What I found interesting in the poem was the fact that Hardy talks about a bird, a thrush, and how it is singing and is a source of happiness. Looking at modern day homes, we still keep birds as pets and look to them for music and a source of happiness. Back in the days when I was a young laddy at home alone, I turn to my sister’s pet birds for inspiration and company. They would always sing to me while I was in the garage with them and when I’d let them fly around in there, they would be nice and not bite or scratch me. So not only are they a source of music and happiness, they are animals that are seen as harmless and free. Birds are animals that are seen to be a sign of freedom and hope at times. Like how Hardy says “Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew and I was unaware.” Birds really just puzzle the human mind, but yet still intrigue the mind and bring about a certain happiness that cannot be brought upon by anything else. Birds do not have to be pets to be loved, people in parks feed and love the birds that are around them. If a bird is seen out of nowhere and is singing, no one can ignore it and not look at it and listen.
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Some times I feel like the thrush. When I read the poem the first thing i thought of was the winter days when school was canceled, and since i lived on a block with no children and adults still went to work I would have the whole silent block to myself where I could do as I pleased and be excited just like the thrush.
When I was younger, my mom and I took daily evening walks in a nearby neighborhood and coming up one of the many hills, we would always hear this bird squawking at us from some hidden location. It was obviously a pet bird because it had a vocabulary that included common sayings such as hello, goodbye, and pretty bird. For months, we had no idea where this dumb bird was coming from until one evening on our walk, we noticed a bird cage set atop the railing of one of the neighbor's backyard decks. Aha! There was the source of the nightly calls to our backs as we trudged up the hill. Sometime later, we even found out that the bird in question was named Kelly and so we then started saying hello to him as we passed by every evening. Initially, Kelly was a mystery, a part of nature that we could only enjoy without witnessing. However, once we knew his name and were able to see him in a cage, the mystery was lost. Somehow, he had more weight when he was just a part of nature rather than being a caged up pet. As a pet, he was inhibited and unable to stretch his wings (however cliche that may sound). That is why I do not always believe that having birds as pets is in the animals' best interests. If I was a bird, I would not want to be locked in a box for my entire life, unable to be in my natural habitat. However, I do realize how much joy that birds offer their owners and so my suggestion is that the birds be housed in larger cages that allow them to roam. Also, when possible, I suggest that they be let free to fly about for a few hours every once and a while. I have never owned a bird so I do not know if this is a feasible plan but I think it might work. At least, it would be in the better interests of the birds and would still allow people to own them as pets.
Brandon, thanks for the thrush photo op. It is, indeed, a plump little thing--not nearly so "frail and gaunt" as Hardy's bird with his "blast-beruffled plume." And it's true in my experience, too, that when a bird sings out, I stop to listen and try to find the bird(I rarely spot where they're hiding). What does everyone else think about keeping birds as pets? What does the attraction to bird song suggest about our connection with nature?
I love the idea of your finding your way to bird knowledge through Hardy's wonderful poetry!
I like how you look to your sister's bird as inspiration and company. That's sort of like me with my dog. He's my source of happiness when I'm at home. My window in my dorm room is right above a tree, so on some mornings I can hear birds chirping. It's a nice sound to wake up to and I consider myself very lucky to be waking up to the sound of birds chirping than the sound of construction like some other people, but I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of birds even though I know that they are harmless. As far as keeping a bird as a pet to answer Dr. Seeley's question, I don't think I could handle it. Besides the fact that I don't really like them, I could never keep it in a cage. It just goes against the idea that they represent being free.
Interesting thought that Tiffany and Jill brings about of how they do not believe in keeping birds as pets in cages. I also see that and agree with them on that matter of fact. The question Dr. Seeley ask is about the connection with nature and I think the answer to that is how humans want to be with nature and involved with it so we keep pets. Even though Tiffany and Jill do not like the idea of keeping birds as pets in cages is almost immoral, keep birds as pets is not necessarily meaning keeping them in cages. They can roam around the house like a pet dog or cat. What do you all think about the fact of keeping a bird as a pet roaming freely in the house like a cat?
I have had friends who have had birds as pets and there always seemed to be a pleasant calm atmosphere whenever we would spend time with them. Though most pets are also said to provide happiness and a warm comforting atmosphere. Though I admit unlike most pets, birds are often times associated with symbols of freedom, though not to say that other pets such as dogs, cats, and hamsters don't roam freely, but you don't often hear of them being used as symbols of freedom.
Hi Brandon,
I enjoyed your post- what a joyful picture! I believe people have an innate attraction to animals- well, most animals anyway- and we love to imbue them with human characteristics almost as much as we love to use animal similes to describe people! (think "he's as free as a bird;" "she eats like a horse" "he's as sly as a fox" etc). Children especially seem fascinated by animals, but I wonder if they simply have more time to indulge their curiosity. The other day I allowed myself to be distracted by the San Francisco Chronicle's online Photo Gallery, consisiting of the best pictures sent in by readers. Almost every single picture featured an animal, either a domestic pet or a wild animal. Animals bring up complex, conflicting feelings in us. We want animals to be "wild," and we want to connect with them in a meaningful way, but the fact is truly wild animals won't let us get too close, (certainly not close enough to snuggle) and in fact may pose danger or the threat of competition. The solution? Domesticate them and keep them as pets. (there's a darker solution to the problem of danger and competition- think about the over-hunting of wolves and "big cats" across the globe)
With regard to keeping birds as pets, I'd rather consider each individual case and determine if the bird's needs could be met (habitat requirements, nutritional needs, social needs, etc) before making a general judgement, although I wouldn't want to keep a bird as a pet in a cage myself.
On a lighter note, we have two partially domesticated birds that hang around the marina. One is a great blue heron named George who likes to roost at the far end of one of the docks. He gets cranky if you catch him by surprise, and flies off with an indignant croak. The other bird is a very plump Western Gull, also named George. He has trained Jeremy, one of the marina's residents, to feed him several times a day, and will rap on the door of Jeremy's boat with his beak if he feels his needs are being neglected.
Haha I found it very interesting how you named the birds Juliet, or are those names set by their actual owners? Also I had completely forgotten the saying "Free as a bird." Thank you for bringing that up Krystina and Juliet. I like that saying, and well can a bird be free if it is in a cage? Like Juliet said however, if everything is properly administrated and put out, is it ohk to keep a bird like so?
Brandon I really enjoyed your post. Juliet, I really liked your comment about wild animals and how they will not get too close to humans because they are naturally competitive and defensive with survival being on the forefront of their minds. It is interesting how different people have different ideas of a birds role in nature. While some people enjoy keeping birds in cages in their homes, many people look at birds as wild animals, as animals that belong out in the open space. Even with George and Jeremy, as close as they are to humans, they still leave freely and fly around in the sky. I wonder how birds look at humans relative to how we see our relationship with them. I'd be curious to meet one some day and find out.
I definitely agree that pets, and birds in particular, provide a certain happiness found nowhere else. There's just something about a domesticated animal thats comforting, but as you said it's hard to put a finger on what exactly makes having a pet so satisfying. I'm glad you focused on birds in particular because your blog reminded me of a friend back home who had a couple pet birds. As far as I was concerned, the birds were simply sources of random, obnoxious "skwaks" that were liable to make me jump out my of seat at anytime. I never understood why he had them until I read your blog and did some thinking. I had never considered them in the same light of companionship and happiness as dogs or cats until reading your post. Also, I think the simple fact that "bird watching" is an activity, and an extremely popular one at that, speaks volumes to these unique creatures and their gifts of happiness and song. You certainly don't hear people talking about an excellent weekend of raccoon watching in the woods. Great post!
I love birds, they are so cute! Nice blog Brandon. I don't agree that birds should be kept in cages though. I think that birds have wings for a reason! They should be free to fly whenever and wherever they want. I like to hear birds sing, but sometimes they get annoying. Back home my room was right next to these three really tall trees. Crows would constantly squawk and wake me up in the morning. I'm glad there are no crows here to wake me up!
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