KaitlinGrady

"The Hornet's Nest' Andrew Hudgins

We may have been just nine or ten, but still (1) we knew it was a stupid thing to do. The drone drew us. We found it hanging, plump, (3) beneath a Cypress limb, vibrant with risk and fat with danger. That's what drew us, that's (5)

what made us hit it with a rotten limb I found nearby. Though we weren't ten years old, (7) we felt, as boys, the  dumb destructive need to show we had some power in the world. Not much. But some. The swinging broke the stick, (9)

but one piece hit the nest, pierced it. When wasps (10) exploded from the wound we were already running beneath the frightening verticality of moss  that hung like beards, from ancient cypresses. (13) We ran toward water. We'd though that far ahead.

Two splashes. Joab made it. So did I. Jack tripped. They settled on him like a ghost. He blurred beneath the frenzy of their wings. "//Get up!// we hollered from the water. "//Run!//" He rose, and staggered to the marsh. They clung (19)

around him like a nimbus as he lurched (20) toward us. "//Come on, come on!// we yelled, then ducked beneath the water as the wasps arrived. (22) They circled, swooped each time we stuck our heads up for a breath of air. Once I was safe

I lay back in the warm mud and enjoyed stealing my breath. The danger made it fun to jab my face back into the surface world, suck in some air and sink contentedly (28) into the marsh. Jack's eyes had swollen shut, (29)  and oozed. We led him home and told his ma it was an accident. Eight years or nine. (31) I did the proper things. I visited. I wrote. But what I thought was this: //I'm glad// //it's him. I'm glad it's not me.// Eight years old. (34)

Way 1: First Impressions
Andrew Hudgin's, "Hornet's Nest," at first appears to be about two young boys who stupidly provoke hornets out of their nest in a mischievous act. Yet, by the end of the poem, the speaker seems to be commenting more on youth not assuming responsibility for actions and also the egocentrism of humans.

The poem begins with the line, "...we still knew it was a stupid thing to do," which hints at the idea that this poem is going to discuss an instance where the speaker was involved in a foolish activity, most likely with negative consequences. In the second stanza, the speaker conveys that in the boys naivety, they couldn't resist the temptation to exercise their power over other living things, hence, they provoked the hornets. Furthermore, the phrase, "fat with danger," evokes the image of some hunter- animal with salivating lips inching towards its prey. Although the animal in this scenario may need the prey for survival, the boys are merely in it for the thrill of the hunt. The fact that the boys are just provoking the hornets for the sake of provocation is emphasized with the phrase, "dumb destructive need." This implies that whatever desire the boys felt in this situation was purely a result of their inability to understand consequences, coupled with this destructive whim they were experiencing.

In order to emphasize the immaturity of the boys, the speaker repeats the age of the boys three separate times (once in the first stanza, twice in the final stanza). While, superficially, this seems to just add a dramatic flare, there is a startling age regression from the first stanza to the last. Originally, the boys were "nine or ten." Yet, the closing statement is, "eight years old." This regression connotes a feeling of shame perhaps on the part of the speaker. As the poem seems to be a recollection of a memory, perhaps the speaker developed a sense of embarrassment as he reminisced. Not only was one of the boys hurt, but they also refused to accept responsibility by telling Jack's mother that it had been an accident to avoid punishment. Although the fact that the speaker experienced these selfish thoughts as a child perhaps excuses him slightly from judgment, the sterile tone which the speaker seemed to think in as a youth is perhaps the most shocking. Moreover, the line, "I did the proper things," insinuates that the speaker felt compelled to act upset and concerned but, in reality, was just glad that his eyes were fully functional. On this note, this poem does not seem to be about a life-changing moment (not that poems need to be). Thus, this static characterization contributes to an overall theme of youth refusing to respect responsibility for their actions and how this is motivated by an innate selfishness to avoid punishment.

Way 2: Engaging With the Text
Although I was not able to find an audio recording of the text, I read it aloud several times and was attentive to the fluctuations, pauses and emphasis I naturally integrated while reading.

The first line of the stanza seemed to be an introduction to the poem (sensibly) and was almost like a topic sentence or thesis when I read it aloud. The following line, "the drone drew us," seemed to throw the listener into the action then, as it was a short, abrupt statement following the first two lines. Furthermore, the word "plump," separated by two commas, sounded like a single statement, estranged from the rest of the sentence (not line!). "Fat," was a word which reeked of temptation. In the second stanza, the phrase "some power" was almost flippant, it seemed so trivial when put out of context, yet, also one of the more important clues to the subtextual meaning of this poem. This idea of "some" is repeated in the follow line in two incomplete thoughts. The third stanza is rather epic and the ending thought of, "We'd thought that far ahead," adds suspense and tension to the poem. Personally, I felt that the fourth stanza was particularly evocative. Although initially, this connotation did not occur, after reading aloud, I suddenly had this image of a boy staggering around with a "gas mask" of hornets enveloping his face. At the end of the third line in the fifth stanza, there is a menacing tone present, prompting the listener to the fact that Jack most likely did not fare well after his skirmish with the wasps. Though the sixth stanza is where the speaker reveals that Jack was hurt, the overall tone is rather defiant and overconfident, as if the boys had just executed some great strategy and won a battle. The final stanza seems almost nonchalant, involving an aftermath which really only affected one person.

Diction-wise, I noticed several other elements which had previously escaped my attention. For instance, in the second stanza, third line plays on some vague gender stereotypes the boys may have felt compelled to fulfill. The phrase, "the dumb destructive need" follows this statement which creates a link between being a boy and an innate destructive desire. Moreover, in the third stanza, the word "wound" is used to describe the hole inflicted on the nest by the children. While, this may have just been a more evocative choice of words, it adds a difference connotation versus the use of words such as hole, gap or puncture which could also adequately describe the opening. Wound, to me, is much stronger emotionally and also adds a more human element to the hornets. Although animals can also receive wounds, something as nasty as a hornet is not something one generally regrets if they are killed/hurt. Use of "wound" though, made me realize that the boys weren't just provoking the hornets, they destroyed the hornets' home. Another instance where diction caught my attention occurred in the third stanza, fourth line. As the boys are running away under the moss, I pictured an old man, wizenend and observent, watching the boys as they ran away. Although this is a minor point, I felt that the author added a strong contrast between the youth of the boys with the age of the trees which perpetuated the motif of "youth" in the poem. The choice of "ghost" to describe the horde of hornets was also haunting. For me, a ghost descends slowly and deliberately thus, I pictured the hornets doing so as well. Finally, the use of the word nimbus in the first line of the fifth stanza was very interesting. Originally, I had a vague idea of what a nimbus was, but I felt that it was prudent to find the actual definition. According to dictionary.com, a nimbus is commonly used in mythology as a "shining cloud" which surrounds a deity I felt that this decision to use nimbus was almost ironical--in no way was anything Jack experiencing holy or "shining" in any respect. 

Way 3: A Point About Form and Its Relationship to Content
Most obviously, the poem is consistently separated into five-line stanzas, regardless of whether or not the fifth line is a complete sentence or not. There doesn't appear to be any rhyming scheme; thus, I would classify it as a free verse poem. There are several instances of alliteration in lines three, six, nine, twenty-two, twenty-eight and twenty-nine and at least one example of obvious assonance present throughout the poem (insert anchors). Although, none of these examples seem to have any analytical significance and really just add rhythm to the poem. Observing the line breaks and the stanza grouping, I notice no pattern to when they are inserted. The most outstanding tone I received from this poem was that it was a retelling of a memory; a memory which had little significance initially, but became momentous upon his maturity. Consequently, age may have potentially caused the memory to fade and the line/stanza breaks are actually the speaker pausing to recollect.

Another aspect I noticed after numerous readings was that the author never closes the quotation marks but has the works which are "spoken" italicized. For example, in stanza four, line four, it states, " //'Get up!// we hollered from the water. //" 'Run!//. " I have always been taught that one either uses quotation marks or italics; this odd concoction of quotes/italics seems to have no literary significance but may be a "signature" of the author. Personally, I connotate italics more with emphasis so, when reading the italicized quotations I read it with more passion, especially considering the atmosphere of panic created by the author. I am not sure why the author does not close the quotation marks--this in itself may be a representation of the fact that speaker at one time spoke these words, but because he is retelling the story, (thus, speaking) it is just a way to differentiate between the past and present dialogue. This is further supported by the use of just italics in the final stanza when the speaker __thought__ (not spoke!), "//I'm glad/it's him. I'm glad it's not me.//"

A final technique I noticed was the repetition of first person pronouns in the final stanza. "I," "I'm," or "me," is used seven times in the last three lines. For the third and fourth lines, which describe how the speaker "did the proper things," I felt that switching from "we" to "I" really isolated the speaker from his other friends. Whether or not the other boys also "did the proper things," the reader really just focuses on how the speaker engaged in these activities. I gathered that this is meant to try and "redeem" the speaker in the eyes of the reader. Perhaps the use of the first person pronoun was to separate the speaker from his other friends and illustrate how his actions were superior to the other boys'. Despite this attempt at redemption, (or perhaps the speaker initially felt his actions were more of a penance) the last line illustrates his immaturity and selfishness. Thus, the isolation the speaker seems to be stressing with the use of these pronouns seems to be more to accentuate the egocentrism felt by younger children.

Way 4: Unpacking An Instance of Figurative Language
The phrase, "...the frightening verticality of moss/that hung;like beards, from ancient cypresses" is a simile comparing moss which is hanging from the cypress trees to beards. According to dictionary.com, a cypress tree is described as, "Any of various evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus //Cupressus,// native to Eurasia and North America and having opposite, scalelike leaves and globose woody cones. Cypress branches used as a symbol of mourning." Alternate words: evergreen. [|Cypress tree picture]. A cypress tree, as shown by the attached image, has broad, expansive branches, versus more slanting and narrow branches of the average "Christmas tree" evergreen. Cypresses as a symbol of mourning could be a symbol of a loss of naivete. A beard, most simply, is the growth of facial hair on a man, achieved once the male has reached puberty. (I explored other definitions but none of them really seemed to fit.) Alternative words: mustache, facial hair, fuzz, whiskers and body hair. Because young boys can (generally) not grow beards, facial hair is associated with older, more mature men. In some cultures, the length of a man's beard demonstrated his age (and assumed wisdom). In the case of this poem, the moss "which hung like beards" was described as frightening which suggests the idea that they created a sort of hurdle for the boys to scamper through; yet,it also connotes an image that the trees were wise and perhaps acting as a sort of moral judge to the boys' action--perhaps acting as a sort of conscience.

Another instance occurs when the hornets "settled on [Jack] like a ghost." This is another case of simile, the swarm of hornets is compared to a ghost. Already at this point in the poem, the reader understands that there is an urgency in the tone; the boys are running and the hornets are ferociously pursuing. The most common definition associated with a "ghost" is supplied by dictionary.com as: the soul of a dead person, a disembodied spirit imagined, usually as a vague, shadowy or evanescent form, as wandering among or haunting living persons. Alternative words which could have been used include: specter, poltergeist, spirit and phantom; all of which have a more //menacing// connotation but seem to be more specific to a "disembodied spirit." In the poem, it seems that the speaker merely wants to convey the idea of this menacing form descending on the boy, which had been haunting their footsteps as they ran away. The fact that a ghost is generally transparent, and sometimes without a defined shape helps create strong imagery for how the swarm of hornets appeared as they enveloped Jack. The connotation of this simile helps demonstrate the magnitude of the situation; there were not just a few hornets, there were a swarm of them---they were angry and merciless.

A third use of figurative language occurs in the line "They clung/around him like a nimbus." The denotative and connotative meanings for this passage are discussed earlier.

Way 5: Analyzing Setting
The poem unfolds in the woods, mainly consisting of Cypress trees. The significance of Cypress trees is discussed in Way 4 and Way 10.

It is also important to mention that the setting is in the past, technically, in the //memory// of the speaker. Although, the poem focuses much on the actions and emotions of the characters which seem to be the most important element to the theme of the poem.

One part of the setting though that did seem to be more emphasized though, was the marsh. Dictionary.com describes a marsh as, "a tract of low wet land, often treeless and periodically inundated, generally characterized by a growth of grasses, sedges, cattails, and rushes." Although I feel that the choice of a marsh versus a pond or a stream may have been more experience-inspired instead of symbolically representative, it is important to note that the function of the marsh in the poem was to act as a shield against the hornets. In the poem, the speaker describes that the boys "ran towards water," which further supports my idea that it is really the purpose of water and not the connotation of a marsh which is important to the poem. Stereotypically, water is associated with purification; it's as if the two boys who were not stung were being purified against their sins (provoking the hornets' nest) and Jack was left as the unfortunate sacrifice who is only absolved after he has been stung by the hornets.

Way 6: Analyzing Point of View
A first-person point of view is used by the speaker; although, it is told from the speaker's perspective years after the incident occurred. Brown and Yarbrough describe the defining characteristics of this point of view as being told by someone who is participating in the events which are unfolding and someone who generally refers to himself or herself as “I” (63). Thus, the use of the first person pronouns, "I" and "me" throughout the poem support the idea of a first-person narration. Use of the first-person is practical, considering the speaker is retelling the story from memory and the poem would lose some of its "storytelling" quality if it were told through the third person omniscient or limited. This is important to the tone of the story as the speaker's reflection on his actions as a youth. Furthermore, the speaker seems to want to impart some perspective onto the reader by telling them this story in this fashion. If the author had included the perspectives of the other boys, the enormity of the situation to the speaker may have been altered. For instance, I think it was important that, considering the "storytelling" tone of the story, that Jack's perspective was not included. By including Jack's emotions, which were most likely extremely bitter, the reader may have felt resentment towards the other boys. I think the speaker wanted to emphasize his lack of empathy towards the situation AND how he didn't even consider the fact that he should really care, which would not have been as evident if Jack's emotions would have been included--the reader is more likely to have felt sympathy or empathy as his or her dominant emotion. While, if the other boys had cared, the contrast to the speaker's insincerity may have been stronger, I still feel that the themes discussed above may have become secondary and lost much of their magnitude.

Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity and Difficulty
The most noticeable case of ambiguity occurs in the lines, "to show we had **some** power in the world/Not much. But some..." The reader is left uninformed into the actual type of power the speaker means. It could very well be the power people exercise over creatures deemed weaker or inferior; or it could also be the power to kill and destroy. This ambiguity causes the reader to take the poem to a universal level and understand that this "some power" is not even significant enough to specify. Consequently, because this trivial exertion of power had dire repercussion for Jack, who could have died, the lack of remorse and empathy demonstrated by the speaker at the end heightens the reader awareness to the more subtle theme.

Another instance of ambiguity occurs when the speaker uses "it" in reference to the hornet's nest. Besides the title, the only other __word__ (not description) initially present which leads us to understand that the speaker is discussing an actual "nest" is the word "drone," in reference to a specific type of hornet. I felt that this helped minimize the "shock" the reader may have felt from realizing it was a hornet's nest which was provoked. The fact the boys destroyed a hornet's nest is irrelevant--it was the motivation behind the action and the consequences/reactions they had which seem to be most emphasized by the reader.

Although the age of the speaker noticeably regresses from the beginning to the end of the poem, in the final stanza, there is a phrase which merely states, "Eight years or nine." Taken into context of the ending phrase, "Eight years old," one could ascertain that the speaker is once again referencing age. Yet, it is also evident that unlike the other references to age, the speaker seems to purposefully omit any prefacing or ending clarification. Consequently, the reader is forced to question whether the speaker is commenting on age, or measuring the time it took for him to understand the consequences of his actions.

Way 8: Considering Canonicity
Hudgins' poem is artfully constructed using a variety of literary elements such as figurative language and subtextual intricacies, as discussed previously. These elements alone give the poem much merit in terms of style sophistication. Furthermore, the use of strongly evocative images gives Hudgins' writing an undeniable edge in terms of connotation. The language used suggests that it was most likely written in the twentieth or twenty-first century. I feel that the historical context is actually quite irrelevant to this poem--really, Hudgins characters could be any group of young boys (or girls, for that matter) causing mischief resulting in unanticipated consequences. When reading the poem, I did feel engaged with the characters, which is sometimes hard to do in poems because they are generally shorter, and mainly the poet focuses on descriptions and figurative language to convey a meaning. Instead, Hudgins seems to rely on the reader living vicariously through the speaker to understand the meaning. In terms of character development, I felt that Hudgins was able to obtain a strong character-reader relationship which defies the stereotypical poem (in my mind). Moreover, the emotions--or lack of--which the speaker discusses at the end are very tangible, very common reactions for a human being, of any age, to experience when he has thrillingly escaped from a perilous predicament, despite the repercussions felt by others. Regardless, I felt that Hudgins successfully captured the temptation, thrill and relief experienced by any convict, prey or passerby after escaping from harm. Consequently, I feel that the aesthetic and universal qualities present in this poem are strong enough to give "The Hornets' Nest" legitimate consideration into the canon.

Way 9: Biographical Context
The main aspect which seemed to be most stressed about Hudgins' life was that he lived in the deep south for most of his life and his father was a military man. Consequently, much of his writing is influenced by the cultural aspects of Southern traditions. Alabamaliterarymap.org describes Hudgins' work ,"to embody the Southern Gothic tradition: grotesque imagery combined with a strong sense of history, religion, and family." After much research, I was able to divulge that "The Hornets' Nest" is part of one of Hudgins' anthologies called __After the Lost War: A Narrative__, which uses Georgia poet and Confederate soldier Sidney Lanier as inspiration. This anthology narrates, through tetrameters of blank verse, Lanier's trials during the Civil War and his death by tuberculousis (Contemporary Authors). Consequently, this adds much insight to both the Historical and Cultural context--and the specific word choice for the title--which will be discussed below. Southern history is not an uncommon subject for Hudgins, nor is the use of historical figures for subjects (Contemporary Authors). Taking this into consideration, it is much easier to contextualize the poem and further extract meaning.

Way 10: Historical and Cultural Context
After understanding the aforementioned material, it is now understood that the modern era would not be the most pertinent to the historical and cultural contextualization, but rather that of the Civil War time period. After researching the phrase "the hornets' nest," it is discovered that this is the vernacular label many times used to reference the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. Specifically, The Hornets' Nest was the name of a spot on the battlefield which the Union forces held against the opposition's fire (wikipedia.org). The Confederates suffered extreme casualties and The Hornets' Nest success against Rebel forces gave Union General Ulysses Grant time to re-enforce his lines and advance into the Mississippi which ultimately resulted in a victory for the Union on the second day (wikipedia.org). The Battle of Shiloh is many times considered to be a milestone in the results of the Civil War due to its excessive amounts of casualties (over 20,000) which defied previous conceptions about a timely end to the war (wikipedia.org). Considering these facts, the specific events detailed in Hudgins' poem are to be able to be read in a new light; now, instead of just being a memory, Hudgins seems to be using a memory to symbolically represent (through the memory of Sidney Lanier) the Battle of Shiloh to young boys causing mischief. The fact that the speaker describes the boys as being reckless and "kn[owing] it was a stupid thing to [poke the hornets' nest]" is relatable to the carelessness of Rebel forces in attacking the Union center without necessarily considering the consequences. Furthermore, the fate of Jack--who is severely injured--can now be interpreted as representing the massive amount of injuries which were "routine" effects of battle during this era. Thus, the idea of "I'm glad it's him. I'm glad it's not me," was probably a common feeling felt by soldiers who survived each battle. The question of the repetition of age could then be clarified as a type of hyperbole--the average age of a soldier was about twenty years old, which is still extremely young to be given the responsibility of fighting in war (wikipedia.org). Thus, to better fit the symbolic scenario, it was more fitting to present the boys as being very young. Moreover, the line, "We may have been just nine or ten, but still/we knew it was a stupid thing to do," can be interpreted as feelings the soldiers had towards orders given by their commanding officers, or just about the war in general, adding an air of disillusionment to the poem.

Another way in which the historical context enlightened me, was concerning the specific diction present throughout the poem. Words such as limb,rotten, destructive and exploded could be references to the action and carnage of the battle, Also, the line, "the drone drew us," may have been metaphorical to soldiers marching towards the drone (used as a verb, not a noun) of the battle and the hornets representative of musket fire whizzing overhead. The choice of cypress trees is also better understood; a tree which is representative of mourning is appropriate for a place of battle. Furthermore, the use of "nimbus" also expresses disillusionment--by contrasting the painful and inglorious wounding of Jack (as an affect of battle) with the holiness and "shining cloud" of what a nimbus's denotative meaning is. It's as if the speaker takes the romanticized (or propaganda) view of the war and exposes the reality of it through comparing Jack's being mobbed by hornets (or musket fire) to some sort of masochistic beatification.

Way 11: Theoretical Application--Reader Response
A definition of reader-response theory can be found  [|here] I felt that the best way to approach the Reader-Response criticism was to first re-examine how I initially engaged with the text. Because this is such a strongly historical (but obscure) poem, I wanted to make sure I was able to solely focus on the text itself. The most apparent way I seemed to have engaged with the text was through the figurative language. Hudgins' use of imagery helped create a relationship between myself and the speaker. When the speaker ran, I felt exhilarated; when he relaxed in the pond, I reveled in his success at escaping; when he felt no remorse at Jack's predicament, I also guiltily indulged in relief. According to Norman Holland, a reader-response critic, readers respond most strongly to texts which are the most relatable to them; taking this theory into account, I feel that "The Hornets' Nest" would evoke an emotional reaction--at some level-- in many readers due to its embodiment of the simple human emotions of foolishness and (at the end) selfishness (Brown and Yarbrough, 219).

Hudgins' introduces the poem by appealing to memories--by stating right away, "we may have been just nine or ten," the reader instantly reminisces back to the time when they were that age. By following this with, "...but still/we knew it was a stupid things to do," the reader begins to interact with the text by remembering unwise choices they had made when they were younger and reflecting on how he or she has matured since that time. Once these responses are engaged, the poem becomes thrilling as it describes the escape of two of the boys and the "fall" of Jack. The final stanza, where the speaker admits that he felt little empathy for Jack then re-engages the reader with the memories the text evoked earlier--causing them to perhaps feel guilty as they remember having felt similar feelings. Consequently, the end of the poem leaves the reader feeling perhaps ashamed or appalled--but not necessarily because of what the speaker felt, but because the reader also understands that he hides or has hidden the same apathy.

Way 12: Theoretical Application--New Historicism
A definition of New Historicism theory can be found [|here] New Historicism relies much on examining the historical context which can be found in Way 10. While Way 10 explains the historical context--including the Battle of Shiloh and the connection to poet and Confederate soldier Sidney Lanier--I conducted some more research which revealed more insight to the Confederate ideology during the Civil War (focusing on the Battle of Shiloh). Most importantly, I discovered a document written by a Confederate general, reporting the results of the Battle of Shiloh. Ignoring most of the facts, what was most apparent to me was the use of propaganda on part by the Confederate generals. For instance, the author of this document reflected on the battle as, "The great body of the Tennessee troops never fought better than at Shiloh. Though many of them had little training, they fought in the open field and exhibited remarkable steadiness and readiness to obey orders. While company and regimental organizations were observed, it was next to impossible to maintain brigade and division organizations" (http://www.civilwarhome.com/CMHshiloh.htm). While it is undeniable that soldiers display extreme valor on the battlefield, the causalities for both sides were overwhelming and the end of the battle resulted in Union victory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shiloh). Though the Confederates did not abstain from including their causalities, the report is littered with other instances of propaganda similar to the example above which illustrates how much of the Rebel ideology was concentrated around wartime propaganda. Furthermore, after considering the carnage, it became apparent to both sides--contradictory to previous thoughts--that the war was not to end quickly; thus, it is sensible as to why Confederate reports would have a redundant amount of propaganda considering the implications of the Battle of Shiloh (http://www.civilwarhome.com/shilohdescription.htm). Integrating all this information, the reader can better understand the air of disillusionment at the end and perhaps the reasoning behind the lines, "...told his ma/it was an accident," which may have been a reference to the generals attempting to hide any tactical mistakes they made which allowed for a Union victory. Combining both the historical and textual evidence, it is now easier to interpret some of the deeper intricacies of the poem.

Way 13: Unifying Interpretation
Essentially, my interpretation of the poem completely changed after discovering the biographical and historical significance. When I first analyzed the poem, I assumed that it was more a commentary on human nature than anything else. A common topic in modern literature is discussing the darker aspects of human nature, so it seemed fitting that Hudgins would write about the irresponsibility of youth and the inherent selfishness present in human beings. Yet, despite the practicality of this assumption, the elements of the poem seemed to suggest something else and my initial interpretation seemed too obvious for the subtleties of literary analysis. Thus, when I finally was able to research my poem, I was very much enlightened by the information I discovered. Before, where I had really felt there was minimal symbolism, a whole plethora of hidden metaphors were revealed and the true meaning of the poem began to unfurl its petals.

"The Hornets' Nest" is a poem in the poetic anthology __After the Lost War: A Narrative,__ which is inspired by the events in the Civil War as told through the perspective of Confederate soldier/poet, Sidney Lanier. This poem specifically references the events which comprised the Battle of Shiloh--commonly referred to as, "the hornets nest," which was the name coined for the Union center at this battle. The poem, like many others concerning warfare, seems to have a tone of disillusionment, describing the provocation of the hornets' nest (or Union troops) as "a stupid thing to do," and comparing the attack to some sort of feeble, albeit destructive, attempt at displaying power, which could by symbolic of the soldier's view about warfare in general. Furthermore, the specific diction present in the lines, "They clung/around him like a nimbus..." contrasts the holiness connotated with a nimbus with the destructive act of being stung (or being shot at). This small phrase illustrates the paradox which exits in the phrase, "glorious war."

While the speaker is able to escape the hornets' nest unscathed, the fate of Jack is much more sobering--a fate that was shared by many soldiers. Thus, when the poem ends with the phrases, "//I'm glad it's him. I'm glad it's not me,//" it is easy to understand why a soldier who escaped battle without injury would perhaps be slightly apathetic to the plights of others. Furthermore, this apathy could be a sort of conditioned result of seeing too much battle and death. Consequently, upon completion, the reader is left feeling disillusioned to war.

Works Cited:
Brown, James S. and Scott D. Yarbrough. __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study.__ Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2005. 268-271. 63, 219.

 Biographical Context: Thomson, Gale. “Andrew Hudgins.” __Contemporary Authors Online.__ 26 Aug. 2006: __Galenet__. UW Colleges Online, Wausau, WI. 21 Jul. 2009 .


 * Offered some biographical information about his style and some characteristics of his writing subject and context.**

.** Gave me a thorough description of Hudgins’ life and helped me biographically contextualize the author.
 * Alabama Center For the Book. “Andrew Hudgins.” 21 May 2009. Auburn University. 21 Jul. 2009

Historical Context: Thomson, Gale. “Andrew Hudgins.” __Contemporary Authors Online.__ 26 Aug. 2006: __Galenet__. UW Colleges Online, Wausau, WI. 21 Jul. 2009 .
 * Allowed me to insight to his anthology, __After the War: A Narrative.__**

“Battle of Shiloh.” 20 Jul. 2009. Wikipedia.org. 21 Jul.2009: .

"The Battle of Shiloh." 27 Jul. 2009. __The Civil War Homepage.__ 27 Nov. 2001: 

"The Battle of Shiloh." 27 Jul. 2009. __The Civil War Homepage.__ 7 Feb. 2002: 


 * Explained the name “The Hornets’ Nest” and the effects of the loss of The Battle of Shiloh for the Confederates.**