"On a Monument to the Pigeon"

In Aldo Leopold’s “On a Monument to the Pigeon” he uses very poetic sounding words and pathos to show his audience the beauty the pigeon had and the sadness we should feel for the loss of it. Throughout the essay he personifies the pigeon, to make the audience relate to it more. He also compares it to the rest of nature, making the pigeon seem beautiful. He describes the pigeon by saying, “The pigeon is no mere bird, he was a biological storm.” This description shows how greatly Leopold thought of the pigeon. It shows that he believed the pigeon was strong and beautiful. In the end of the essay, Leopold writes that maybe we as humans should live like the pigeon did. He says that “the pigeon lived by his desire…” and to find his desires “required only the free sky, and the will to ply his wings.” The picture that this paints in my head is a beautiful free bird, minding nothing but his own business. Leopold believes that we should live like the pigeons did, and go after our own desires, and if we have the “will to ply our wings” we will have no problem finding what we desire.