Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep A Gun In The House

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2003

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

The Dog as Fidelity

Traditionally, the dog is a symbol of fidelity, friendship, and loyalty. In this poem, the speaker doesn’t keep a gun in the house so he cannot shoot the dog. This could be because the speaker doesn’t want to kill off the idea of fidelity and friendship. The dog, for its part, is barking in annoyance at its owners leaving. The “neighbors” (Lines 1 and 5) are plural, which suggests they are a family while their pet is solitary and left behind. This is made clear by the speaker letting the reader know the dog “barks the same, rhythmic bark / that he barks every time [the neighbors] leave the house” (Lines 2-3). Because of the reference to the gun in the title, a loose correlation could be made that someone has been disloyal to the speaker, and they want to eliminate this thought. Even though the speaker wants to ignore their unwanted isolation, it keeps hammering away at their mind, symbolized in the dog’s continual barking. Like the dog, the speaker may have been betrayed and wants to express their pain. By eventually accepting the dog as an artful musician, the speaker could be accepting of letting the idea of faithfulness back into their life—or appreciating that they, too, may have the possibility of performing “solo” (Line 18).

The Conductor as Messenger

The duty of an orchestra’s conductor is to serve as the composer’s—in this case, Beethoven’s—messenger. Through a series of gestures with a baton, the conductor helps the orchestra interpret the music. As the master of the music, the conductor helps to clarify the orchestra’s tempo, articulation, phrasing and repetition. However, by Stanza 4, the conductor is “entreating [the dog] with his baton” (Line 16), urging it to continue. The conductor encourages the dog’s musical expression, wanting it to perform its “endless coda” (Line 19). Here the imaginary conductor is acting like a cheerleader to the dog, but also to the speaker who now sees the joy is not at an end despite an annoyance breaking into their daily life. Rather, the dog’s bark itself is part of the “innovative genius” (Line 20) of the symphony created by life and represented by Beethoven.

Bark as Marginalized Voice

A “bark” is a sharp, explosive cry, generally from an animal. It can also be an animalistic sound made by a person. For animals, a bark can communicate anything from warning to anger. In Collins’s poem, the pain of the animal does not cease and becomes a desperate attempt at communication, with only the annoyed speaker to listen. The intensity of what the dog is trying to convey is enhanced by the repetition: The dog “will not stop barking” (Lines 1 and 5) the speaker twice reports. Despite the music used to mask the noise, the dog continues “barking, barking, barking” (Line 9). The dog has a message. At first, only the conductor understands, and rather than wanting to shut it up, beseeches the dog to further bark. The musicians listen in “respectful / silence” (Line 17-18) and finally, the speaker realizes that the “endless coda” (Line 19) shows the “innovative genius” (Line 20) of the dog’s efforts—or the composer’s plan. In this way, the marginalized voice—the voice which cannot be immediately translated because it is weird, foreign, annoying, unexpected—is given credence.