Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's "Hunting Manual" presents an evocative exploration of capture, control, and the elusiveness of true wildness. The poem contrasts the ease of capturing tame, domesticated entities with the profound challenge of capturing what remains truly wild and free. Wilner uses vivid imagery and historical allusions to illustrate these themes, weaving a tapestry of thought that is both rich and intricate.

The poem opens with the image of the unicorn, a mythical creature often symbolizing purity and untamed nature. However, in Wilner’s depiction, the unicorn is an "easy prey" because it has been rendered tame and docile, its "horn in the maiden’s lap." This image conjures the well-known medieval tapestries where the unicorn, a symbol of wildness, is subdued by a maiden. The unicorn’s capture is "an obvious / twist," indicating that its domestication has made it less captivating and less challenging to capture. Similarly, the hawk, once a free-roaming predator, now "sits... fat and hooded, / squawking on the hunter’s wrist," symbolizes the loss of freedom and wildness.

Wilner extends this metaphor to the lives of women in history, particularly those "who wore keys / at their waists" and lived constrained lives. These women, whose roles and desires were confined, dreamed of "wounded knights" they could tend to, projecting their unfulfilled passions onto these figures. The poem suggests that such dreams and desires, though poignant, are easily manipulated and controlled, much like the tame unicorn and hawk.

The "hard prey," in contrast, is the one that "won’t come bidden." Wilner illustrates this through a series of signs indicating the elusiveness of true wildness. The fishing line missing its hook and lure, the net dissolved into "sodden shreds," the sprung traps with rusted jaws, and the blank computer memory after a storm all symbolize the frustration and futility of trying to capture or control what remains genuinely wild. These images emphasize that true wildness resists domestication and control, eluding capture despite human efforts.

The poem's concluding lines urge the reader to recognize the futility of these efforts. The blank card, the sprung trap, the dissolved net, and the unburdened line that "swings free in the air" all signify the ultimate freedom of the untamed. The hunter, therefore, is advised to "go empty-handed to the hunt / and come home the same way / in the dark." This advice encapsulates the poem’s central theme: the recognition and acceptance that true wildness cannot be captured or controlled.

Wilner’s "Hunting Manual" challenges the reader to contemplate the nature of freedom and the limits of human control. It juxtaposes the ease of capturing what has been domesticated with the inherent challenge of capturing what remains truly wild. Through her rich imagery and historical allusions, Wilner paints a vivid picture of the perpetual struggle between domestication and wildness, urging us to respect and acknowledge the unyielding essence of the wild.

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