Rat Song by Margaret Atwood - ENG 3U7 - Home



Rat Song by Margaret Atwood

Atwood believes that a writer has an obligation to give back to the community. She writes to reach the reader and confront issues which plague society. In her poetry, she deals with everyday problems while attempting to offer the readers solutions, and if that proves impossible, to show compassion to the suffering endured and a glimmer of hope by the end of it. Though the poem Rat Song may appear on the surface to be like the lashing of a person’s anger and frustrations, penetrating deeper into it reveals not only Atwood’s position on feminism but by the end the reader finds a solution to the issue of gender-based conflict.

The style of writing which characterizes this poem is the free verse as there is no recognizable beat or rhyming scheme. The “run-on” poetry can be seen throughout the entire poem to allow the reader's emotions to carry all the way to the end of the story. This poem was written in the early 70’s and this was the time when the feminists' ideals were introduced to the women of North America. This feminist view can be seen throughout the Atwood’s poem Rat Song.

According to a reviewer, “Atwood's environmental ethics and the evolution of her ideas about what "being human" means,” reveals in her poetry a “symbiotic relation between human and non-human nature." These influences are apparent in the poem Rat Song, as Atwood links a female protagonist to a rat and uses it to represent the common victimized woman. The decision to use an animal, in this case a rat, a creature that is seen as a negative one in association with our society, demonstrates the use of contrast that is common in Atwood’s poetry. This literary tactic also known as anthropomorphism or the attribution of human characteristics and purposes to animals is often used by Atwood in a number of her poems. This particular poem plays with the image of rats as vicious and filthy animals that “live off your leavings, gristle and rancid fat,” while a different perspective on them portrays them as creatures with “fur and pretty teeth.”

From the beginning of the poem, the rat is given intelligent qualities as in the first stanza they are portrayed as creatures that are aware of what is going on. Furthermore, they even TELL the reader exactly what they will do in the situation. It almost seems as if the rat is warning the reader: “I know what you’re doing, what you’re going to do”. This shows that the man’s easily predictable behavior is nothing new to the speaker-rat. In fact, the listing of actions that will be taken by the man proves the fact that this situation has been going on for a very long time, so long that the rat would be surprised if he was wrong in his predictions. To describe the actions of the men and the extent they would go to in order to keep the rat out of their lives is characterized by a long, almost tedious first stanza. The fact that it is followed by a short 3 line stanza represents the effective and effortless ways the intelligent rat uses to outsmart the man.

Interpreting the poem on the surface level it is shown that when the man hears the voice of the rat singing, he takes out his gun and tries to kill it. However, the implied conflict encompasses the woman in society trying to be heard, and the man attempting to silence her. When the man tries to trap the rat, the rat outsmarts him. Therefore the man comes to believe that the rat is dangerous. The underlying message is that the man is threatened by the intelligent woman. No matter what the man does, the natural intelligence and survival instinct of the rat daunts all attempts to destroy or suppress her just like the intelligent, strong woman who can threaten his role in society.

The language used in Rat Song is kept simple in order to get the message across to its readers. The use of YOU makes the message of the poem that much personal and Atwood’s goal of reaching the reader that much more effective. The menacing, angry tone also contributes to the reader envisioning a strong, determined speaker which is exactly what Atwood strives to achieve. The shifting use of the pronouns YOU and I throughout the poem emphasize the existence of duality in the poem as it allows for the story to be told through two different perspectives: the man and the rat-woman. The sarcastic elements in the Rat Song, such as the line “Right, I’m a parasite,” characterize Atwood’s use of ironic and precise wording for a smoother transmission of the message.

The line “all I want is love, you stupid / humanist.” is essential to understanding the message of the poem. The rat does not want to bother the man or live off of the man; all it wants is some love. The poem seeks to tell the male audience that women simply desire respect, yet the actions of the man in the poem cause the rat representing the woman to lash out both in action. The rat lives off the man not because it wishes to live that way, but because it is the only option open to her due to the way society is built.

The line in the last stanza “He is hiding / between your syllables” further develops the relationship between the man and the rat-woman. The single line divided by a slash implies that a good man exists there within the negative man - the rat-man that sings along side with the rat-woman. This line talks about how the rat can see the compassion hiding under the hard shell of the man. This not only reflects Atwood’s feminist stance, but offers hope and understanding. Through the repetition of the word “singing” in the beginning and end of the poem, shows the similar nature of men and women. The glimmer of hope given by Atwood by the end of the poem is in the form of the rat seeing her “mate trapped in your throat”. However, she can still “hear him singing” indicating that women can see that the men still love them, even though they may not show it. Atwood’s poetry deals with many issues both gender-specific and societal, and the poem Rat Song comprises her views on the way women are treated in her society, appreciation for the “human-nature duality”, and most importantly her goal to reach the reader and provide some healing.

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