Ted Hughes the jaguar and Wodwo free essay sample

Hughes deliberately creates myth to ‘correct’ the fundamental flaw in western thinking, which is the separation from nature. His intent to metaphorically bring attention to the psyche of society, brought upon by WWII, through animals and the disconnection from nature is expressed in both ‘The Jaguar’ and ‘Wodwo’. These poems focus on the centrality of consciousness, the flaws of humanity and Hughes concern with the need to reconnect with nature due to the trauma of the twentieth century. Hughes is able to create visionary poetry through the structure and techniques within both ‘The Jaguar’ and ‘Wodwo’. In Ted Hughes’ poem the jaguar the centrality of consciousness and the perception of the animals reveals something about the observers consciousness. The instinctive human emotions are expressed subconsciously and metaphorically. ‘The Jaguar’ effectively presents the complexity of the natural world. We see how the literal representation of animals transcends into the imaginative realm. Hughes draws influence from his context as he attempts to uphold Romantic poetic traditions – in particular the appreciation of nature – in the face of Modernism and ‘the Movement’ threat. We will write a custom essay sample on Ted Hughes the jaguar and Wodwo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We see this immediately in the beginning through the use of animal imagery and stretched assonance (â€Å"yawn and adore†) in â€Å"The apes yawn and adore their fleas in the sun†. Here, the dullness of entrapped animal life serves as a metaphor for the monotony of human life that lacks freedom of thought due to the expectations of society. In many ways, this reflects Hughes’ frustrations about his mid-20th century context where scientific and technological change resulted in a loss of tradition with a lack of appreciation for nature. This sentiment is furthered through the repetition of â€Å"cage† and the sibilance in â€Å"cage after cage seems empty, or stinks of sleepers from the breathing straw†, which serves to emphasise Hughes’ dissatisfaction with the seemingly endless nature of this entrapment. The opening of Stanza 3, â€Å"but† sees a shift in rhythm with the â€Å"jaguar hurrying enraged†. The simile in â€Å"the crowd stands, stares, mesmerised as a child at a dream† sees the adult crowd in awe of the jaguar from the norm as they come to recognise the power of imagination, much like â€Å"a child at a dream†. By the ending we see how the jaguar â€Å"spins from the bars, but there’s no cage to him†¦ his stride is wildernesses of freedom†. This serves, as a metaphor for the freedom of human emotion that arises if one does not remain physically entrapped by the expectations of society and extends themselves imaginatively. Similar to ‘The Jaguar’, Hughes’ poem ‘Wodwo’ explores the limitations of consciousness. Hughes uses particular language techniques (motifs) to show that animal behaviour represents human behaviour. â€Å"Why do I find this frog so interesting as I inspect its most secret interior and make it my own? This quote demonstrates the â€Å"secret interior† the frog is hiding, this can also be described as the secret chamber of the mind, where all secrets are kept. The question at the beginning of the quote and at the end of the quote further highlight the lack of knowledge â€Å"wodwo† has. Hughes is asking if he can make it his own, emphasising the animal and human behaviours and how they are so alike. The â€Å"most secret† is also represented as high modality and spiritual. This is reconnecting back to shamanism and how Hughes was a big believer in shamanism. Relating to the centrality of consciousness, â€Å"What am I doing here in mid air?, Mid air represents consciousness, Hughes uses repetition of questions to emphasise his uncertainty. Again Hughes has used the technique, repetition to underlie Wodwo’s uncertainty with the world by asking questions over and over again, and yet not getting any response. The â€Å"floating in mid-air† is an exa mple of liminal imagery. It is impossible for any human being to be floating in mid-air. The impossible Hughes writes about reflects the stream of consciousness Wodwo is experiencing, with his loss of self-identity. Hughes is concerned with the need to reconnect back with nature. This is highly demonstrated in his belief in Shamanism. Shamanism is a practice that involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to encounter and interact with the spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world. â€Å"Who am I to split the glassy grain of water looking upward? † The guttural sound of the ‘g’ establishes the sounds that water makes when hitting a surface, or when drinking the fluid (sound from throat). Water reflects aspects of the natural world, as the water Hughes is talking about in â€Å"Wodwo† is a river. The question â€Å"Wodow† is asking himself, determines the lack of relationship that humans have with mother nature. The liminal imagery used in â€Å"looking upward† creates sensations of floating, which then reconnects back to the stream of consciousness. Hughes is a visionary poet; whose intent is to heal the psyche of society caused by the horrors of the twentieth century through his writing. This is evident in both ‘The Jaguar’ and ‘Wodwo’, which use animals and nature as an analogy for problems and fears faced by late twentieth century humanity.