Topic Summaries

• Poet: Ted Hughes (1930–1998)
• Year: 1957
• Form: Blank verse, 3 stanzas 
• Key techniques: Visceral imagery, beginning in media res, anthropomorphisation

About the poet

Ted Hughes was an influential English poet, known for stark portrayals of nature and visceral intensity. Born in Yorkshire, his early life was shaped by the austere landscapes of northern England and the trauma of WWII, which deeply informed his later work. His famous collection The Hawk in the Rain (1957) established his reputation, and his later role as Poet Laureate cemented his place in the British literary canon.

Historical context

Hughes was born in the interwar period and grew up during WWII. His father was a WWI veteran. In the 1950s, England was still recovering from the toll of WWII.

Literary context

This poem is a product of 20th century England and late Modernism. Hughes was also influenced by the works of Wilfred Owen, the WWI poet and author of some of the most famous pacifist/anti-war poetry such as ‘Dulce et Decorum est.’

Key Ideas

• Internalisation of war
• Psychological experience of soldiers
• Futility of war
• Dehumanising impact of war
• Innocent and powerless victims of war
• The effect of war on nature and the environment