The Squirrel: Summary and Analysis by Armstrong: 2022

The poem, The Squirrel by Mildred Bowers Armstrong, provides the description of a squirrel that he sees in the garden.

The Squirrel Summary

In this short poem, the poet talks about a squirrel and says that it is one of the most loving creatures found on Earth. The poet has described a squirrel that is sitting on a tree and eating a nut. He sits straight, in an upright position and his tail looks like a question mark. The poet found this to be quite amusing. The poet has been described as wearing a gray overcoat. He points out the gray, furry skin of the squirrel. The squirrel likes to tease and play, and the poet and his friends ran after him to scare him away and to make him take the other way.

The Squirrel Analysis

The poet has described a squirrel he found sitting on a tree and devouring a nut. His tail looked like a question mark. The poet has described the squirrel’s physical appearance. The squirrel is grey, and the poet says that he is wearing an overcoat of grey, and his tail is twisted like a question mark/ The poet explains what the squirrel enjoys. He likes eating nuts. The poet enjoys the game of hide and seek that he plays with the squirrel, and the squirrel hides in the other direction.

The squirrel has been described as fun-loving and a naughty creature who liked to tease and play. The poet noticed that if the poet and his friends ran around the tree and followed him, the squirrel went in the other direction in fear. The squirrel seems to be sensitive and afraid of humans.

The Squirrel Theme

The story is based on a squirrel that the poet observes sitting on a tree and eating a nut. Throughout the poem, the poet has described the squirrel and what he enjoys. He reflected on the squirrel-like human and explained the games the two would play.

The Squirrel Central Idea

The poet Mildred Bowers Armstrong describes a squirrel he saw in his garden. He explains how the squirrel is covered in gray fur, and sits in an upright position on the tree, and eats a nut. His tail looks like a question mark because it has a bent shape. The squirrel is happy and lively and loves to play with the poet and her friends. The poet describes the nature of the squirrel as innocently naughty and that it likes to tease anyone who comes near him.

The Squirrel Figures of Speech

The poet has used ‘he’ and ‘his’ instead of ‘it’ for the squirrel.  He has also described the squirrel as weakening a gray overcoat, just like humans do. The poet has personified the squirrel and treated him like a human being. He has described the squirrel’s qualities as if he has attributed a human’s qualities to it. Personification is an essential element in this poem and makes it more interesting.