A Dog Has Died: Pablo Neruda’s Heartfelt Tribute to a Loyal Friend

About the poet

Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto is a Chilean poet, politician, and diplomat who wrote under the pen name of Pablo Neruda. He was a controversial poet who wrote mainly in Spanish. He was recognized as the national poet in Chile. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1971.

About the Poem

● The poem 'A Dog Has Died' was written in 1973 by Pablo Neruda, and it was translated into English by Alfred Yankauer. It was published in 1974 after the poet's death.

● is a poem in which the poet depicts how he interacted with his dog who became his companion and expresses his grief and sorrow for his death.

● It does not follow any rhymes or meters. It is written in free verse.

● It is an elegy that is written in a melancholy tone.

Word-Meaning:

♦buried-putting dead body in ground during funeral ♦rusted-oxidized, ♦coat-fur, ♦materialist-considering material possessions and physical comforts as more important than spiritual values,♦ dogdom-world of dogs, ♦waving -uncurling, ♦fan-like-resembling like a fan, ♦servile-very obedient and trying hard to please someone, ♦porcupine-an animal with quills on its back, ♦withholding-keeping in custody, ♦aloof-alone, ♦intimacy-closed relation, ♦exaggerations-to make or think of something as greater than it is, ♦mange-skin disease causing itching and loss of hair, ♦rubbed-revived, ♦obsessed-talk or think of something too much, ♦vain-worthless, ♦reserved-kept fixed, ♦shaggy-covered with long and untidy hair, ♦envied-felt jealous, ♦Isla Negra-house museum of Pablo Neruda, ♦wintering bird-bird of winter, ♦voltage-Here it indicates intensity of feeling , ♦sniffing-breathing air in through the nose in a way that makes a sound, ♦spray-liquid in a very small drops that is sent through the air,♦ autonomy-acting independently, ♦lie-be in resting position

Substance

In the poem "A Dog Has Died, the poet expresses his feelings after his dog has died. He says he buried his dog in his garden next to an oxidized old machine after his death. He thinks he will join him there after his death. As a materialist, he never believed in any heaven for humans. But he believes in heaven for all dogdom and guesses his dog waits there for his arrival waving his fan-like tail in friendship.

The poet describes his nature and says that he was ‘never so obedient to him as his master. He did not use ‘exaggerations’ for him as his owner. He had an unconditional friendship with the poet and so much loyalty to him as his master. So the poet describes his friendship by using a metaphor of a porcupine that puts itself in its authority. The poet’s dog did not climb all over his clothes, and he did not rub up against the poet’s knee like other sex-addicted dogs. His dogs did not trouble him or ask him anything.

He gave attention and care to the poet not more than required, and the poet liked him for his behaviour. He did not want the poet to be sad so he used to sit beside the poet, offering no assistance, and asking nothing of him.

When the poet walked on the shores of the sea with his dog together in the lonely winter of Isla Negra, the wintering birds filled the sky and his dog jumped about full of the voltage of the sea's movement. So the poet feels jealous looking at the enjoyment of his dog’s tail which is a sign of playfulness and intense joy as he can not raise himself to that height of ecstasy because he has confined himself to worldly affairs as a pessimistic and materialistic person. At the end of the poem, he realizes the importance of not saying goodbyes to his dog. He remembers that he and his dog do not lie to each other. He also accepts the death of his dog by saying that his dog has died and he buried him as death is an eventual thing in everyone’s life.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Pablo Neruda won the noble prize in –a)1971 b)1887 c)1922 d)1982

2. The speaker of ‘A Dog Has Died’ is a/an –a) altruist b)materialist c)ambitious d)optimist

3. The dog was buried–a) in the heaven b)in the poet’s garden next to a rusted old machine c)beside the river d)at his home

4. The speaker took his dog for a walk-a)on the shores of the sea b)in the lonely winter of Isla Negra c)on the field d)in the park on the road

5. Dogs know how to be happy because of their – a)innocence b)loyalty c)playfulness d)shameless spirit

6. The dog's friendship with the poet is compared to -a)a porcupine b) a child c)the sea d)the flower

7. The poet's dog gazed at the poet with a look that- a)was calm b)was full of silence c)was without attention d)reserved for him alone

8. The poem 'A Dog Has Died' was originally written in – a)Spanish b)Irish c)English d)Urdu

9. In Neruda's 'A Dog has Died' 'mange' is – a)a rusted machine b)shore c)a skin disease of the dog d)stone

10. The poem 'A Dog Has Died' was translated into English by – a)John Smith b)Alfred Yankauer c)W. B Yeats d)T .S Eliot

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Who was shameless?

Ans: The poet's dog was shameless.

2.“So now he’s gone and I buried him,

And that’s all there is to it”-What does the poet want to say through these lines?

Ans: The poet has admitted the fact that the dog is gone. The last two lines seem like he is trying to convince himself to forget the overwhelming feelings of loss and love for his dog.

3. Why does the poet believe in a heaven for all dogdom instead of heaven for human beings?

Ans: The poet believes in heaven for dogs and not for human beings because he realizes that human beings are too bad to be in heaven as materialistic people sin, they are not eligible for salvation. The poet considers his dog to be superior to all human beings including himself.

4."Joyful, joyful, joyful"-Identify the figure of speech used in this line.

Ans: The figure of speech used in this line is repetition.

5. Where did the poet walk with his dog together in the lonely winter?

Ans: The poet walked on the shores of the sea with his dog together in the lonely winter of Isla Negra.

Long Answer Type Questions

1.“I, the materialist, who never believed”-Who is the materialist? What does ‘materialist’ mean? What does this word emphasize in this poem? How does the poet believe in a heaven for all dogdom’ after being a materialist?

Ans: The poet, Pablo Neruda is the materialist in the poem ‘A dog has died’.

‘The word ‘materialist’ means giving more importance to material possessions and physical comforts than spiritual values.

‘The word ‘materialist’ emphasizes the reason why the poet doesn’t believe in God and religion, and he does not believe in life after death in heaven.

The dog’s expression of love has made him open-minded to believe abstract ideas like love. The poet’s love for his dog makes him believe his dog is full of feelings for the poet and that he possesses a soul. Again the poet feels the dogs are superior to humans as they are pure without creating sin like humans. The dog’s death also takes the poet into a world of pain and grief, so the poet believes in heaven for all dogdom’ after being a materialist.

2. How was the poet’s dog different from other dogs? How was the friendship between the poet and his dog?

Ans: The poet’s dog did not climb all over his clothes, and he did not rub up against the poet’s knee like other sex-addicted dogs. His dogs did not trouble him or ask him anything which made his dog different from other dogs.

His friendship with the poet was unconditional, and he was always loyal to his owner. The poet used the lines ‘His friendship for me like that of a porcupine/Withholding its authority”. Through this line, he indicates his dog’s loyalty to himself by making the metaphor of a porcupine holding onto the things that were around.

3. How did the poet’s dog gaze at the poet? How did it behave with the poet?

Ans: The dog gazed at the poet paying the attention that the poet needed, with a reserved look for the poet.

The dog loved him unconditionally. He was ‘never so obedient to the poet. He did not use ‘exaggerations’ for him as his master.

He gave attention and care to the poet not more than required, and the poet liked him for his behaviour. It never troubled the poet and did not rub up against the poet as other sex-addicted dogs . He did not want the poet to be sad so he used to sit beside the poet, offering no assistance, and asking nothing of him.

4. Why does the poet feel jealous of his dog? How does the poet’s dog enjoy its happiness? Why?

Ans: The poet feels jealous of his dog because of his dog’s simplicity of life and happiness. The poet seems to be pessimistic as materialistic people generally are. So the poet feels jealous looking at the enjoyment of his dog’s tail which is a sign of playfulness and intense joy as he can not raise himself to that height of ecstasy because he has confined himself to worldly affairs.

The poet’s dog is self-governed and shameless without caring about earthly possessions. So being enthusiastic, the poet’s dog can enjoy its happiness when taking walks on the beach.

5. How does the speaker poet mourn the loss of his pet dog in the poem 'A Dog Has Died'?

Ans: In the poem 'A Dog Has Died, the poet remembers the time he spent with his dog. He thinks there is a dogdom where his dog waits for his arrival. He describes his friendship by using the metaphor of a porcupine that puts itself in its authority.

He remembers how he gave attention and care to the poet not more than required, and the poet liked him for his behaviour. He did not want the poet to be sad so he used to sit beside the poet, offering no assistance, and asking nothing of him. When the poet walked on the shores of the sea with his dog together in the lonely winter of Isla Negra, the wintering birds filled the sky and his dog jumped about full of the voltage of the sea's movement. He enjoyed more than the poet because of his shameless spirit, which made the poet feel jealous of him. At the end of the poem, he realizes the reality of his dog's death and accepts his death. This way the speaker poet mourns for the loss of his dog by portraying all the features of his pet dog.

6. Give a pen picture of the pet dog as a reminiscence by the poet in "A Dog Has Died".

Ans: In the poem "A Dog Has Died, the poet describes his dog and says that he was ‘never so obedient to him as his master. He did not use ‘exaggerations’ for him as his owner. His friendship with the poet was like that of a porcupine that puts itself in its custody. He was not so intimate with the poet. He did not climb all over his clothes and did not rub up against the poet’s knee like other sex-addicted dogs. His dogs did not trouble him or ask him anything.

He gave attention and care to the poet not more than required, but he had an unconditional friendship with the poet and so much loyalty to him as his master and the poet liked him for his behaviour. He did not want the poet to be sad so he used to sit beside the poet, offering no assistance, and asking nothing of him. When the poet walked on the shores of the sea with his dog in the lonely winter of Isla Negra, his dog jumped about full of the voltage of the sea's movement. He enjoyed more than the poet because of his shameless spirit, which made the poet feel jealous of him.

Do as directed:

a)My dog used to gaze at me. (Replace the underlined word with a verb)

Ans: My dog used to see me.

b)He never rubbed up against my knee like other dogs who are obsessed with sex. (Rewrite using Relative clause)

Ans: He never rubbed up against my knee like other dogs obsessed with sex.

Replace the underlined word with a phrasal verb.

a)A vain person like me understands that.

Ans: A vain person like me catches on to that.

b)There are no goodbyes for my dog who has died.

Ans: There are no goodbyes for my dog who has passed away.

c)He never climbed all over my clothes.

Ans: He never got up all over my clothes.

d)They sprang forward and seized him.

Ans: They sprang forward and took over him.

e)They awaited his arrival.

Ans: They looked for his arrival.

f)He was accustomed to traversing long distances on foot.

Ans: He was accustomed to passing along long distances on foot.

Exercise

A. Answer the following questions in a complete sentence:

1. What thoughts did the dog's gazing evoke in the poet?

2. Is the poet, Pablo Neruda sentimental after his dog died the poetry?

3. What makes the poet believe in a heaven that he will never enter?

4. What did the poet envy about the dog as they walked together on the shore?

B. Answer the following questions in about 80 words :

1. How does the speaker poet mourn the loss of his dog in the poem ‘A Dog Has Died’?

2. Justify the title of ‘A Dog Has Died’.

3. How was the personality of the pet dog of the poet? Give a pen picture of the pet dog as described by the poet.

4. Discuss the theme of the poem ‘A Dog Has Died’.

Disclaimer: This content is created solely for educational and informational purposes. It draws upon publicly available educational materials, literary texts, and the author's own interpretation. All summaries, analyses, and explanations are original and intended to support learning. No copyright infringement is intended.