, The New Yorker, in June 1957, this beautiful poem “The Armadillo” was written by the award-winning writer and poet, Elizabeth Bishop. The poem beautifully presents the beauty created by the fire balloons released on St’s Day in her part of the country. However, the major thrust of the poem is on their destructive power and the devastation they caused to nature. The title of the poem suggests the destructive power of the fire balloons and their impact on the poet.
• “The Armadillo” As a Representative of Destructive Celebrations: Written for another celebrated poet, Robert Lowell, this poem presents the scene of the fire balloons released on St’s Day in the area of the poet. She opens the poem with a description of the fire balloons climbing on the mountains and falling dangerously around them, throwing their flares. When the wind blows, the poet says, they steer between the Southern Cross, proving disastrous as they leave their fire around. She relates an incident of such a balloon falling in the backyard of her house, with another one hitting near and causing a huge fire. It burns down the nests of the owls, making other creatures such as armadillo and baby rabbits run to save their lives. The poet comments on it saying it is the “falling fire” that has sent the ignorant on the flight path against the wishes of heaven.
• Major Themes in “The Armadillo”: Unusual celebrations, neglect during celebratory fires, and destruction of nature and wildlife during celebratory fires are major themes of this poem. Although the title suggests that it could be about this beautiful creature, the armadillo, the poet opens by explaining how the people use fire balloons to celebrate their religious fervor. Although they seem beautiful in the sky, showing how the planetary system works, they also cause huge devastation as the people do not pay heed to what they cause when they fall and where they fall. The incident of fire in the backyard of her house, causing the wild creature to flee for life, reminds her of the destructive power of fire. However, what grieves her the most is the destruction of nature and wildlife as the little rabbit run out of its hideout and panic grips the entire wildlife living around that cliff.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Armadillo

Elizabeth Bishop uses various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of her poem. Some of the major literary devices are analyzed below.

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “when almost every night” and the sound of /o/ in “Venus going down, or Mars.”
2. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /f/ in “the paper chambers flush and fill with light” and the sound of /t/ and /n/ in “The ancient owls’ nest must have burned.”
3. Enjambment: This device shows a verse rolling over to the next without showing any pause. The poem shows several enjambments, such as;

and then a baby rabbit jumped out,
short-eared, to our surprise.
So soft!—a handful of intangible ash
with fixed, ignited eyes.

4. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Elizabeth Bishop used imagery in this poem, such as “the frail, illegal fire balloons appear”, “the paper chambers flush and fill with light” and “Venus going down, or Mars.”
5. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of the fire balloon as if they are men climbing mountains.
6. Simile: It is an indirect comparison to clarify the meanings of one thing after it is compared with another. The poem shows several similes, such as;

   • Last night another big one fell. It splattered like an egg of fire

   • the paper chambers flush and fill with light that comes and goes, like hearts.

7. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as balloons, saint, sky, Mars, and Venus to show the celebratory mood of the people.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Armadillo

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

1. Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal, poetic, and flowing diction.
2. End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words. Elizabeth Bishop shows the use of end rhyme such as year/appear and night/height.
3. Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. The poem shows the use of a quatrain such as the first stanza.
4. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABAB rhyme scheme in some stanzas and ABCB in some other stanzas.
5. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are ten stanzas with each comprising four verses.
6. Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a celebratory, happy, and tragic tone.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the heavenly bodies and their existence.

Once up against the sky it’s hard
to tell them from the stars—
planets, that is—the tinted ones:
Venus going down, or Mars.