2nd Poetry Unit

2. "Point out and explain any symbols. If the poem is allegorical, explain the allegory."

"Pink Dog"

Symbols can be found all throughout this poem. The most obvious and repeated one is the hairless and grimy dog. It represents the poor people in society, who are shunned. It speaks of how the poor people are thought, unjustly, to have diseases just because they are not clean. The poem takes place in Rio de Janeiro, during the Carnival right before Ash Wednesday and Lent. I thought this was ironic because Lent is a Catholic season, a religion which prides itself on doing service for the poor. But in this poem, they throw all undesired citizens into the river. The speaker is warning the dog to dress itself up and look decent. This shows that in society, it matters more what you look like than who you really are.