Question: Critically analyse the poem, paying attention to diction & imagery, showing how they are effective in describing thistles. P : Thistles are described as if they were nature’s avengers. Q : Thistles ‘spike’ ‘Against the rubber tongues of cows and the hoeing hands of man & ‘…a revengeful burs of resurrection’ R : Thistles inflict pain towards ‘the hoeing hands of men’ which gives […]

The poem “Pike” describes the fish of the same name and the poet’s feelings about them, fishing and the brutality of some little ones he had as pets, which later grew out of control, “indeed they spare nobody”. The poem seems to be about nature, “ponds” and “lily pads”, but this is not a truly pastoral poem as it is not only about the beauty […]

Hughes’s poetry constitutes a moral project. It demands that we see our world and ourselves differently. Discuss. Together, ‘Crow’s Account of the Battle’ and ‘Wodwo’ by Ted Hughes detail aspects of human nature that Hughes is calling the readers to reflect upon from external viewpoints. Hughes is asking a generation exposed to the horrors of war, the destruction caused by the atomic bombs and the […]