Tec

Chapter 7 · A Poem

The Snake

A quiet, watchful encounter with nature's most startling "fellow"

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Tec — The Education Consultancy | Grade 6 English Lesson & Worksheet

A narrow fellow in the grass
Occasionally rides;
You may have met him—did you not?
His notice sudden is.

The grass divides as with a comb,
A spotted shaft is seen;
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on.

He likes a boggy acre,
A floor too cool for corn.
Yet when a child and barefoot,
I more than once, at morn,

Have passed, I thought, a whip-lash
Unbraiding in the sun,
When, stooping to secure it,
It wrinkled, and was gone.

Several of nature's people
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality;

But never met this fellow,
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing,
And zero at the bone.

— Emily Dickinson

About the Poet: Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) was an American poet known for her short, precise verses on nature, mortality, and inner experience. Though she wrote nearly 1,800 poems, only a handful were published during her lifetime; most of her work was discovered and printed after her death, and she is now regarded as one of the most important poets in American literature. In "The Snake," she describes an encounter with a snake in vivid, careful detail, capturing both her familiarity with the natural world and the instinctive fear this particular creature still provokes in her.

Vocabulary

boggy — land that is usually wet or muddy

shaft — a long, narrow, straight object (here, the snake's body)

whip-lash — the thin, flexible end part of a whip

unbraiding — coming loose or unwinding from a plaited/twisted form

cordiality — friendliness and affection

transport — an experience or display of strong feeling

attended — accompanied by others

zero at the bone — a feeling of deep, chilling fear

Worksheet — The Snake

Comprehension · Vocabulary · Poetic Appreciation — Grade 6

Name:

Class:

Date:

Score:

A. Questions

1. How does the poet describe the way the snake moves through the grass?

She describes the grass as dividing "as with a comb," with a spotted shaft appearing, then closing behind and opening again further on as the snake passes through.

2. What kind of place does the snake like to live in?

He likes a boggy acre — wet, muddy ground too cool for growing corn.

3. What mistake did the poet make as a barefoot child, and what happened?

She thought she had passed a whip-lash lying in the sun, but when she bent down to pick it up, it wrinkled and vanished — it was actually the snake.

4. How does the poet's feeling towards the snake differ from her feelings for other creatures in nature?

She feels warmth and friendliness ("cordiality") towards most of nature's creatures, but the snake always makes her feel a tighter breathing and a chilling fear ("zero at the bone"), unlike anything else.

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1.What does the poet call the snake throughout the poem?

A monster

A narrow fellow✓

A friend

A stranger

2.What does the poet compare the grass parting to?

A wave

A comb✓

A curtain

A river

3.What kind of ground does the snake prefer?

Dry, sandy soil

Boggy, wet ground✓

Rocky hillsides

Ploughed cornfields

4.What did the poet, as a child, mistake the snake for?

A stick

A vine

A whip-lash✓

A rope

5.How does the poet describe her feeling for most of nature's creatures?

Fear

A transport of cordiality (warm friendliness)✓

Indifference

Curiosity only

6.How does meeting the snake make the poet feel, according to the last stanza?

Calm and relaxed

A tighter breathing and "zero at the bone"✓

Excited and joyful

Bored

7.Who wrote the poem "The Snake"?

James Reeves

Edgar Allan Poe

Emily Dickinson✓

Langston Hughes

C. True or False

1. The poet describes the snake as sudden and hard to notice at first.
TrueFalse
2. The snake prefers dry, sunny cornfields.
TrueFalse
3. As a child, the poet once mistook the snake for a whip-lash.
TrueFalse
4. The poet feels the same warm friendliness for the snake as she does for other animals.
TrueFalse
5. Meeting the snake always makes the poet feel a chill of fear.
TrueFalse
6. The poem was written by Emily Dickinson.
TrueFalse

D. Match the Words with Their Meanings

1. boggy → (c)

2. shaft → (a)

3. cordiality → (d)

4. transport → (b)

5. attended → (e)

a. a long, narrow, straight object

b. an experience or display of strong feeling

c. land that is usually wet or muddy

d. friendliness and affection

e. accompanied by others

E. Short Answer & Poetic Appreciation

1. Why do you think the poet calls the snake a "fellow" instead of using a more frightening word?

Open-ended — accept answers noting that "fellow" is a friendly, familiar word, which creates an interesting contrast with the fear the poet actually feels, showing her mixed feelings towards the snake.

2. What is the effect of comparing the snake's movement to a "comb" dividing the grass?

Open-ended — accept answers noting that the comparison helps the reader picture the neat, narrow path the snake creates as it moves smoothly and quickly through the grass.

3. The poem contrasts "nature's people" in general with this one "fellow." What point is the poet making through this contrast?

Open-ended — accept answers noting that the poet is showing that although she feels comfortable and friendly with most creatures in nature, the snake alone triggers an instinctive, uncontrollable fear that friendliness cannot overcome.

4. In your own words, describe a time you felt a sudden fright in nature, similar to the poet's experience.

Open-ended — accept any well-explained personal response describing a moment of surprise or fear involving an animal, insect, or natural event. (Teacher's discretion.)

F. Theme

1. What is the central theme of "The Snake"?

The poem explores the instinctive, uncontrollable fear that certain creatures can provoke, even in someone who feels close and friendly towards nature in general — showing that familiarity does not always overcome deep-rooted fear.

2. How does the poet's relationship with "nature's people" in general help highlight the poem's theme about the snake?

Open-ended — accept answers noting that by first establishing her warmth and comfort with other creatures, the poet creates a strong contrast that makes her fear of the snake stand out as unique and instinctive rather than learned.

G. Figurative Language

1. "The grass divides as with a comb" — identify the figure of speech used here and explain what it helps the reader picture.

This is a simile (using "as with") — it compares the parting grass to the neat, even lines made by a comb, helping the reader picture the smooth, narrow path the snake leaves behind.

2. The snake is described as "a spotted shaft." What figure of speech is this, and what image does it create?

This is a metaphor — calling the snake a "shaft" (a long, narrow, straight object) creates a sudden, sharp image of the snake's body without directly naming it as a snake.

3. What does the phrase "zero at the bone" suggest, and what type of figurative language is being used?

This is a metaphor for intense, chilling fear — describing the feeling as "zero" (extreme cold) reaching all the way to the "bone" conveys a deep, physical sense of fright that goes beyond ordinary discomfort.

H. Critical Thinking

1. Why do you think the poet still calls the snake a "fellow" — a friendly term — even though she clearly fears it? What does this suggest about her attitude towards nature as a whole?

Open-ended — accept answers suggesting that the poet still respects the snake as part of nature, even while fearing it, showing that fear and respect for a creature can exist together.

2. Is fear of certain animals something that can be unlearned, or is it always instinctive, based on what this poem suggests? Give reasons for your view.

Open-ended — accept a reasoned opinion either way, ideally referencing the poem's suggestion that her fear of the snake persists "attended or alone," unlike her comfort with other creatures, hinting that some fears may be instinctive rather than learned.