Pink Dog

"Didn't you know?  It's been in all the papers,
to solve this problem, how they deal with beggars?
They take and throw them in the tidal rivers." - Elizabeth Bishop

When I first read this poem I was very confused about what was going on.  There are two interpretations I took from the poem.  The first is that iT ridicules prejudices about the poor people in society.  When we think of homeless or poor people, probably unknowingly, we consider them to be worthless or incapable of solving problems for themselves.  Either they are unable or just too lazy.  The quote above is an example of a hyperbole.  It demonstrates to the reader that society would rather just ignore the situation of poverty and set it to the side.  This hyperbole depicts beggars being thrown into tidal rivers so that we can be rid of them.  Our society today sometimes acts as if ignoring the situation is better.  In doing this, we are technically just throwing the homeless away, refusing to be of any service to them. 

The other interpretation I had of this poem was that it was a warning of over flaunting the body.  The poem says, "Oh, never have I seen a dog so bare!"  I think the dog can be seen as a person, most likely a woman, who flaunts her body around with no understanding or willingness to understand the importance of being modest.  The hyperbole from above could then be used to suggest that society doesn't take these kinds of people seriously.  In order to succeed in life or to acquire a decent job, one must have respect for oneself and put up a good appearance.