But of course for a man to act irrationally requires that he put his mind to it, which is why we hold him responsible. This is not true of bugs and trees. To be a mosquito is not a task for a mosquito. However it is with Hamlet, to be or not to be is no problem for the bee. Or could have with a rhythm or a rhyme Assumed responsibility for time.
Man is the animal who speaks.
Hovering adults urge us into speech from the dawn of our existence. There is ecstasy in the room when the first word is uttered. It is duly entered in our Baby Book. That the first of an infinite series should be an event is itself cause for wonder. Speech is so natural to us that Auden addresses the deaf denizens of his garden who are as incapable of answering as they are of listening, which is his message to them.