The Microbe Poem Meaning - Poem by Hilarie Belloc

The Microbe - Poem meaning

The first line of the poem gives an introduction to the title or the subject of the poem; The Microbe. The microbe is introduced as a very small creature which you cannot see with your naked eye.

However, according to the next two lines, there is a possibility of seeing a microbe using a microscope. The poet says that the positive and hopeful people put their efforts to do so.

For the next 7 lines, the poet gives a detailed description of the microbe. The microbe has a jointed tongue and hundred rows of teeth. He has seven tufted tails with a lot of lovely pink spots. There are different patterns in them with forty separate bands. The colour of his eyebrows is a tender green.

At the end of the description, the poet says that all these things have never been seen yet by anyone. Therefore, we can understand that the poet has imagined the looks of a microbe or conveyed the details of the looks believed or declared by the scientists.

In the last two lines, the poet literally suggests the reader never to doubt about things that nobody is sure about. He quite surprisingly proposes that we should accept and believe the commonly accepted information or beliefs without questioning them. The reader should understand that there is a paradox in the last two lines. The poet questions whether we should really accept everything that is told by others without questioning and reasoning them for their accuracy and validity.

The Microbe - Analysis - Poem by Hillaire Belloc

The poem “The Microbe” by Hillaire Belloc is a science fiction poem with a moral which is influenced by the scientific advancements of the Victorean era.

The structure of the poem - The Microbe - by Hilaire Belloc

The poem consists of 16 lines with rhyming couplets and takes the overall looks of a sonnet. It is written in a simple language and has a very clear flow to idea generation. One can read it at a stretch and tap on the idea beneath.

The Theme of the poem - The Microbe - by Hilaire Belloc

The poem starts with a simple introductory line for the microbe and goes on to describe it in detail until the description becomes rather hilarious.

The poet’s intention is to call for the attention of the reader to the absurdity of the things we get to learn and hear each day.

The poem reaches a rather ironic turn when he says;

He creates a doubt in the reader’s mind, whether we all should believe in all these details, without a question about it. Upon this sudden realization by the reader, he is also invited to look at things with open eyes backed by reasoning and critical thinking.

Satire in The Microbe - Poem by Hilaire Belloc

If you look at the content of the poem and how they rest on the last two lines of the poem, the reader can sense the satire created in the poem.

If nobody has ever seen a microbe but describes it with so much details with confidence as given here, it calls for careful scrutiny. However, if it is done by scientists who are both academically and socially well accepted and trusted for their valued work, can we distrust it? Are we qualified to question the validity?

We can see here that the poet is not directly pointing at the microbe or the scientist, but he is taking this classic example to explain that no one is bound to accept or believe in whatever is brought in and established in the society by the so-called elite or the accepted crowd in the society. One should use his or her wit and reasoning to choose between the acceptable and the unacceptable.

On the other hand, the world is full of things that we cannot see and accurately comprehend. Yet, can we doubt everything that others say merely because we cannot see them as they do? Hence, the poet may not suggest the reader to go to an extreme level in doubting everything that one cannot see. One should take caution in choosing between the two. The poet finally provokes the readers of all times to consider cautiously about all the new discoveries of one’s time.

The background of “The Microbe” poem by Hilaire Belloc

The Victorian era marks many advancements in the field of science and it was the time of industrial, technological and scientific innovations. The poet Hilaire Belloc lived in the period of 1870 to 1953 born in France and raised in England.

The Microbe was published in 1898 and is considered a science fiction poem loved by all. He is a poet highly recognized for the imaginary powers presented in most of his poems which could be influenced by the socio-cultural background of his time.