Thom Gunn’s “Considering the Snail” is a poem in syllabic metre. It is from his third collection My Sad Captains. Due to Ted Hughes’ incorrigible obsession with birds, animals and beasts, critics have pointed out that this particular poem may be a parody of the same. The poem is on the continuity pursued by the snail. Gunn himself stated that “my life insists on continuities – between America and England, between free verse and metre, between vision and everyday consciousness.”

The snail ‘pushes ‘forth as though defying the forces of Nature. One, the gravitational pull below that challenges it. Secondly, the grass that acts as a hindrance in front of it. Further, the grass is full with water. And the ‘rain that has darkened the earth’s dark.’ The line:” He/moves in a wood of desire” evokes sexual connotations. In general, the ‘wood of desire’ may signify man’s deepest dreams that he endeavors to fulfill. In the poem, on the literal level, it denotes the snail’s quest for food. The snail moves with obstinate willpower and deliberation as though it has to achieve its goal at any cost. Its slowness, steadfastness and temperament signify the tremendous determination it encompasses. As it moves in the darkness, it leaves behind a trail of brightness.…