The Bear

“The Bear” is written in free verse with 12 stanzas and seven sections separated by a numeral. This unrhymed, irregular structure mimics the freedom of movement a hunter may require and the freedom a poet may require to go where they need to go. The wildness of the meter mimics the unpredictable, unregulated wildness of nature.

The free verse form and inconsistent line length also reflect the intuitive nature of Kinnell's writing process for this poem (See: Contextual Analysis). The variance of the line length is extreme, with some lines being only two words long while others contain a dozen or more words. Though the intuitive writing may seem a bit haphazard at first, closer inspection reveals the use of polysyndeton (using conjunctions like “and” and “or” for dramatic effect) and repetition in Stanzas 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 12. In these stanzas, Kinnell begins several lines in a row with words such as “and,” “while,” or “the.” This creates a feeling of repetition that feeds into the cyclical nature of the death and rebirth of the bear (See: Themes) and makes the actions feel almost meditative as if mimicking the thrumming of a ceremonial drum.

Further, the seven sections match the number of days the speaker spends hunting the bear, and each day matches the appropriate section number until Section 4. Four days pass between Section 3 and 4, which suggests that much the same struggle occurred for the hunter during those four days until finally he spots the still carcass of the bear. This skewing of time could also indicate how the hunter may not be completely sure whether one day or four has passed because of the delirium he experiences by existing on blood alone.