WHOSE PLACE IS IT ANYWAY?

POEM

Note: The transactional processes suggested in CISCE curriculum are highlighted in grey.

Learning Outcomes
Ɣ To instil a realisation that we share the earth with other creatures
Ɣ To understand the threat to wildlife
Ɣ To learn summarising and interpretation techniques
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Summary: This straightforward and thought-provoking poem is about endangered

species and how people are the biggest threat to the environment. The poem highlights
the threats that human beings and uncontrolled development can be to all other living
things. The poet builds a hard-hitting case with his long list of creatures—across land and
sea, across continents, from tiny insects to huge hippos—that are endangered by people’s
thoughtless or criminal activities. He makes a strong appeal for people to come together,
correct the situation and save our planet.

Pre-reading
Whole Class Activity What do you think this poem is about? Who else
Write the title on the board. do we share this earth with? Do we, as human
beings, harm the earth and our fellow creatures
Ask students: for our own development? What are ways in
Allow free response as opinions may vary. List which humans harm the earth and other living
the answers on the board. creatures? Name some endangered species you
can think of?

READING

Students predict, comprehend and paraphrase development is threatening wolves. Huge

Divide the class into groups. Let the class fishing boats are a danger to sharks. Mpingo
recite the poem aloud group-wise. Pause trees are being felled.
after each stanza to check comprehension/ Stanza 3:
discuss the content. Paraphrase each
Paraphrasing: Polluted waters are harming
paragraph of the poem in your own words.
manta rays and newts. Mountain wild cats
Stanza 1: and jaguars are being hunted down.
Paraphrasing: The golden mole’s habitat is Stanza 4:
harmed by mining activity. The pine marten,
Paraphrasing: Clearing of forests and
polecat and cheetah are almost extinct.
indiscriminate building of roads and parking
Illegal hunters are wiping out hippos.
lots are eating into the natural habitat of
Stanza 2: snakes, frogs and koalas. The poet wonders
Paraphrasing: Global warming is melting whether there is any point estimating the
icecaps, which is killing polar bears. Human huge damage done.

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Stanza 5: Ɣ What are the poetic devices?
Ask students: a. Imagery: (hunters chasing animals,
cheetahs watching their final sunset,
Why are these living things important? What melting icecaps, the last tree of a forest
action can we take to protect them? falling, roads and parking lots being
Paraphrasing: The poet questions why laid. It uses personification, calling
people do not understand that they share pursuit cold, logging ruthless and
this planet with all other living things. He animals our best friends.)
wonders why we cannot respect and value b. Alliteration: (setting suns, tree takes
the role all creatures play in maintaining and final fall)
nature’s balance. He urges people to prevent
this eradication of fellow-inhabitants. He asks c. Idioms: (live on borrowed time and
everyone to work together, to respect and metaphors like setting suns and final
restore everything’s place in the environment. fall to describe the rapid extinction of
various species)
Ask students:
Post-reading
Ɣ What is the tone of the poem? (The poem’s
tone in the beginning is informative and Group work
relentless, like a grim warning. It turns A. What are the themes revealed in the poem?
despondent and defeated in the middle, (We should respect our fellow beings
but ends on a note of ardent faith and and restore their rightful place in our
hope.) environment.)
Ɣ What is the rhyme scheme? aabb

STUDENTS’ BOOK ANSWER KEY

Whose Place is it Anyway?
Comprehension
A. 1. pine marten, polecat, cheetahs, wolves
2. hippos, whitetip shark, angel shark, cats of the Andes, jaguar
3. mining, water pollution, making of roads and parking lots, logging
4. Mpingo tree and ponds
5. In the last stanza of the poem, the speaker urges us to remember that we share
the Earth with numerous other creatures as well as plants. We should give them
the importance and respect that they deserve; we cannot simply go on with our
activities without thinking how it affects other species. We cannot let them suffer
and die because of our actions or lack of action. We have to find ways to do what we
need to do for ourselves without harming other animals and plant life.
B. 1. a. The Arctic ice is dissolving because of global warming—the slow increase of
the Earth’s temperature as carbon dioxide is released into the air because of
different human activities.
b. As Arctic ice dissolves, the places where polar bears can live and find food most
naturally and comfortably are getting smaller. So, there is a decline of polar bears.
2. ‘Final fall’ here means the cutting down of the last Mpingo trees. After that, there
will be no more Mpingo trees left.

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 3. Suggested answers (accept any logical answer):
a. The poem is trying to make us more aware of the effect of different human
activities on animals and plants in different parts of the world. It wants us to
find out which of our actions affect other species adversely so that we can try to
control those actions and adverse effects.
b. It could be ‘just too much slogging’ because many people do not want to take
the trouble to find out the indirect results of their actions. They are not willing to
change their ways or decisions to make things easier for plants and animals—
they think it is not really necessary.
c. This line is a question rather than a statement because the speaker is wondering
what will happen in the future—will we become more aware, thoughtful
and careful and try to save our fellow-creatures, or will we continue with our
activities without any care or consideration for our fellow-creatures, thinking
that our needs and wants come first? He hopes we will become more careful,
but he cannot be sure of that.
C. Suggested answer (accept any logical answer): Human beings—their decisions and
activities—are responsible for the decline in the numbers of plants and animals. For
example, the cutting down of forests, the running of factories that release harmful
gases into the air and so on. Yes, this is a serious concern, because already this has led
to numerous problems for numerous plants and creatures. Trees are cut down in large
numbers. Animals lose their natural homes and food; they are also killed for different
reasons. If these activities go on unchecked, we will face a dark future.
Appreciating the Poem
1. threatened, live on borrowed time, poachers’ guns, last setting suns, decline, final fall,
pollution, slaughter, hunter’s cold pursuit, ruthless logging, vanish without trace
2. Anxious uncertainty. The speaker is not simply curious—he wonders anxiously whether
these different creatures will be able to save themselves, will even remain alive in
the future, or will some or other human activity continue to make them suffer, until
perhaps they die out altogether. He wonders whether a positive change or solution will
be found because he wants these animals and plants to continue being a part of this
world and of our lives.
3. The last line of the poem is a suggestion. The poem ends in this manner because the
speaker makes a suggestion to all of us to become more careful and work together
to make sure that every animal and plant can enjoy its rightful place on this planet.
He makes this suggestion to us because we—every one of us in our own ways—can
do something or the other to push for a positive change and to take better care of
our fellow-creatures. And we really need to become more careful and take the right
actions—there is no time to lose.
4. Free response
Vocabulary
1. workings 2. pollution 3. pursuit 4. lairs 5. worth 6. trace
Going Further
Free response
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 QUESTION BANK
Whose Place Is It Anyway
A. Answer in brief.
What has happened to the golden moles, pine martens, polecats, hippos and cheetahs?
Ans: The golden mole’s habitat has been harmed by mining activity while the pine
marten, polecat and cheetah are almost extinct. Illegal hunters are wiping out the
hippos.
B. Answer in detail.
According to the poet, in what ways have human activity brought harm to the life of
other living things on our planet?
Ans: Uncontrolled development can be of harm to all other living things. The poet
builds a hard-hitting case with his long list of creatures – across land and sea, across
continents, from tiny insects to huge hippos – that are endangered by people’s
thoughtless or criminal activities. Mining activities have destroyed habitats of animals;
illegal hunters have poached animals resulting in extinction or near extinction.
Inconsiderate use of natural resources has led to global warming and melting of
icecaps to the killing of polar bears.
C. Choose the correct answer.
What is the poem, ‘Whose place is it Anyway’ about?
a. The effect of uncontrolled development to all other living things in this world
b. A call for people to come together, restore the environment and save our planet
c. An awareness that people are responsible for endangered species
Ans: b
D. Read the lines and answer the questions.
Will snakes find their lairs as habitat turns to road?
Does a parking lot come first or the Puerto Rican toad?
Will koalas in their hollows survive the ruthless logging?
Shall we bother to find out or is that just too much slogging?
a. What happens to the homes of snakes, toads and koalas?
b. What is the ruthless logging referred to here?
c. Why does the poet wonder whether there is any point in estimating the huge
damage done?
Ans: a. Indiscriminate building of roads and parking lots have led to clearing of forests.
This has resulted in destroying the natural habitat of snakes, frogs and koalas.
b. The ruthless logging is the thoughtless manner in which trees are felled down.
c. The poet wonders whether there is any point in taking an estimate of the damage
done to the animal and plant kingdom because people have thoughtlessly and
ruthlessly been destroying nature for their own selfish, uncontrollable needs.
E. Answer in brief. (Think and Answer)
1. How is the sea life affected by human activities?
Ans: The waters have become so polluted that they are harmful to manta rays,
newts and other sea creatures. Sharks are in danger because fishing trawls will
capture them.

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 2. What is the tone of the poem?
Ans: The poem’s tone in the beginning is informative and relentless, like a grim
warning. It turns despondent and defeated in the middle, but ends on a note of
ardent faith and hope with the lines: So let’s work together and restore their rightful
place.
F. Answer in detail. (Think and Answer)
What is the message the poet conveys in the poem, ‘Whose Place Is It Anyway’?
Ans: The poet questions why people do not understand that they share this planet
with all other living things. He asks why we cannot respect and value the role all
creatures play in maintaining nature’s balance. He urges people to prevent this
eradication of fellow-inhabitants. He asks everyone to work together, to respect and
restore everything’s place in the environment.