The Significance of Nature and Animals in Ted Hughes’ Poems A comparison of “The Horses” and “ The Thought-Fox” Daisy Atkin, IB1, English A1 HL

Introduction Ted Hughes was always fascinated by animals He uses an animal as a symbol in almost all of his poems He perceives animals as magical creatures, that they represent ‘The True World’ The nature Hughes’ uses is largely derived from his childhood upbringing in the Lake District The nature often symbolises an emotion/feeling or an intangible image in Hughes’ poems

Ted Hughes was always fascinated by animals

He uses an animal as a symbol in almost all of his poems

He perceives animals as magical creatures, that they represent ‘The True World’

The nature Hughes’ uses is largely derived from his childhood upbringing in the Lake District

The nature often symbolises an emotion/feeling or an intangible image in Hughes’ poems

Content – The Thought-Fox Fox representative of Hughes himself The nature – snow, forest – symbolising the poem and the thoughts going into the poem that Hughes is writing Hughes possibly a hunter, hunting for the words to write in his poem Hughes writing a poem and gathering thought, poem is eventually printed – the clock ticks, The page is printed.

Fox representative of Hughes himself

The nature – snow, forest – symbolising the poem and the thoughts going into the poem that Hughes is writing

Hughes possibly a hunter, hunting for the words to write in his poem

Hughes writing a poem and gathering thought, poem is eventually printed – the clock ticks, The page is printed.

Content – The Horses Reminisces about childhood Walks through early morning frost, feeling of emptiness and loneliness Silence of the morning reflecting Hughes’ isolation Horses -> ‘ statues’ before sunrise -> transformation with sunrise -> take on a new element after sunrise – seem alive/human In final line he asks to still be able to remember his memories years later

Reminisces about childhood

Walks through early morning frost, feeling of emptiness and loneliness

Silence of the morning reflecting Hughes’ isolation

Horses

-> ‘ statues’ before sunrise

-> transformation with sunrise

-> take on a new element after sunrise – seem alive/human

In final line he asks to still be able to remember his memories years later

Comparisons Between Content Ironically, Hughes anthropomorphises the animals (horses/fox) to the extent that they symbolise and become Hughes and aquaintances, when he prefers the animal world/mind to that of a human – committing human savagery The nature symbolises (in both cases) his isolation from the world and the cold in which his mind composes poetry There is a sense of journeying in both poems – there is the writing of the poem in The Thought-Fox , and in The Horses , Hughes goes on this spiritual-like journey, recollecting memories from his childhood using flashbacks In one there is a sense of chronological time ( The Thought-Fox ) but in The Horses, there is a sense of chronology up until the final lines when we realise that Hughes is reminiscing Religion plays an important role – the final lines of The Horses are akin to those of a prayer, and Hughes seems to be praying to be able to recollect the childhood memories – “May I still meet my memories in so lonely a place” In The Thought-Fox , there is the hint of a spiritual element – “…of a body bold to come

Ironically, Hughes anthropomorphises the animals (horses/fox) to the extent that they symbolise and become Hughes and aquaintances, when he prefers the animal world/mind to that of a human – committing human savagery

The nature symbolises (in both cases) his isolation from the world and the cold in which his mind composes poetry

There is a sense of journeying in both poems – there is the writing of the poem in The Thought-Fox , and in The Horses , Hughes goes on this spiritual-like journey, recollecting memories from his childhood using flashbacks

In one there is a sense of chronological time ( The Thought-Fox ) but in The Horses, there is a sense of chronology up until the final lines when we realise that Hughes is reminiscing

Religion plays an important role – the final lines of The Horses are akin to those of a prayer, and Hughes seems to be praying to be able to recollect the childhood memories – “May I still meet my memories in so lonely a place”

In The Thought-Fox , there is the hint of a spiritual element – “…of a body bold to come

Nature in The Though-Fox The fox, an animal, represents Hughes Fox -> sly, intelligent, clever, quick (thinking) The snow and woods -> nature representing the poem and Hughes’ writings “ Cold, delicately as the dark snow, A fox's nose touches twig, leaf ; Two eyes serve a movement, that now And again now, and now, and now Sets neat prints into the snow ” Fox’s nose = pen/ink/poet Twig, leaf = paper Sets neat…snow = Hughes’ writings

The fox, an animal, represents Hughes

Fox -> sly, intelligent, clever, quick (thinking)

The snow and woods -> nature representing the poem and Hughes’ writings

“ Cold, delicately as the dark snow,

A fox's nose touches twig, leaf ;

Two eyes serve a movement, that now

And again now, and now, and now

Sets neat prints into the snow ”

Fox’s nose = pen/ink/poet

Twig, leaf = paper

Sets neat…snow = Hughes’ writings

Nature in The Horses Horses -> seen as noble creatures with great strength (in mythology) The frost and description of the light -> cold thoughts, isolation and silence “ The curlew’s tear turned its edge on the silence” -> the lamenting call of the curlew reinforces the silence The sunrise -> a transitional stage between night and day Shows the fast-paced process from half-light (half-humanness) to when the light floods the valley (thawing and leap into life) The horses ‘come alive’ from their statue-like state, a metamorphosis Horses are calm and peaceful, in contrast to the anxiety and fear the poet experiences The sun changes the whole perception and light of the world giving us this sense of freedom (horses – freedom [symbol])

Horses -> seen as noble creatures with great strength (in mythology)

The frost and description of the light -> cold thoughts, isolation and silence

“ The curlew’s tear turned its edge on the silence” -> the lamenting call of the curlew reinforces the silence

The sunrise -> a transitional stage between night and day

Shows the fast-paced process from half-light (half-humanness) to when the light floods the valley (thawing and leap into life)

The horses ‘come alive’ from their statue-like state, a metamorphosis

Horses are calm and peaceful, in contrast to the anxiety and fear the poet experiences

The sun changes the whole perception and light of the world giving us this sense of freedom (horses – freedom [symbol])

Why use Animals as a Symbol? Attributes (of animal) may refer to poet’s own personality/attributes Innocent, defenseless, in need of human care to survive – a sense of hope and also hopelessness Despair and other emotions captured by our perception of the animal(s) A mythical, fantastical way of perceiving life – making things seem less (or more) worse than they are By using animals, Hughes commits “human savagery” – that is to say that by using a particular animal for a particular person, he can demean and portray them as he truly sees them

Attributes (of animal) may refer to poet’s own personality/attributes

Innocent, defenseless, in need of human care to survive – a sense of hope and also hopelessness

Despair and other emotions captured by our perception of the animal(s)

A mythical, fantastical way of perceiving life – making things seem less (or more) worse than they are

By using animals, Hughes commits “human savagery” – that is to say that by using a particular animal for a particular person, he can demean and portray them as he truly sees them

Why use Nature as a Symbol? Pure, innocence that humans derive from nature Peace and tranquility, but also death and destruction Life and death, birth and fruitfulness Humans again, have the power over nature, as they do over animals – shows our ability to distort it Something created by God – could be seen as supernatural

Pure, innocence that humans derive from nature

Peace and tranquility, but also death and destruction

Life and death, birth and fruitfulness

Humans again, have the power over nature, as they do over animals – shows our ability to distort it

Something created by God – could be seen as supernatural

How do the symbols of animals and nature influence the structure of The Thought-Fox ? The sly nature of the fox contributes to the flowing way the poem is written The use of enjambment gives way to this flowing sense of rhythm in the poem “ Of a body that is bold to come//Across clearings” The feeling of the fox being hunted gives way to the lines “…serve a movement, that now, and now, and now…” – which is very much like the quick, darting movements a hunted animal makes

The sly nature of the fox contributes to the flowing way the poem is written

The use of enjambment gives way to this flowing sense of rhythm in the poem

“ Of a body that is bold to come//Across clearings”

The feeling of the fox being hunted gives way to the lines “…serve a movement, that now, and now, and now…” – which is very much like the quick, darting movements a hunted animal makes

How do the symbols of animals and nature influence the structure of The Horses ? The religious allusions created by the nature-symbol in The Horses gives way to a prayer-like structure of the poem The rhythm of the poem is choppy, and has some abrupt lines, like the sharp crunch of frost described The two-line stanzas are like breaths taken when walking up a hill – short and shallow The rhythmic sound of horses hooves are also very similar to the way the poem is written – ‘clip-clop, clip-clop’ etc, has this steady beat and when it stops is akin to a horse stopping to take in his surroundings, and taking one step at a time so he can see what is around him (the one-line stanzas)

The religious allusions created by the nature-symbol in The Horses gives way to a prayer-like structure of the poem

The rhythm of the poem is choppy, and has some abrupt lines, like the sharp crunch of frost described

The two-line stanzas are like breaths taken when walking up a hill – short and shallow

The rhythmic sound of horses hooves are also very similar to the way the poem is written – ‘clip-clop, clip-clop’ etc, has this steady beat and when it stops is akin to a horse stopping to take in his surroundings, and taking one step at a time so he can see what is around him (the one-line stanzas)

What ‘nature’ language is used, and what effect does that have in The Thought-Fox? The words associated with nature that are used in the Thought-Fox give way to the poem’s sly, hunted feel Snow – twig – leaf – hollow – forest They contribute to the symbolism – each nature-linked word represents a different symbol

The words associated with nature that are used in the Thought-Fox give way to the poem’s sly, hunted feel

Snow – twig – leaf – hollow – forest

They contribute to the symbolism – each nature-linked word represents a different symbol

What ‘nature’ language is used, and what effect does that have in The Horses? The poem concentrates on using nature-linked vocabulary There is a vast contrast between the dead nature and the alive nature Hughes sees before and after the rising of the sun The different nature is used for different symbols, enhanced by the descriptive language used surrounding the symbols

The poem concentrates on using nature-linked vocabulary

There is a vast contrast between the dead nature and the alive nature Hughes sees before and after the rising of the sun

The different nature is used for different symbols, enhanced by the descriptive language used surrounding the symbols

Conclusion Both poems, although vastly different, show similar themes and similar ideas Hughes’ use of animals and nature heavily influences a reader’s perception of a poem, and gives way to Hughes’ way of thinking The language, symbols, structure and content of the poems are all interlinked and all influence each other

Both poems, although vastly different, show similar themes and similar ideas

Hughes’ use of animals and nature heavily influences a reader’s perception of a poem, and gives way to Hughes’ way of thinking

The language, symbols, structure and content of the poems are all interlinked and all influence each other

Bibliography http://www.zeta.org.au/~annskea/THHome.htm http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071027060653AAwF0RQ http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ted-hughes/ Gibbs, S. The Macmillan Treasury of Poetry for Children , page 89 Questions?

http://www.zeta.org.au/~annskea/THHome.htm

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071027060653AAwF0RQ

http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ted-hughes/

Gibbs, S. The Macmillan Treasury of Poetry for Children , page 89