english Ted Hughes poetry

Question 1

thought fox- “window I see no star”

Answer 1

-noun “window”speaker uses direct address when talking to an inanimate object “window”hence revealing his own frustration, caused by vaccum of inspiration. window is associated with a passageway, reflecting on human desire for exploration escaping confinemntnet due to lack of ideas, presents speakers desire to escape writers block

“stars”- associated with inspiration symbol for ignitting inspiration and renewal of ideas on personas min, also connect with making wishes to star, person described as a star us someone with lots of talent thus implicitly suggesting person wants to be famous with poetry writing, develop human want for attention and glory.

Question 2

fox as a symbol- thought fox

Answer 2

fox symbol for intellengence, adaptability good luck suggesting that his appearance is characterised as a source of good luck as he is the source of ideas that appear in personas head. wise animals associated with magic and demons, linking to “midnight”convey magical moment of writing a poem and how poet must be adaptable to gain inspiration from anything

Question 3

“midnights moments forest”- thought fox

Answer 3

alliteration midnight is a time when most people are asleep is a moment for reflection and contemplation associated with witchcraft, reflect on his own journey when writing alliteration almost like a light hum, present silence of enviornment

Question 4

“two eyes serve a moment”- thought fox

Answer 4

eyes represent stars, thus personas now full head of ideas
verb “serve”means to perform a duty to someone else, eg serving ideas to personas, fox’s eyes serve as inspiration or direct reference to ideas created
eyes are associated with intellegence thus linking to mind and inspiration of speaker

Question 5

“body that is bold to come”- thought fox

Answer 5

thought that is yet to be created
body can directy reference text itseld and bold means to take risks or vivid in appearance, or a font- depicting his writing and how writing is an impactful process
plosive emphasize this empactful of process and mimic empactufl of “font”- bold

Question 6

“with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox”- thought fox

Answer 6

sibilance speed up pace, like ideas fastly created in mind
suggest suddness of creative process on sharpness of mind hot stink has bad connotations sharp as well, presenting power of fox and metaphorically the idea in the mind

Question 7

“clocks lonliness”-thoguht fox

Answer 7

clock often symbolizes passge of time which is vital when writinf a poem, everything plays a part in writing a poem , personification illustrates personas fragile state of mind due to lack of ideas, clocks own frustration

Question 8

“widening deepenign greenness”- thought fox

Answer 8

green smbolic for new beginning growth or renewal of ideas in the mind

Question 9

“shadows lags by stump and in hollow”

Answer 9

both nouns suggest incompletness of something, building process depicts ideas still being created
“stump”- bottoom part of a cut down tree-lack of ideas
too hard- confused due to lack of ideas and movement of fox
walk stiffly describe foxs strong presence thus stroung source of inspo

“hollow”- empty space, like empty paper and mind
something that doesnt function porperly like his own mind when wwirint,g uncertainty derviced from inspiration

Question 10

form- thought fox

Answer 10

regular form, can depict speaker trying to organise his own ideas presented by fox’s movement, no clear rhyme scheme suggest creativity isnt set or certain, always random can vanish at any time

Question 11

“through heaven”and “flame red”

Answer 11

juxtaposition between heavan and hell presented by red color, good vs evil
heavan= highest place eg.physically of moon in sky or representation of moon acting like a god, who is both is heavan and hell, because he controls the crops growth, presents moon as a bigger power, thus power of nature
flame red- symbol for power hot danger, red was used in ancient rituals to represent blood andfire, convey how nature and moon is timeless (as rituals are extremelly old and recur through time), will always be present, and present its power of humans

Question 12

moon- harvest moon

Answer 12

moon symbol for mystery and feminine energy, cyclical change mystery is intensified, represent relationships, eg between humans and nature, harvest moons comes and is last full moon off summer, time for harvesting

Question 13

“so people cant sleep
so they go out where elms and oak trees keep”

Answer 13

“so so””
represent strucutre of a bible, adds to religious, and how poeple praise moon as if it was a god
elms and oak tree are as constant as moon life for a long time like nature is timeless as they are preying to moon present there awe and how the power of the moon will last forever
elm trees- symbol for underworld melancholy and death, adds to apocalypitcal sense created
oak trees- longevity strength ferility and power, sense of power of moon fertility of crops directly reference harvest moon

Question 14

“a kneeling vigil in a religious hush
The harvest moon has come!”- harvest moon

Answer 14

“kneeling”verb used for praying to moon personification of higher power,
“vigil”stays awake when should be sleeping to pray or whatch controles loss of summer or end of world
second sentece is a repition, however has a shift in tone cause by exclamation mark, realisation should be awe but feared as well species emotions humans proclamations shows moons importance

Question 15

“like a bassoon
and the earth replies”- harvest moon

Answer 15

simile- oo onomatopeia sound, mimic soudn of bassoon auditory imagery “replies connection between nature and humanity

Question 16

“like a gold doubloon”- harvest moon

Answer 16

doubloon old spanish coin linked to pirates and treasure
of great balue present moon as something of great importance

Question 17

“moonlit cows and all the sheep
staer up at her petrifed”- harvest moon

Answer 17

cows and sheep are slaughtered before winter, they are scared of the moon literally because of her power, but also becasue of knowledge that they are close to their end

Question 18

“filling heavan as if red hot and sailing
closer and closer like the end of the world”

Answer 18

“heaven”and “like the end of the wolrd”- biblical a,ageldon- bool of revelations shows moon resulting in christs second birth
“sailing”- represent new beginning exploring realms of spirit and spiritual voyage, in christianity= experince to churcj chruch powered by holy spirit,
new beginnoing connotes to end of world converys cycle of nature also symbolises frowth eg. of crops

Question 19

“till the gold field of stiff wheat cry we are ripe reap us and the rivers sweat…”- harvest moon

Answer 19

anthropomophism= behaviour of women to inanimate objects/ things
speech given to wheat which is excited about moon because they will finally fullfill their job of being harvested
“gold”- success achievement, wealth add to sense that wheat are ripe and their importance to humans
ripe means fully developed reap can mean both to collect crops and to receive a praise or benefit for actions eg. personfiy achievement of wheet being ready to be harvested
or grim reaper- personification of death, juxtaposition and accentuates “cry”- end of the world, violent imagery connotes to “red”of moon aka blood

Question 20

comment of form metre and rhyme of harvest moon

Answer 20

free verse- some rhyme almost as if written for children
stanzas go from biggest to smallest can mimic movement of moon going up to down
sentences have punctuation show how it is final moon of summer and end of a cylce or apocalyptic end

meter- free verse some senteces have imabic pentameter, mimic something eg drumming adds to intensity
rhyme- consistent rhyme shceme which fades with time, together with increase in tension

Question 21

“now is the globe shrunk tight
round the mouses dulled wintering heart.”- snowdrop

Answer 21

now- assonance long sounds, add intesnity mimic contraction of world or shouting/ crying sound of mouse
tight and heart- “t”sound reflect on tightening, slant rhyme/ rhyming couplet- dulled rhyme reflect on dull heart facing harsh winter and cruelty of nature
tone chilly and bleak zoomed out approach which then zooms in to mouse reflection action of shrinking

Question 22

“weasel and crow as if moulded in brass move through an outer darkness”- snowdrop

Answer 22

weasel and crow omission of article ä”or “the”suggest this can be generalised to other animals not a specific one, cruelty on all animals all are facing same thing

as if moulded n brass- simile normally birds are soaring they are light, here they are heavy weather had transformed them into not living things

outer darkness- darkness connotes to danger unknown of fate and unknown weather also conveys to death creates dark atmosphere connotes to fear

slight alliteration of m convey muffled sound of muted quiet winter due to lack of animals, huffing of animals- last breath

Question 23

“not in their right minds
with the other deaths. she, too, pursues her ends,”- snowdrop

Answer 23

their internal darkness mental state confused unwell external world

very evident death in winter, the caesure pausa causes reader to reflect on destruction and death caused by winter also can symbolically represent the end reflecting on deaths the stopping of hearts or slowing down caused by the cold

she too- move to female figure

pursues her neds- she is focused contrasts with other animals, calculates everything, longest sentence in poem emphasize importance of the character also can repreent how she is surviving for a longer time she is still facing it with determinatiojn

Question 24

“brutal as the stars of this month her pale head heavy as metal”- snowdrop

Answer 24

she is as tough as winter
“pale”connotes to feath or camouflage adaptation to survive- camouflage with snow

alliteration of h emphasize gruling noise almost a sigh or huff present heaviness of task of survival and her determination but aparent tiredness

metal- mirrors brass however contrasts to animal she is a flower that blooms in winter doesnt move her strength comes from being still
flower is personified and juxtaposes animals physical appearamce, which emphasize her resilience
poem could be a metaphorical description of a wmen surviving due to her ability to mold to her enviornment
could be talking about horoscopes-astrology fate is predicted before she was born- made to survive

Question 25

reflect on form and meter of snowdrop

Answer 25

short poem, constricting size like nature in winter also a physical representation of the flower small and constrict- what helps her survive or phyiscial description of world shrinking
no meter reflecting on lack of predictability caused by winter- unpredicatble fate

Question 26

“on the sheep cropped summit under hot sun the mouse crouched staring out the chnage it dared not take”- cat and mouse

Answer 26

under hot sun- hints at terror and anxiety “un”sound makes movement feel heavy emphasize on tension felt by mouse
ou- sound links to creatures posture, curved, not confident in his own movements or sound mimicing cries for help, increase tension

Question 27

” time and a world too old to alter the five mile prospect wood villages farms hummed its heat heavy stupor of life”- cat and mouse

Answer 27

t sound spike and suggest threat violence cat might pounce at any moment on top of mouce enjambmnent in first line present mouses rapid and agile movement

too old to alter-forces that govern life are unchangeable zooming out suggests poem make general point about all life not just mouses also gives reader sense of feeling small and helpless like the mouse.

“five mile”- i sound make distance seem more daunting

“hummed its heat heavy”- h sound evoke heat of sun or huffing of animal present his desesperation to survive

Question 28

“wheather to two feet or four how are prayers contracted whether in gods eue or the eye of a cat”

Answer 28

compares moouses desire to survive to human prayers, describe how they are useless
power inbalance
dicaope of eye used- mouse is praying for life to cat
cat symbolises god in mouses world both control life or death by staring eye of predator- present greed of human need, or greed of eating mouse

Question 29

reflect on form meter and themes of cat and mouse

Answer 29

free verse- unpredicatability of fate of life
meter- free verse more regular meter spontaneous feeling
nature power and death- natural world harsh risky life threatned by violence same brutish rules govern human world
simply living is to be endangered

Question 30

“more than to the visionary his cell:”- the jaguar

Answer 30

compares jaguar freedom to a visionary
visonary= sees beyond limits of world
cell= prisoner or member of religious community
imprisoned visionary= finds freedom within own mind= imagination

Question 31

“the apes yawn and adore their fleas in the sun. the parrots shriek as if they were on fire or strut”- the jaguar

Answer 31

full stop- ends stop line= all they do all day
powerful imagery of wild animals- contrast with inactivity and boredom in captivity
anaphora “the, the”= mimics the monotony and boredom of animals, due to the certainty of the word after
“aw”- drawn out sounds reflect sound of yawn and boredom

bad connotation “shriek as if in fire”- connotes to hell, entrampment
juxtaposes life in wild
captivity suffocates and drains animlas from true nature, hughes encourages resistance to confinement

Question 32

“lie still as the sun. The boa constrictors coil is a fossil. cage after cage seems empty”- jaguar

Answer 32

sibilance, mimics sound of a snake, and emphaisez the stillness contrasted by moving world around them
is a fossil- goes from using similes to metaphors, conveys no return for these animals, they have been reduced into simple objects of entertainment, out of their original purpouse, circular imagery suggest cycle, as if they will be trapped forever in this eternal boredom

diacope of “cage”- harsh reality and imagery of lifeless prison evoked

Question 33

“stinks of sleepers from the breathing straw. it might be painted on a nursery wall.”- jaguar

Answer 33

first line sibilnace used suggests disgust of speaker and stench emitted from cages as if anials were rotting from lack of movement and boredom , creates uneasy ambience.

second line- perfect imabic pentamter, regular meter creates musicality can reflect on nursery presents how unthreatning and tamed zoo is, boring version of nature has lost its wilderness

suspense is built on due to title of jaguar but it not appearing yet

Question 34

“but who runs like the rest past these arrives
at a cage where the crowd stand, stares mesmirezed
as a child at a dream, at a jaguar jurrying enraged
through prison adarkness after the drills of his eyes”- the jaguar

Answer 34

but- powerful contrasting conjuction used
runs- contrasts to stillness of other animals

jaguar juxtaposes from animals in stanza 1 and 2 still ferocious animal, wildness intact, eyes are drills that break through bars and sould of spectators, as if jaguar couldnt see his entrapment, he acted as if he was free, and had the power the control

Question 35

ön a short fierce fuse. not in boredom
the eye satisfied to be blind in fire
by the bang of blood in the brain deaf the ear
he spins from the bars but theres no cage to him”

Answer 35

s and f of short firce fuse- fast sounds represents his short temper sibilance

not in boredom- juxtaposes again driven by primal instincts

bang of blood- plosive, intensity of blood pumping reemphasize his temper

no cage to him- contrast to animals while others description is due to the cage, cage doesnt consume him, cage does not impact freddom of his mind and wildness he possesses

Question 36

“his strides is wildernesses of freedom:
the world rolls under the long thrusts of his heel,
over the cage floor the horizons come.”

Answer 36

his strides is wildernesses of freedom: - each step is freedom itself, “wilderness”means- position of disfavour, not in a good place due to lack of freedom
or uncultivated unhabited region, wild, finding new ground, finding freedom juxtaposes to physcial ambience jaguar is
however mimics his mental state
stride= walking with pride and certainity

horizons come- limit of persons mental perception= critisizing lack of imagination , also suggest power of the world even as it tries to tame it throguh captivity,

Question 37

jaguar itself symbol- the jaguar

Answer 37

symbol idea that no physical boundary can contain human mind through imagination we bring world to us

jaguar is symbolic of primal, instictive energy and imagination, thinking outside the box, jaguar does this physically from cage might suggest feeling of confinemnet in societys norms and expectations
jaguar= male “cheap tarts”female coupled with recurring mention of children and nursery could be a huge metaphor for confinement of domestic life and expectation for women and how this confines them

Question 38

comment on form, meter, rhyme and punctutation- the jaguar

Answer 38

five quatrains mimic regular shape of cages speaker moves stanz to stanza like stroller passing from one cage to the next
no strict meter, rigid strucutre mimic repitivie nature of zoo
regular rhyme scheme- boredom
except in last stanza, where jaguar “kills”boredom sees beyond his limits

uses many full stops on beginning of poem, like day of animals poem is slow also invites reader to reflect on effect of capitivty upon the animals

Question 39

themes that are xplored in telegraph wires

Answer 39

relationship with technology- poem seems to admire how tech allows communication however speaker also seems to find strange how casul transmit devastating msgs reminds people of own fragility of mortalilty

nature power over humans-further reminds people of their won fragility wires are a remarkable human creation naturs way of putting humans on their place is by sharing devastating messages between

Question 40

“take telegrpah wires, a lonely moor
and fit them together the thing comes alive in your ear.”- telegraph wires

Answer 40

take- speaks derictly to reader consider technology possibly alluding to telephone (1989)
a lonely moor- contrasts to technology unnatural creation , describes quiet nature

thing comes alive in your ear- literal noises produced by phone crackling sound
metaphorically- share and understand of transmitted messages subtly implies we cant control technology

Question 41

“towns whisper to towns over the heather
but the wires cannot hide from the bad weather”- telegraph wires

Answer 41

towns whisper to towns- towns is a metonym for people who can connect tech has overcome restrictions in nature
whisper- suggest weakness of tech ghoslty and unnatural sense created

fragility of tech upon natures power, it still has the upper hand to humans

Question 42

“so oddly so daintly made
it is picked up and played”- telegraph wires

Answer 42

anaphora of so- creates discomfort in reading suggest unantural of wires
sibilance contrasts to plsoeives cpnveys tension between natural world and wires
alliteration sued mimic musicality of wires, harmony between communication
wires themselves people are chatting playing with numbers and other people, or the wind playing with the wires, suggests natures power and fragility of wires

Question 43

“such unearthly airs
the ears hears and withers!”- telegraph wires

Answer 43

explicitly unatural- unearthly
unatural people are reducd to just one sense creates discomfort

synecdoche of ëars- represents people whp receive message

withers- what happens when smeone receives bad news, means to shrink, thus a shrinking feeling felt when receiving bad news, weakens person
ir means highest part of horses back- represent that where humans weaken, nature gains power out of as highest part of a horse, presents strength (mot muscular part)- present power of nature over humanity

Question 44

“in the revolving ballroom of space bowed over the moor, a bright face”- telegraph wires

Answer 44

night sky imagery of star, conveys natures beauty which contrasts to tension of wires
a birhgt face- personification of moon, overseas everything below it, almost like a god like figure, which controls fate of humanity

“bowed”- can mean both bow, like the instrument emphasieze and create the atmosphere of a ballroom, conveying the interconnectedness of all parts of nature how they work simultaneuosly and beauty of this
or bowed- action normally done when you admire someone or take respect, as if moon is respecting all of other natural parts of moor

uses cyclical imagery, conveys cycle of life depicted by bad news travelling along the wire, moon symbolizes immortality- thus suggesting nature will always be present stronger than humanity
symbolizes is blind and driven forces

Question 45

“draws out of telegraph wires the tones that empty human bones”

Answer 45

refers tp life shattering messages
bad new travels, likely new of death of loved ones reality no matter technology created humans cant evade suffering caused by death of others and their deaths itself.
“draws out”- imagery as if moon symbolizing all of nature is what is deciding who will die and what message will be passed on and to whom, depicts power of nature over humanity
empty- can also mean meaningless- death of one person is meaningless to nature, simply a cycle however to humanity it changes a lot, this could be a critisism that this is what makes humans weaker than nature- something we can never change

Question 46

comment on form meter and poem in general of telegrpah wires

Answer 46

rhyming couplets, control conveyed rhythm need to control of humans shown over wires, however poems enjamebment creating un certainty portrays natures power over humanity, and how life and death is something humans cant control
no regular meter used, creates tension conveying tension between humanity and nature, seen through the wires

telegraph wires are a method of communication consisting in making or breaking a signal, technology hasnt necesserily led to positive progress of humanity

Question 47

contextual and general details in the other

Answer 47

published in hughes collection 1990- caprccio about hughes realtonship with assis wevil
hughes left his wife silvia plath for wevill and this is something that contributed t her suacide
wevill also comitted suacide and in her letter she wrote that “the ghost of plath was making her suacidal”
poem uses 2nd person ÿou”
cnetres around theme of nevy and entitlment both are destructive qualitys

Question 48

“she had too much so with a smile you took some.
of everything she had you had
absolutely nothing, so you took some.
at first just a little,”- the other

Answer 48

dicaope of “she had”-repitition of had, adds rytmn and creates calaustophobic snese due to proximity of dicope, ënvy eats space between both women”repition of had shows amount of things other women had

simile “she, smile, so, some”- comveys sly of actions, together with smile creates a senxe of toxic being, deception, slithering of a snake, animal often connoted to this toxicity
other hand creates a soft atmosphere as if speaker feels pitty towards “you”

use of punctuation after “took some”- intensifies action, and makes reader reflect on actions made by “you”
took assertive verb-conveys envy felt by you

first stanza in general is very secretive and vague much like first few thinks taken from women- werent as important

Question 49

“still she had so much she made you feel
your vaccuum, which nature abhorred,”- the other

Answer 49

aristotles fecleration laws of nature will fill any empty space wit surrounding matter, you felt empty and so you took from her you uses this law to justify her theft as something natural, to take due to lack of success

Question 50

“so you took your fill for natures sake.
because her great luck made you feel unlucky
you had redressed the balance which meant noow you had some to for yourself.”

Answer 50

“nature”- repitiiton is ironic something you tell yourself to justify actions as if acting on behalf of nature

“luck”, “unlucky”- repition simply chaning refix of word, emphasize abundance she had and your emptiness, demises the hard work of the other women tripping it simply into the primal bases of luck

“redressed the balance”- visual imagery making situation fair ironic as acutally not fair, to take things, redressed- personification of changing the balance

Question 51

“as seemed only fair still her ambition
claimed the natural right to screw you up
like a crossed out page, tossed into a basket.”- the other

Answer 51

seemed only fair- speaker mocks you- life is not fair assertion that it must be is comical sematnic field of fair (balance, fair etc.)

like a crossed out page, tossed into a basket.- simile highlights how unimportant and incoequentisl you felt ontext- plath and weivel were poets however plath was more succesfull
plosive used incidates aggressivness and anger fekt by you
crossed out- something incorrect like her own actions, baskets symbol for abundance and shared prosperity (abundsnce= very lsrge quanity”
when pout tigether very ironic as you doesnt share she takes everything, crossed out page might symbolize you itself and how it feels due to the other women, living in the world of the others prosperity and fame

Question 52

a little touch of hatred steadied the nerves

everything she ahd won the happiness of it
you collecyed
as your compensation”

Answer 52

1st line- hatred doenst allows steadiyig of nerves, hatred is blind like her actions not seing consequences of them

alliterstion of c- emphasize cold and sharp actions you made

enjmabment- momentum and speed in which you took things, and also hwo envy became uncantrolable, only stopped when there was nothing else to take

compenstion- awarding for suffering, justification for actions

won- as if it was a game with only one winner

collected- could aldo eman someone calm and not easily disturbed, ironic to you

Question 53

“even her life was
trapped in the heap you took. she had nothing.”- the other

Answer 53

even her life trapped- can implicilty be talking about plaths suacide, and how even that you took from her

represent that you took everything- her will to live inclusive, and control upon own life
“heap”- many meaning, objects placed in unorderly fassion- suggest what was actually taken from her wasnt important only that you now had more than she did
can also represent great deal of praise- symbolic to waht she used to have and now you have instead

Question 54

“too late you saw what had happened
it made no difference that she was dead
now that you had all she ahd ever had
you had too much
only you
saw her smile, as she took some
at first just a little.”- the other

Answer 54

you never stopped to think on hte ipact you had on “the other”
diacope of had and much- brings us back to calustrophobic rythm however purpose is differnet now it means tht guilt is closing in on you
only you_____- space means the death that haunts you, death is a vaccum one that must be filled, by now taking from you, dramtic pause before final space convey isolation of you after destroying another

last 2 lines- the other is the ghost of death itself haunts you and takes all the enjoyment of the things you took from her. cyclical strucutre hints at how envy and comparison of our lives with those aorund us can only end bady. nds with just a little- smae line as veginning demonstrating the cycle of taking and being took from

Question 55

comment on form meter and rhyme of the other

Answer 55

-free verse
3 stanzas with icnreasing length- convey how you took more and more along with time
longest stanza has 13 ines, an unlucky number- what resulted in death

meter- free verse creates a more intimate covnersion as if a confession

rhyme- no scheme doesnt create predicatability or pleasure when reading, tense and dark poem instead