The Power of Ambiguity and Personification in "At the Bomb Testing Site"
             In his poem "At the Bomb Testing Site," William Stafford presents a contemptuous view of nuclear warfare as seen through the eyes of a lizard. Through the personification of the lizard and his environment, he conveys the fear of nuclear bombs and the shameful indifference of humanity toward the destruction that nuclear warfare may bring. Most importantly, Stafford uses paradox and ambiguity to craft a poem that is open to interpretation and has several layers of meaning.
             The personification of a meek lizard and his surroundings provides insight into the foolish ignorance of humans to the consequences of nuclear technology. First, Stafford describes the lizard as "panting" to portray its escalating apprehension regarding the bomb (1), in contrast to the "continent without much on it" and the "sky that never cared less" (9-10). The lizard, a small and humble creature, recognizes the inevitable destruction and is terrified by it; even his "elbows" are "tense" (2). In opposition, the sky and the land, two vast entities, are simply apathetic. The lizard comprehends the grandeur of the atomic explosion, which frightens him. Conversely, for the land and sky, the physical consequences of the atomic bomb are small and insignificant by comparison and so they need not care about it.
             The polar stances of the lizard compared to he land and sky lead to an ambiguous suggestion about the position of nature: whether it is all concerned with man's wellbeing. The land and sky can be likened to powerful humans, who are so self-indulged by their great feat of creating the bomb that they are blinded by their success and oblivious to the bomb's repercussions. Stafford furthers the significance of the lizard when he depicts it "looking farther off than people could see" (5-6). Here, the li...