The Use of Animal Imagery in Ted Hughes's Animal Poems

The topic of this article is the poet Ted Hughes and, in particular, his group of poems drawn from various publications, and generally known under the name of animal poems. Like the name itself suggests, the focus of these literary compositions turns around animals: crows, hawks, foxes, jaguars, pikes, otters and many others inhabit the poetry of Ted Hughes, as well as its volcanic imagination. Hughes’ beasts are generally predators (in some rare cases preys and predators at the same time) and their task is to celebrate the law of nature: only the strongest survives. Images portraying violence, brutality and ferocity dominate the British poet’s mindscape but, totally immersed in this parallel world, they do not disgust but fascinate the reader. The brutality of the pike – which is a cannibal, too –, or the intimidating and sinister glance of the jaguar in a cage at the zoo, for example, highlight the strength and the vital principle of the animals rather than a shocking aspect. Their celebration of the law of survival is rendered through a dry and elegant language that sometimes has even mystical reverberations. However, in addition to what has already briefly stated, generally Ted Hughes’ animal poems end up fascinating the reader for (at least) two more reasons: the first is that a clear link between animal and man is often inferred, and it is seen through the magic practice of shamanism, of which Ted Hughes was a staunch advocate. Hughes’ animals in a way or another create connections with a human subject – reminding one of the typical symbiosis between animal helper and shaman – and offer him their vital power. In this way mysticism becomes related to the world of magic. The second – but not in order of importance – is that Hughes’ poems can also be read metaphorically: the poet’s vision of the world and of human society is strongly characterized by a destructive power but, since it would be immoral to celebrate it in this perspective, the poet makes recourse to the expedient of glorifying the brutal instinctual force in animals instead. Animals, one should also stress, that have strong anthropomorphic characterization.