The Thought Fox - Ted Hughes

→ animal imagery
☄︎Fox is an extended metaphor
☄︎ The poem shows the creative process of a poet.

I imagine this midnight moment's forest:

- This creates a sense of emptiness and loneliness as the forest is dark,
lonely and gloomy at night.
Something else is alive
Beside the clock's loneliness
- He believes that there is something else alive and creates suspense on
what is yet to come. Creates unease and readers are unsure of what is
about to happen
And this blank page where my fingers move.
- This blank page and ticking clock taunts him

Through the window I see no star:

- The window is a metaphor for “brain’ and this shows how the poet has no
ideas or thoughts at all.
Something more near
Though deeper within darkness
Is entering the loneliness:
- Something - a thought or idea- is now lurking around in the back of the
poet’s mind and he knows it will process and end the loneliness

Cold, delicately as the dark snow

- Entry of a thought
A fox's nose touches twig, leaf;
- An unclear and small thought is entering
Two eyes serve a movement, that now
And again now, and now, and now
- The idea has entered but it is not complete yet and that the the line is
coming near but is not yet completed

Sets neat prints into the snow

- The first idea is formed properly with a structure
Between trees, and warily a lame
Shadow lags by stump and in hollow
Of a body that is bold to come
- The rest of the story or its structure is still pending and many ideas are
yet to be completed.

Across clearings, an eye,

A widening deepening greenness,
Brilliantly, concentratedly,
Coming about its own business
- Complete thoughts with proper structure are forming in the poet’s mind.
The visual imagery of “greenness” shows the birth of poetic creativity and
creation, the fox is cautious and its presence fills the poet’s mind
Till, with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox
- The fox is now clearly visible to the poet
It enters the dark hole of the head.
- The idea is clear and has been gotten
The window is starless still; the clock ticks,
- He is still alone as before
The page is printed.
- But his aim is now complete and so is the complete thought process

Tone- how the poet/author is trying to interpret or show - loneliness and

emptiness
Mood- how the reader perceives

q&a :

i] the fox is a metaphor, what is the connection between the fox and the creative
process of the poet?
Ans. The poet uses animal imagery to describe the entire thought process of a
person. the fox is used as a metaphor for the creative imagination of a poet or
writer.
At first a thought lurks around the back of the poet’s mind: “though deeper
within the darkness…entering the loneliness.” Then as the first thought comes
the “fox’s nose touches twig.” but it is unclear and incomplete. As the fox
becomes more visible and comes closer the ideas become more structured,neat
and complete. When the fox finally enters “the dark hole of the head”, the
thought process is then finally complete and the idea is fully gotten and
complete.

ii] how does the poet’s tone in the first two verses show loneliness and
pensiveness?
ans.

Digging - seamus heaney

themes : - culture
- nostalgia
- hard work

title : the title ‘digging’, has a lot of significance as it shows the skill, patience and hard
work of a digger and that they each have their own value and respect. The action of
digging in the poem represents a speaker’s exploration in writing and that though he
does not use a spade like his father he does carry a weapon, a source of knowledge and
power which is a pen. The poem not only talks about literally digging potatoes but also
explores the vast and unique Irish culture and roots. He wants to dig through all that
history, the cultural roots and nostalgia through the power of writing.

speaker’s feelings about his heritage : the speaker is trying to continue his culture but
through the art of writing. He appreciates the skills, power and hard work of his
forefathers and compares it to writing. The speaker feels somewhat guilty for not doing
exactly what his forefathers did to carry on the culture but he believes that he can dig
through all that history and culture through writing to create and find his irish identity.

“no spade to follow men like them” : the speaker feels somewhat sorrowful, he deeply
admires and respects the hard work of his forefathers. But he wants to carry on that
culture with a different path and or tool. He feels as if he is a black sheep but believes
that he can still carry on this tradition with a different tool such as a pen.

toner’s bog → place in ireland which is used for harvesting potatoes

- they were engaged in valuable and challenging labour, and the speaker would have a
hard time following their example. he enhances the sense that their work is an essential
part of their identities.
- the pen is the speaker’s version of a spade, and he justifies that though it is not as
physical as the work his forefathers did, honest work is honest work and its value should
be the same as any other work. the pen symbolises that seamus would dig using his pen ;
creativity, intelligence and will have freedom with his words. seamus will dig the culture
and his roots.
the pen is considered to be a source of power and is a weapon. Seamus is digging up the
past which creates nostalgia and longing.

fire and ice

fire - fire is a symbol for desire, passion and greed. the drive to gain something at all
costs. the greed for their wants would lead them to do such things that could lead to
disastrous events.
ice - ice is a symbol of hatred and having no amity <peace> within people. it is when
bonds and friendships among people are broken.

message : the poet shows that the end of mankind and the destruction of this world will
be due to either fire or ice. he signals that it will end in cruelty, greed and violence. and
that both fire and ice have an equal chance of being the cause for destruction. unless, we
come together in peace to fix the past and work for the future. the poet says that though
he thinks it would most likely end in fire he thinks if it were to perish twice ice would
also be able to destroy mankind. the poet says that ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are emotions which
could lead toward chaos and distress.
this poem also shows that if human emotions are not controlled it might lead to self
destruction.

still i rise
themes : black feminism, slavery, oppression, racism, hope of slaves
elements - the elements of black history that maya angelou incorporates in this poem
are :
black feminism, slavery, oppression and racism. for hundreds of years the white
community has been abusing the blacks and they are full of hatred towards them. they
treat them worse than trash itself as if they are some kind of impurity. but despite all the
hatred maya angelou stands confidently against these comments.

the poem starts by talking directly to those who try to diminish her significance in
history. these oppressors twist the truth with their lies but the poet firmly believes that
even if they try to degrade her, she will rise above it like dust in the air. in the second
stanza, it highlights how surprising it is for the oppressors to see the resilience of their
victims. the poet taunts them, questioning why her strength should make them feel
gloomy. In maya angelou’s characteristic humour, she expresses that even in her
poverty, she walks with pride. in america, the oil industry businessmen are very wealthy,
and the poet's pride is no less than theirs. the third stanza emphasizes the poet's
unwavering belief in her ability to rise. the moon and sun are everlasting parts of the
universe that never change. they affect the tides on earth, which is a certainty. similarly,
human hopes are always high. the poet will continue to rise like these certain facts that
can never be stopped.

in the fourth stanza, the poet reflects on the enemies who want to see her broken. it is a
reminder of the history of American slavery that forced black people into submission.
they want her to walk with a lowered head, unable to meet their gaze. the poet compares
the drooping shoulders of the victims to teardrops. she, however, refuses to succumb to
the weakness expressed in their sorrowful cries. once again, the poet questions whether
her proud demeanour offends her oppressors. regardless she will not change her ways.
in a previous stanza, she mentioned the richness of gold mines. she laughs, unlike her
enemies who consider her poor. she laughs with a rich sense of pride, as if her backyard
contains gold mines. in the sixth stanza, the poet describes how her enemies try to
destroy her. they use hurtful words that feel like bullets. they look at her with disdain, as
if trying to cut her down.her enemies are filled with hatred yet, she remains
untouchable and rises like air, which no one can stop.

the poet is aware of her own beauty, in the eyes of her oppressors, she is devoid of
human qualities, so they are upset to see her desirability. she directly addresses those
who are surprised by the strength of the victim, pointing to the treasure of her body,
she uses the image of a diamond to describe her womanhood. the poet has lived a life
that society deems shameful.these experiences are like the huts of shame in history, her
past is filled with pain, but she rises above it all. she compares herself to a dark ocean.
oceans are typically blue, but here she refers to her consciousness as black.it represents
her deep awareness of her identity.she can overcome any obstacle. her personality is like
water that can adapt to any shape, constantly moving and flowing.she endures
everything in life, which is compared to the ebb and flow of the tide.the final stanza
delivers a powerful concluding message.it speaks of the suffering endured by
african-american people throughout history, their nights filled with terror and fear but
the poet declares that she will rise above it all. the darkness of the night is fading, and a
new day is dawning.the light of hope is becoming clear. she takes pride in her ancestry
and celebrates the legacy passed down to her.her ancestors were brought to the
continent as slaves, but they never stopped fighting.she embodies the dreams and hopes
of those slaves, and she continues to rise.

death be not proud

14 lines ; no verses/couplets
tone ; assertive
themes : i. death is powerless ii. eternal life
iii. appearance vs reality iv. mortality vs immortality
he directly talks to death <assonance - directly talking to someone who can’t reply> and
tells death that it is nothing and has no value. he challenges death shattering its
confidence
and lowers the value of death
john donne compares death to sleep and that even death itself is not permanent and
that there is a certain pleasure in death because not only does he know that it is for a
limited time but also because it is a means to go to a better place - heaven. he believes
that death will just deliver their soul and take everyone to a better place. donne says that
death is just obeying the commands of God and that death is dependent. it needs a
companion like fate or accidents, things like charms,poison sickness etc. or someone to
assert the power. if there is no one to assert that power death is not mighty at all as it
seems to be.
death is being compared to a sleeping pill and charms and poppies. death needs a way
to kill someone. john donne says to death that you are nothing yet you have

once a person dies → closer to God —> afterlife —> happy and peaceful place