"Farm Implements and Rutabagas in a Landscape" follows a favorite cartoon character back to his apartment. It's like MTV Cribs, cartoon-style. The only problem is that Popeye isn't home. Instead, one of his most notorious enemies is hanging out with a guy named Wimpy. Because these are cartoon characters, we might expect scenes of off-the-wall violence, but instead everyone is totally domestic. They have nothing better to do than sit on the couch and open can after can of spinach. The home protects and isolates the characters from the outside world.
Questions About The Home
- How did the Sea Hag get into Popeye's apartment? Was she invited or did she break in?
- Would you want to spend a vacation in Popeye's apartment? What kinds of things do you think you would find there (besides spinach, of course)?
- How does Popeye's apartment contribute to the taming of nature?
- What do you think "domestic thunder" could mean? Is the thunder more powerful than the apartment, or the other way around?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The poem depicts the gradual domestication of nature until nature disappears altogether.