"Venus and the Ark"

Sexton refers to her poem as a spoof because "Venus and the Ark" mocks the story of Noah's Ark. As discussed by Group C, the author includes various religious allusions: the missile as Noah’s ark, a Garden of Eden on Venus, and the falling of the fruit. By paralleling the poem to the original story of Noah’s Ark, the author mocks religion with science. The poem indicates that the scientists initiated life on Venus, not God. Referring to a post from Group C, the “scientifically calculated” number of animals is launched to Venus, and evolution occurs (“two fish creatures stop on spangled legs and crawl from the belly of the sea”). Life on Venus is characterized as scientific, not religious. The author implies that science is an alternative explanation to the origin of life on Earth and in the process, she spoofs religious creation stories.