Saving Places - I Thought I Saw

This weeks english task was to analyze or interoperate the poem Saving Places - I Thought I Saw by 10 year old Hannah Tobin.

I thought i saw a fertile plain
Growing a crop of golden corn.
I thought i saw the sea again but -
Its probably just the light of dawn.


I thought i saw the proud elephant
Patrolling by the lake.
I thought i saw the boxing kangaroo

but -

It must have been a mistake.


I thought i saw the mighty buffalo, 
Stampeding through the forest.
I thought i saw a modest honey bee

but-

It could not have been - i promise.


I thought i saw the arrogant kingfisher,
Flashing his red-orange chest.
I thought i saw a bounding hare but -
Maybe my eyes just need rest.


All these things-
They could not be
They all died out because of me.

Hannah Tobin (10)


Hannah is a little young girl and she probably loves animals and wants to take care of the nature for future generations. Thats why she wrote a poem about environmental protection. The poem describes how humans can cause extinction of the animals, the sea and the landscape.

The poet has written the text full of emotions to capture the reader. She describes some characteristics with each animal so you get a picture and a sense of watching them alive. The first and the third sentence in each verse rhymes.

It looks like the person in the poem is living in the future and dreaming of a better world and how it use to be back in the days. But in her future there are no animals and sea because of all the pollution that people has caused and to much hunting of endangered species.

I think the little girl made this poem to show that if the pollution and hunting goes on thats how the world will end up. With no animals and sea, only dusty badlands.

The poet is afraid that the future is going to be like this and that she wrote the poem to warn everyone that if the humans keep doing what we do this is how the world will end up. She tries to raise awareness around the fact that everybody has a responsibility and should be involved in environment issues to save the Earth.