Literally speaking, Theodore Roosevelt was known for his passion for hunting Therefore, throughout the poem where Dario addresses the "Hunter" he is likely specifically addressing Roosevelt. Could Dario be insinuating that Roosevelt hunts more than just wildlife?

These lines begin to highlight the dualities for the American people. From "Washington" being the first president of the United States an important American figure, to the biblical allusion to Nimrod who was "the first on earth to be a mighty man". The contrasts continue with asserting that America still has "Indian Blood" and still speaks Spanish lending to their past conquest of Mexican/Indigenous land.

Marshall Nunn states that "For Ruben, [Roosevelt] is the representative man of the United States...[and the poem details] The imperialistic attitude that Roosevelt took regarding the building of the Panama Canal" Here, Roosevelt is not only literally the leader of the United States, but also represents the same ideals the United States was founded on. Throughout the poem Dario no longer addresses Roosevelt, but rather addresses the United States as a whole. With the assumption that Roosevelt represents the greater collective beliefs of the United States.

Netzahualcoyotl was a King, philosopher, and poet from the Aztec Empire.

Another key part to Dario's poem is his constant allusions to powerful people of Latin American's pre-columbian past. Here he alludes to Montezuma, but he also alludes to Cuahtemoc in the following lines. These allusions can allow the reader to see an alternate history where Latin America is powerful before Western influence. Montezuma was another Aztec leader famous for his dramatic confrontation with the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.

Another great contrast in the poem occurs when Dario alludes to Tolstoy. A Russian writer in many ways represents a great contrast to Roosevelt himself. Acereda suggests that in fact Tolstoy represents the a vastly different moral view than Roosevelt. Acereda suggests that in fact Tolstoy is an image for opposition against Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policy. Where Tolstoy was working to liberate and educate his people Roosevelt was living an alternate justice system.

Several people have determined that this poem suggests that Dario is harshly judging the United States for their involvement in imperialism and slavery throughout the world. Hal L. Ballew argues that "the torch held by our country's most famous landmark directs its light into the far corners of the world in order to search out the innocent and helpless so that they may be conquered and enslaved"

Throughout the poem, Dario refers back to the United States being a powerful force. Not only a powerful force in the an abstract sense, but literally powerful through a bullet. This pattern is critical for understanding the poem. Drawing back to the United States imperialism, Dario comments on the failed sense of power exerted throughout the world. If the United States can exert its power merely through force then is the United States truly powerful?

According to Marshall Nunn Dario "far from admiring of his [Whitman] democratic ideals," With Dunn's information the inference then becomes that Dario believes the only way that the American people will understand his message through Walt Whitman's poetry. However, given the knowledge that Dario does not respect Whitman this line can be seen as an insult to the American people. Or in contrast, as Acereda states Dario can be speaking on the American people's terms, Whitman being a classic American poet, in a desperate attempt to communicate a message to them. )

This line reminded me of the movie Fight Club

![(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR5Jp_ag2M8)]

Could these people be experiencing a similar dissatisfaction like the people who joined the cult?

I actually had not realized, but West Virginia apparently has a coal mining history.Which I thought would be interesting to investigate to further add context to the poem.

stretching

If we take this literally, understanding the process of an injury is extremely important in understanding the extreme stress the body endures in this line of work. Not all jobs require one to "stretch" before.

[(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORp6d7YOoas]]

I imagine a church sermon here where people are praying.

This part in the poem reminds me of the poem "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot) They both reflect a desolation that results from industrial progress.

Oil pollution is something that is extremely detrimental to our society and is a direct consequence from the increase of industrialization.

I was attempting to understand what "white sins" meant when I came across this page where it has several times this comes up throughout the bible.

Their is a clear shift in the ending of the poem where the speaker describes the continuous feeding of the lion to now the lion is here. The coming of the lion is actually pretty confusing...would the lion not already be there because they are feeding it?

Here, there appears to be a metaphorical bus ride mixed in with the literal. This person literally started in West Virginia but by the end perhaps feels like telling their boss to "Kiss My Ass"

Interesting use of "they" and "grow"curious if the word is meant to be colloquial or if there is a deeper connection with using "They" instead of "their" and "grows"

"Out of" insinuates a cause and effect relationship. So therefore, "They Lion Grow" is a direct result from these actions.