Hughes uses language and imagery effectively to illustrate his ideas. In Wind, phrases like ‘The fields quivering,’ and ‘stones cry out’ conveys the idea of everything being fearful and in awe of the wind. His use of simile highlights the physical threat of the wind. In addition, passages such as ‘Back gull bent like an iron bar slowly’ uses alliteration harsh sounds to show the strength and determination of the wind.
Work and Play also has many examples of interesting language use. Phrases like ‘a fish of the air’ suggests movements that are graceful, smooth and full of charm. His use of metaphor reveals one type of image and not that it is like something else.
Alliteration is also used in the poem e.g. ‘she scissors the blue into shapes as she sews it’ this adds to the smooth movement and creates an image of speed. It shows the swallows swooping movement.
The structure of both poems also vividly reveals his views on nature. In Wind, the stanzas are organised with four lines in each stanza it seems as if the wind is consistent in strength all the time. A strict stanza length shows he is trying to impose order on nature but sentence length shows he cannot achieve this. He has used generally long sentences although there is always a longer sentence in each stanza. The stanzas are ordered/uniformed but sentences are flowing and more controlled. This shows the uncontrolled nature of the wind, and the never-ending force of the wind. There of half rhyme are used in this poem e.g. ‘house’ and ‘grimace’.
Similarly, in Work and Play, four stanzas gradually increase in length as they come towards the end of the poem to make it seem like a never-ending day. The poem flows very jerkily. The swallow is described rather calmly but the holidaymakers are portrayed as troublemakers. There isn’t any strict rhyme scheme because if there was it that the poem poetically flows when in fact it is chaos.
Both poems clearly reveal Hughes’ feelings toward nature. In Wind, he reveals that he feels respect and fear for the wind. He is in awe of it. However, in Work and Play he illustrates that he has every respect for the swallow getting on with its work while there is a huge invasion of his space by absurd holidaymakers. He is fascinated by the swallows joyous time of busying himself with his daily tasks while people on the beach below are having an awful time.
I feel that Work and Play is written in the most interesting way. This is because it shows both sides of nature, human and animals. The title of this poem has a double meaning, as it is hard to tell who is working and who is playing. It shows the pleasant, calm and harmonious mood of the swallow but in caparison it shows the frustration and stress experienced by the humans, the attitudes in this poem are mainly about the swallows invasion of privacy and its determination to complete its daily tasks. Everything written about the humans is negative, as it shows how desperate the humans are to have a good time. They work as hard as possible to make sure they get the best out of the day, the people are mentally and physically uncomfortable.
The poem also shows the British absurdity to make the most of what little sun we have.
