Perception

In her poem, Gilpin offers a multi-layered perspective on the existence of a two-headed calf through a tonal shift between the two stanzas. In the first stanza, the calf is portrayed as a “freak of nature” because of the genetic mutation that led to him being a bicephalous creature (2). Animals born with two heads are universal cultural curiosities, and have been both feared and revered since time immemorial. This is communicated in the first stanza when the speaker reveals that on the following day, a group of farm boys will come across the two-headed calf’s body and bring it to a museum. The calf is referred to as a “freak of nature,” which likely represents how the farm boys see him (2). On a wider scale, this symbolizes the ways in which we all perceive differences of any kind.

All manner of emotions accompany encounters with...