Question Number Three Response

In the poem "Venus and the Ark," Anne Sexton describes the birth of life on an new world, and in the process it spoofs the importance given to human life, even in the face of its self destruction.  It is described as a spoof because even though it is clear that the story is the beginning of new life on a planet, the human characters seem blinded into seeing only the death of humanity.  This reflexive reaction is further exemplified by the fact that when the scientists discover that venus is capable of supporting life, their only response is to destroy the world with what nuclear weapons they still have.  This serves to further show the "tragedy" of the loss of the human race, when it is made clear in the last few lines of the poem that there is no tragedy at all.