Full Moon And Little Frieda Flashcards
Summary
The poem is about the relationship between the father and his daughter. However , the poem is full of symbol which are used to describe the weakness of the child and the happiness of the father
Poet
It was here their daughter Frieda, observed physical and mental growth of their child closely this resulted in a release of creativity and series of poem
Ted hughes had a rough past he had two wives in his lifetime his first wife , Sylvia Plath died by puttting her head in an oven and turned on the gas
Had a dysfunctional relationship had a daughter called Frieda Hughes and a second wife
Structure
No rhythm or rhythm in full moon and little Frieda
Irregular structure also links to this it reflects the disorder of a child mind
Uses ‘A’ in the beggingin of most lines in order to show the repetitive actions of a child
“The moon has stepped back like an artist gazing at his amazed artwork”
- the moon is personified as an “artist gazing”
The moon also connotes Hughes himself who is quite “amazed” when he hears his daughter call out his name for the first time
The moon responds to Frieda cry by “gazing amazed” hence shows the mutual acknowledgment of nature and humans
“A dark river of blood, many boulders balancing u spilled milk”
The image “a dark river of blood” is used metaphorically to depict the movement of the herd of brown cows
Conversely the image of “ a dark river of blood” implies death and tragedy
This could refer to the suicide committed by Hughes wife
The image of “balancing unspilled milk” depicts the climax of the poem
The over all tranquility and calm of the poem is brought to an end when Frieda utter her first moon for the first time
—> Frieda cry implies that the new generation is more aware of the importance of nature
“Cows are going home”
The image of “cows are going home” depicts movement and indicate the presence of life
“A spider web tense for the dew touched”
The atmosphere become slightly creepy and tension starts to build up
The image of “a spider web” depicts how fragile a child’s mind and how easily it can be influenced
“Tense” create an impression that something is about to happen
“Still and brimming” pail of water also signifies calmness and stillness
This also depicts a child fragility mind as the slightest of disturbance can have far reaching ripples
Deeper meaning
The use of symbolisation illustrations how much the father loves and cares for his daughter. He knows that she could have a brighter and better future if she got protection from him
