3. Introduction to the poem

"The Snake Trying" by W.W.E Ross is a poem that focusses on the plight of a snake who is chased by humans. It also portrays the author's concern towards the snake and his feelings towards animal cruelty in general. He talks about the other side of snakes and breaks the common belief that all snakes are poisonous. Snakes can be classified into venomous and non-venomous. Among the venomous snakes, only a selected few have the ability to kill or significantly wound a human. Although venomous is equated to being poisonous, they can mean two different things in the case of snakes. When poison must be inhaled or absorbed, venom is injected through the snake's fangs.

 

There are around \(3000\) species of snakes all over the world. Although \(600\) species fall under the venomous category, only 200 of them are deadly poisonous. Some of the most venomous snakes in the world are Inland Taipan, brown snake, Dubois sea snake. Snakes are cold blooded reptiles. They are covered with scales all over the body to produce friction when they move on the ground. Most snakes swallow their food in a whole proportion. They have forked tongues which they flick around, helping them sense if there is danger or food nearby. They also have small pores in front of their eyes called pit holes, which help them detect if there are any warm blooded animals nearby.

 

Non-venomous snakes are those that do not possess a threat to humans, as they do not contain the necessary toxins to do so. However many of these snakes may prove deadly to other animals and rodents like rats, mongoose and rabbits. Some non-venomous snakes include wolf snake, tree snake, red sand boa etc.

 

People in general have a fear of snakes due to certain misconceptions. They have an instinct to kill and ward of any danger that might arise. But certain snakes that may not be a threat are also killed in the process. The poem revolves around this concept in detail.