"Snake" by D.H. Lawerence

"You write "Born to Kill" on your helmet and you wear a peace button. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?"
"No, sir."
"You'd better get your head and your ass wired together, or I will [expletive]."
"Yes, sir."
"Now answer my question or you'll be standing tall before the man."
"I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir." --- Full Metal Jacket

 I believe that this quote sums this poem up nicely.

The man in this poem is in awe of the snake that comes to drink from his trough. He liked the snake but felt a strange compulsion to destroy it. Why would you destroy something you enjoy?

"The voice of my education said to me
He must be killed."

"If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off."

This once again references back to some of my previous entries about the expectations of society. What sort of a man doesn't kill a snake at his watering trough, his village would ask. Was he afraid of the snake? Does he want someone to be bitten and possibly killed by the snake? Why did he not kill the snake? In this man's world snakes are evil and are to be killed. Yet, this man is in awe of the snake. He was honored to have this magnificent specimen pacifying it's quenched pallet at his water trough.

Although this man seemed to enjoy gazing at the snake, although he seemed to enjoy its company, the teachings of society shamed him into action.

"I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter."

The duality of man kicking in. On one hand he was honored to have the snake in his presence, but on the other he felt the need to attempt to end it's life. The man waited until the snake had turned it's back on him before he acted. Was this just another form of cowardice from the man? He cowardly caved into the thoughts from his neighbors and his voice of his education. He could not even face the snake to attempt to kill it. He did not want the snake to know that society has forced him to despise snakes, to loathe snakes! He cowardly threw a log toward the area where the snake was previously at. This was either a weak attempt at killing the snake or a weak attempt at being able to save some face with his friends and neighbors. Either situation boils down to the fact that this man is a coward, too afraid to stand up to the snake if he wanted to kill it, and too afraid to stand up to his society if he did not want to.

"And immediately I regretted it."

Of course he regretted it, he realized what I have been explaining. This "man" does not have the courage to stand up for himself and his beliefs, and therefore does not deserve the title of "a man."