The Wolves

By Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910)

The Wolves is a poem about how a few people who live in a small Russian town shoot some wolves that had sneaked in near the local ale house. The author tells us that he is scared and that he seeks the help of his friends to fight the wolves.

The author's feelings towards the wolves is fear, but that quickly disappears when he and his friends take up arms.

Some sight and sound sensory images that are used:

Sight Sensory Images

"The peasant ghastly white." and "His limbs withhold from shaking."

Sound Sensory Images

"While prayers of terror freeze upon his lips" and describing the wolves "As after his companions grim he pants."

The personification "when the church-village slumbers" implies that everyone in the town is sleeping.