Plz help with this poem.?

Question

Late of the jungle, wild and dim,
Sliced from the elephant's ivory limb,
Painted, polished, here, these spheres
Rehearse their civilized careers-
Trapped in geometric toil,
Exhibit impact and recoil
Politely, in a farce of force,
And let's have no absurd remorse,
But praise the complicated plan
That organizes beast and man
In patterns so superbly styled
Late of the jungle, dim and wild

Theme of the poem or What is the methaphor w/ Billard Balls and the people and the ivory

Answer 1

I'd guess there's more than a bit of irony at play here. Billiard balls used to be made of ivory from an elephant's tusk. Kill the elephant, take the tusks, make billiard balls. Then, the ivory has a "civilized career" because it's used by man, a superior being to the beasts. We should have "no remorse" as this is the natural order of things.

You could read it literally, and suggest the author is supporting the results of this hunting and killing of beasts for something so trivial as billiard balls, but I'd suggest it's irony and the author is suggesting there is nothing "civilized" in this kind of behaviour at all.

Answer 2

I agree with D'archangel, that the poem refers to billiard balls made of ivory.

So there is symbolism in the patterns of how they strike against each other, as an analogy between beasts competing in the jungle and man in society, while both are interconnected.

Answer 3

While it is true that the billiard balls are made of ivory, and that civilized careers refers to billiards, a gentleman's game as opposed to pool, the underlying theme is that the poem refers to people. We are the billiard balls, we came from the jungle to practice civilized careers, which is just a farce of force. And we must praise the entire game we are trapped in because it is complicated and it organizes "beast and man" in patterns superbly styled. I take the organization of Beast and man" to mean the animal and the civilized man within us. I don't see any real face value interpretation about animals in it. It is really about man the animal and how he behaves.

Answer 4

Sounds like it's talking about pool...

"Sliced from the elephant's ivory limb/
painted, polished, here, these spheres"

...strikes me as a reference to billiard balls.

Answer 5

What do u need help with. Sorry but u didn't tell what u actually needed.

Answer 6

that sounds pretty well...nice job