LITERATURE FORM 3

2. The Day the Bulldozers Came
by David Orme
The day the bulldozers came
Rooks were building
Crazy egg baskets in the oaks;
Green flies sizzled by the pond
And a cold-eyed toad
Waited for them.
The day the bulldozers came
Squirrels were scattering
Up tree trunks,
And leapt from branches
That were hardly there.
The fox
Stirred in his sleep
As the ground trembled.
‘Ha ha!’ he thought,
‘I’m quite safe,
Deep down in the Earth,
No one can get me here.’
Then the bulldozer came.

3. Stanza Poem Lines Meanings
Stanza 1 The day the bulldozers
came
Rooks were building
Crazy egg baskets in the
oaks;
Green flies sizzled by the
pond
And a cold-eyed toad
Waited for them.
When the bulldozers
came to the forest,
Rooks (a type of bird)
were making nests (egg
baskets) in oak trees.
Green flies were buzzing
around the pond while a
toad was waiting to eat
them.

4. Stanza Poem Lines Meanings
Stanza 2 The day the bulldozers
came
Squirrels were scattering
Up tree trunks,
And leapt from branches
That were hardly there.
When the bulldozers came
to the forest, squirrels
were scared and they were
running up the trees. They
tried to leap from branch
to branch, but the tree
branches were no longer
there. The bulldozers had
knocked them down.

5. Stanza Poem Lines Meanings
Stanza 3 The fox
Stirred in his sleep
As the ground trembled.
‘Ha ha!’ he thought,
‘I’m quite safe,
Deep down in the Earth,
No one can get me here.’
Then the bulldozer came.
The fox woke up from his nap
but he went back to sleep. He
felt the ground shake but he
thought he was safe deep down
in the foxhole. However, the
bulldozers came and dug him
out of the soil!

6. Bulldozers
A type of crow
Green fliesRooks
oaks

7. toad squirrels
branches Fox

8. Themes:
1.Destruction of nature
The bulldozers are designed to knock down trees and flatten lands for development. However this has
resulted in the destruction of nature. Many trees are knocked down. Animals lose their home and have no
where to go.
2. Change is inevitable
Life is always changing. Change cannot be avoided. For example, the bulldozers are invented to replace
the animals and help human to develop new lands.
3. Alertness
It is important to be alert to our surroundings. For example, the fox believes that as long as he hides in the
hole, he will be safe. However he does not realise that the change that humans make is now able to harm
him even though he is deep in the ground. He needs to be alert so that he can survive the change.
4. Disruption of life
The lives of the animals in the forest are disrupted by human’s activities. For example, the bulldozers
knock down the tree branches where the squirrels live. The bulldozers also disrupt the home of the foxes
by digging up the foxholes.

9. Moral values:
1.We should be alert to any threats and changes around us.
2.We should be ready to face changes.
3.We should respect the nature and the animals that depend on it.
4.We should protect flora and fauna and the only Earth we have.
5.We should understand that development projects can bring harm
to the nature.

10. The Day The Bulldozer Came

11. PT3 based
Questions & Answers

12. Below are some popular questions that you might see:
1.What were the rooks doing when the bulldozers came?
The rooks were building egg baskets.
2. What does the phrase ‘egg baskets’ refer to?
Nest.
3. What were the green flies doing?
They were sizzling by the pond.
4. Where were the green flies at?
by the pond.
5. What was the cold-eyed toad doing?
Waiting to eat the green flies.

13. 6. What were the squirrels doing when the bulldozers came?
They were scattering up the tree trunks and branches.
7. Why were the squirrels scattering?
They were afraid of the bulldozers.
8. What happened to the tree branches?
They were knocked down by the bulldozers.
9. What was the fox doing when the bulldozers came?
The fox was sleeping.

14. 10. Why did the fox think he was safe?
Because he was down in the Earth and he though the bulldozers could
not reach him.
11. Why was the ground trembling?
The bulldozers were working on the ground.
12. What do you think will happen to the fox?
The fox might get killed.
13. Name two lessons that we can learn from the poem.
a) We should protect our nature (flora and fauna)
b) b) We should be alert to any threats and changes around us.

15. 14. Do you think the bulldozers should stop what they were doing? Why?
Yes, because we might lose our precious flora and fauna if development
continues.
15. What do you think the bulldozers are doing?
They are clearing the forest to build new constructions.
16. How can we make sure that the animals are safe?
We can reserve some part of the forest to make sure they have a home.
17. If you were the fox, what could you do to prevent a disastrous ending?
Run away before the bulldozers came.

16. 18. How can we continue developing out cities while still make
sure that the nature is taken care of?
Allocate some reserved forest to make sure that the nature is
protected.
19. Do you agree that the bulldozers were to be blamed? Why?
Yes. If the bulldozers did not go to the forest, the animals would
not have lost their home.
20. Development is harmful to the environment. Do you agree?
Why ?
Yes, because if development continues to happen without control.
Animal will lose their home. Forests will disappear drastically.