The Donkey's Finest Hour

            
             Gilbert Keith Chesterton, author of "The Donkey," was a religious man who wanted to influence his readers and promote social change through his writings and poetry. According to Dan Boyd, British Poets, 1880 - 1914, "Chesterton in his poetry, as in his other writings, saw himself as a spokesman for the poor and exploited whom he regarded as the mystical symbols of God's presence in the world." The American Chesterton Society concurs, adding:.
             Chesterton's appreciation of the common man predates his college years. His teenage notebooks are full of a reverence for ordinary people, expressed as a corollary to his reverence for the most ordinary of objects and things. Chesterton's respect for the common man was basically a respect for free will. He said that the actions of a beggar are as momentous as the actions of a prime minister, because the beggar's actions are no less free and have an eternal significance surpassing all merely temporal enterprises, even those of prime ministers and kings (www.chesterton.org).
             Chesterton's "The Donkey" is full of religious symbolism that, when told from the donkey's passionate perspective, promotes a change of opinion regarding this beast of burden, and of society's downtrodden and oppressed members.
             The donkey as the narrator of this poem, allows the reader to experience a unique point of view, and creates a sense of empathy by using emotionally charged words and phrases, such as "moon was blood", "devil's walking parody" and "far fierce hour and sweet" (Chesterton 3, 7, and 14, respectively). Typically, the donkey is viewed as a mere work animal, not very intelligent, often abused and mistreated. As defined in Webster's Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary, "Donkeys are descended from the African wild ass and are sure-footed hardy animals that can walk for long periods in hot, difficult conditions with a minimum of food or water." Chesterton helps readers identify with the donkey's suffering when he writes, "The tattered outlaw of the earth, / Of ancient crooked will; / Starve, scourge, deride me .