The Armadillo

“Skunk Hour” by Robert Lowell (1956)

While Bishop wrote her poem about travels in Brazil, she dedicated it to her friend Robert Lowell. In response to “The Armadillo,” he wrote about a skunk in a trash can. Lowell’s poem also explores The Interactions Between Humans and Nature.

“The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop (1946)

“The Fish” is the most famous poem by Bishop. Like “The Armadillo,” “The Fish” focuses on an animal. The interaction between humans and nature in this poem is catching the fish. In this poem, the speaker provides more details on the fish’s body than is given about the distant armadillo, but similarly takes the fish outside of its natural environment. Both the armadillo and the fish are displaced.

“Pigeons” by Marianne Moore (1935)

Moore and Bishop met at Vassar and became lifelong friends. “Pigeons” can be compared to “The Armadillo” in that it also focuses on the animal world. However, Moore’s poem looks at pigeons in different historical contexts, where Bishop’s poem focuses on a single month in Brazil.