The Travelling Bear (Amy Lowell)
A trained bear dances heavily over sunlit cobblestones while grass blades gleam gold and emerald around him. Although the stones cut his feet, a ring hurts his nose, and his keeper prods him beneath the fur with a sharp stick, he continues to perform. A crowd watches with amusement, and boys and young women move their feet in time with his dance. Delighted by the spectacle, they do not notice fully that the bear is exhausted, aching, dazzled, and confused, yet compelled to keep dancing by the pointed stick.
By Amy Lowell · First published 1932 · Genre: Fiction, Children's Literature, Adventure · 205 words
First lines
Grass-blades push up between the cobblestones And catch the sun on their flat sides Shooting it back, Gold and emerald, Into the eyes of passers-by.
And over the cobblestones, Square-footed and heavy, Dances the trained bear.
Tho cobbles cut his feet, And he has a ring in his nose Which hurts him; But still he dances, For the keeper pricks him with a sharp stick, Under his fur.
Now the crowd gapes and chuckles, And boys and young women shuffle their feet in time to the dancing bear.
What this Textopian page supports
The Travelling Bear (Amy Lowell) is listed on Textopian as a poem by Amy Lowell, dated 1932 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Amy Lowell
- Date: 1932 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Children's Literature, Adventure, Animal Fiction, Fantasy
- Length: 205 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Travelling Bear (Amy Lowell) by Amy Lowell
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Travelling Bear (Amy Lowell)?
- How does this poem by Amy Lowell fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Fiction — Given the title and the authors associated, this book likely contains a narrative featuring a travelling bear, indicating it falls into the genre of fiction.
- Children's Literature — The travelling bear appears as a common motif in children's literature, suggesting that this book may belong to this genre.
- Adventure — A travelling bear could suggest an adventurous journey, implying that the story could belong to the adventure genre.
- Animal Fiction — As the title suggests a bear as a main character, the book may be classified under the genre of animal fiction.
Tags
bear · travel · adventure · nature · friendship · exploration · journey · imagination · childhood · whimsy · animals · fantasy