10.(b) You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off. But must I confess how I liked him, How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless, Into the burning bowels of this earth ? (Snake) (iii) What action is suggested to the narrator on how to deal with the snake ?
10.(b) You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off. But must I confess how I liked him, How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless, Into the burning bowels of this earth ? (Snake) (iii) What action is suggested to the narrator on how to deal with the snake ?
Official answer
The narrator is urged to take a stick, strike the snake and finish it off — that is, to kill it. This is the voice of his education/social conditioning telling him a poisonous snake must be killed.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark: answer stating he is urged to take a stick and kill / strike / finish off the snake.
- 2.Full mark accepted for 'to kill the snake' with reference to the stick.
- 3.No mark for answers describing his liking for the snake, as that is not the action suggested.
Hint
Read the very first line of the extract — it tells you what he is urged to do with a stick.
Quick oral answer
He is urged to take a stick and strike the snake, to break it and finish it off — in short, to kill it, as his education insists a venomous snake must be killed.
Common mistakes
- 1.Answering with the poet's feeling (that he liked it) instead of the action suggested.
- 2.Missing the key detail of the 'stick' used to strike the snake.
- 3.Confusing who gives the suggestion — it is the voice of education, not the snake or another character.
Analysis and explanation
Question on the action suggested to the narrator in D. H. Lawrence's 'Snake'.
Concept
- The opening line — 'You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off' — records the instruction the narrator receives: to kill the snake with a stick.
Key points
- This suggestion comes from 'the voice of my education', the socially taught belief that venomous snakes must be killed.
- It clashes with the poet's own instinctive admiration for the creature.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the question (the suggested action) with the poet's feeling (liking/welcoming the snake) — these are opposite ideas in the poem.
Real-world theme
- The two competing voices, education versus natural respect, drive the poem's theme of guilt when the poet momentarily obeys by throwing a log and instantly regrets his 'pettiness'.
Previously asked
Whenever we act against the voice of our conscience, the result is suffering. Explain with reference to the poet's action against the snake.
From the poems 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and 'The Snake', discuss how the characters, the albatross and the snake view human attitude and perspective towards creatures.
Interesting facts
In Sicily, Lawrence notes, the black snakes are harmless but the gold ones are venomous — which is why his 'education' insisted the golden snake at his trough must be killed.
The moment the poet obeys this voice and throws a log, he immediately compares his act to that of the Ancient Mariner who shot the albatross, calling it a 'pettiness' he must expiate.
Question details
Q40 of 53 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 10
- Subject
- English (Communicative)
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section D
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- Very Short Answer
- Chapter
- Snake
- Topic
- Action suggested to deal with the snake
- Bloom's level
- understand
- Syllabus topic
- Section D: Poetry — 'Snake' by D. H. Lawrence: Voice of Education / Conflict
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
What action is the narrator urged to take against the snake?
He is urged to take a stick and break the snake, striking it to finish it off — that is, to kill it.
Who suggests killing the snake in the poem?
The suggestion comes from the 'voice of his education' — the social conditioning that tells him a golden, venomous Sicilian snake must be killed.