THE DAY THE BULLDOZERS CAME

THE DAY THE
BULLDOZERS CAME

- By David Orme -

Stanza 1 POEM Stanza 3

The day the bulldozers came The fox
Stirred in his sleep
Rooks were building As the ground trembled.
‘Ha ha!’ he thought,
Crazy egg baskets in the oaks;
‘I’m quite safe,
Green flies sizzled by the pond Deep down in the Earth,
No one can get me here.’
And a cold-eyed toad Then the bulldozer came.

Waited for them.

Stanza 2

The day the bulldozers came

Squirrels were scattering

Up tree trunks,

And leapt from branches

That were hardly there.

MEANING OF THE POEM

Stanza 1 The persona tells about a day when the bulldozers
arrive at the forested area. The animals are going about
The day the bulldozers came their lives. The rooks are building their nests high on the
Rooks were building tops of the oak trees. Green flies are buzzing about near
a pond. A toad is motionless eyeing its food.
Crazy egg baskets in the oaks;
Green flies sizzled by the pond

And a cold-eyed toad
Waited for them.

ROOKS: A type of bird BULLDOZER OAK TREE TOAD

Stanza 2 SQUIRREL

The day the bulldozers came TREE TRUNK
Squirrels were scattering
Up tree trunks,
And leapt from branches
That were hardly there.

When the bulldozers arrive, the squirrels run away
quickly in every direction. Some run up tree trunks
while others try to escape by jumping from one
branch to another. The persona describes the
branches as "hardly there". This indicates that the
trees are very far apart as many have been cut down
before the land can be cleared by the bulldozers.

Stanza 3 The fox's slumber is disturbed when the ground begins to
tremble under the weight of the large heavy bulldozers.
The fox However, the fox is not worried. The fox feels that he is
Stirred in his sleep "quite safe" in his underground burrow, which is deep
As the ground trembled. below the Earth's surface. However, his sense of security
‘Ha ha!’ he thought, is only temporary. The blade of the bulldozer can perch
into the soil and reach him.
‘I’m quite safe,
Deep down in the Earth,
No one can get me here.’
Then the bulldozer came.

FOX BLADE OF BULLDOZER

THEMES

1 DESTRUCTION OF NATURE

Bulldozers are used for logging or to clear
land for devolepments. However this has
resulted in the destruction of nature. Many
trees are knocked down. Animals lose their
home and have no where to go.

2 MACHINES VERSUS NATURE

The bulldozers are powerful machine and nature is
helplees towards these machines. The creatures are
unaware of the destruction coming their way.

3 GREED

The destruction of forests make way for development only shows the
greediness of humans after money and power. Development brings
huge incomes to big companies and helps with the economy, but the
lives of the animals and plants that live within are not taken into
consideration.

SETTINGS OF THE POEM

PLACE The setting of the poem is the countryside or a forest.
There are trees, a pond and underground dens.This is the
natural environment where animals, birds and insects live.

time The poem describes the arrival of bulldozers in the
countryside. Bulldozers were invented in the early 20th
century. Therefore, the poem is set in modern times.

MESSAGES

PRESERVE MOTHER “Think about the effect of devolopment on
NATURE mother nature.”

“Protect and conserve the forests and By showing us the beauty of natural world,
everything within, so that animals too are the poet makes us feel a sense of horror
at its destruction. The poet wants us to
given a voice.” think about the effect of development on
nature.
The poet describes the natural wildlife in the
countryside and how the arrival of bulldozers LOVE MOTHER
would destroy the trees and natural habitat. NATURE

The creatures would not survive.

EFFECTS TOWARDS THE NATURE

1. Loss of habitat 2. Increase of
greenhouse gases
As a result of the destruction of
forest for development, animals will The lack of trees also allows a
lose their shelter and have no greater amount of greenhouse gases
where to go. According to National to be released into the atmosphere.
Geographic, 70 percent of land Healthy forests absorbs carbon
animals live in forest, they will not dioxide from the atmosphere and
be able to survive the deforestation deforested areas lose that ability
that destroys their home. and release more carbon.

3. Soil erosion and flooding

The destruction of forests also lead to
problems such as soil erosion and flooding.
This is because the trees help the land to
retain water and topsoil, which provides the
rich nutrients to sustain additional forest life.

WAYS TO PROTECT THE NATURE

3R: REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE.

- Cut down on what you throw away.
- Reuse household items that still can be used.
- Recycle items that still can be used to others that are in need.

PLANT A TREE USE LESS PAPER

- Trees provide food and oxygen. - Reduce the amout of printing
They help save energy, clean the in the office. Change physical

air, and help combat climate documents into electrical
change. documents.

WHY SHOULD WE PROTECT THE NATURE

WHEN WE
PROTECT
NATURE, NATURE
PROTECTs US

We are dependent on Nature for our survival,so
for our needs we must protect Nature. Nature or
more precisely the biosphere and the
atmosphere provide all our needs.

MORAL VALUES

LOVE We should love and protect every single living creatures in
the wild.

RESPECT We should respect the nature and the animals that depend
on it. We should also be aware that living things are being
killed because of the development.

THANK YOU