Dreams of the Animals by Margaret Atwood

Mostly the animals dream
of other animals each
according to its kind

(though certain mice and small rodents
have nightmares of a huge pink	5
shape with five claws descending)

: moles dream of darkness and delicate
mole smells

frogs dream of green and golden
frogs	10
sparkling like wet suns
among the lilies

red and black
striped fish, their eyes open
have red and black striped	15
dreams defense, attack, meaningful
patterns
birds dream of territories
enclosed by singing.

Sometimes the animals dream of evil	20
in the form of soap and metal
but mostly the animals dream
of other animals.

There are exceptions:

the silver fox in the roadside zoo	25
dreams of digging out
and of baby foxes, their necks bitten

the caged armadillo
near the train
station, which runs	30
all day in figure eights
its piglet feet pattering,
no longer dreams
but is insane when waking;

the iguana	35
in the petshop window on St. Catherine Street
crested, royal-eyed, ruling
its kingdom of water-dish and sawdust

dreams of sawdust

Discussion

Dreams: Dreams connote hope, like when we say "hopes and dreams." Do you see hopeful dreaming in this poem? What other connotations of dreams do you find?

Cages: Dreams, being in the realm of imagination, are supposed to defy boundaries, make possible things that may be impossible in reality. Is it true in this poem that dreams allow us to break free of our various imprisonments, our limitations in terms of place, of thought, of feelings? What kinds of "cages" do you see in the poem? Are rules a kind of cage? What rules are set and what rules are broken in "Dreams of the Animals"?

Place: How do words and their associative meanings create an environment for each kind of animal described? What does the contrast that often occurs between the denotative and connotative meanings of words add to our understanding of the initial phrase "each / according to its kind"?

Logic: What does the poem set out to do? Is there a logic to this endeavor? If so, what sense can we get out of this seemingly senseless and irrational description of animals' dreams?

Humor: Atwood's play with word connotations allows us to identify familiar things in a different perspective. For example, a whole cat becomes a comically and surreally disembodied "huge pink / shape with five claws descending" (l. 5-6). Where else do you see Atwood's humor in the portrayal of various animals' dreams?