Ted Hughes famously quoted "What excites my imagination is the war between vitality and death".

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Ted Hughes’ Poetry –

The Contrast between Vitality and Death

Ted Hughes famously quoted “What excites my imagination is the war between vitality and death”. This is a key factor in the effectiveness of nearly all of Hughes’ early work - the stark contrast between life and death, vitality and lethargy. In poems such as “The Jaguar”, “Roarers in a Ring” and “Six Young Men”, there is a severe and often brutally sudden transition between the two extremes. I found all of these poems, particularly “The Jaguar”, intriguing and enthralling; the respect that Hughes has for animals and humans who live their lives to the full is admirably enormous.

In “The Jaguar”, the poet describes his disregard for the majority of the animals in the zoo he visits because they have accepted captivity and surrendered to a life free from care, excitement and interest. Most of the animals have lost the magic of their natural instincts. He disdainfully describes them with words like “indolence” and “sloth” and uses the simile “like cheap tarts” to describe the parrots. This insinuates that they are willing to “strut” and show off to anyone, as they have lost any sense of pride and self worth they once had.

However, there is one creature that excites and captivates the crowds, and as the title of the poem suggests, has also left a lasting impact on Hughes. Instead of lazing around idly, the sleek black Jaguar “spins from the bars” and “hurries enraged”. Despite being deprived of his natural environment and his freedom, the Jaguar is full of movement, actively bursting with power and energy. Hughes is markedly enthralled by the way that the Jaguar seems to create his own space, even within the confinement of his cage – describing the creature as having the world rolling “under the long thrust of his heel”.  Hughes uses powerful and potent images such as “the drills of his eyes” and “the prison darkness” to make the poem come alive. The poem has an underlining high regard for the Jaguar; it is clear he retains his sense of dignity and power and is still very much a wild beast. He has certainly not accepted his life in captivity.

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Hughes accentuates the difference between the Jaguar and the other animals by describing the reactions of the crowd, who stare mesmerised at the Jaguar “as a child at a dream”. This simile is effective as it creates a real sense of awe and amazement; children cannot often be captivated so strongly, suggesting the subject is something truly incredible. Contrarily, he implies that the majority of the cages contain nothing but “sleeping straw”, and visitors tend to rush past such animals without even noticing their existence.  

As well as the movements of the crowds, the difference between lively ...

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