pike Flashcards
What tone does Hughes use in ‘Pike’?
Conversational tone
The tone serves to heighten the tension and impact of the poem’s violence.
How does Hughes’s choice of language in ‘Pike’ contribute to the poem?
Simple language with few polysyllabic words
This simplicity allows for stark phrases that confront brutal realities.
What effect does the simplicity of language have on the imagery in ‘Pike’?
Creates a highly visual poem
Descriptions evoke sharp images making the fish tangible.
What does the reader sense about the pike in ‘Pike’?
The pike blends in, waiting to lunge at its unsuspecting quarry
The poem evokes a sense of anticipation and danger.
What literary device does Hughes use to contrast the natural and human worlds?
Juxtaposition
He pairs images of the fish in its element with those of an artificial world.
What phrase does Hughes use to describe the pike’s existence?
A life subdued to its instrument
This reflects the natural appropriateness of the pike’s existence.
What behavior does Hughes call into question in ‘Pike’?
The behavior of people who captured the fish
He contrasts the pike’s natural behavior with human cruelty.
How does Hughes describe the pike’s expression?
A grinning set of hungry, vicelike jaws
This increases the uneasiness felt by the reader.
What is the effect of the pike being depicted as lurking and shadowed?
Creates a jarring and disconcerting image
The word ‘grin’ contrasts with the pike’s predatory nature.
Who does Hughes suggest is the real intruder in the natural world?
The fisherman
This perspective challenges the reader’s attitudes about violence in nature.
What invitation does Hughes extend to the reader regarding their attitudes?
To examine their attitudes about the natural world and behavior rights
This reflection is prompted by the actions of the fisherman.
Fill in the blank: The pike is described as ______, prepared to stare down the intruder.
rising to the surface
This suggests the pike’s confidence and dominance.
