Lecture Notes: "The Horses" by Ted Hughes

Introduction

• Poet: Ted Hughes
• Collection: First appeared in "The Hawk in the Rain" (1957)
• Poem Theme: Explores themes of nature, stillness, and reflection

Summary of the Poem

• Setting: A walk through a wintry wood in early morning twilight
• Encounter: Speaker sees 10 motionless horses on a hillside
  • Horses are undisturbed, remain still as the speaker passes
• Sunrise: Witnesses a vibrant sunrise, contrasting previous stillness
  • Moment of profound awareness and connection to the cosmos
• Return Journey: Horses remain unchanged in sunlight, symbolize nature’s serenity
• Conclusion: Speaker wishes to recall this serene memory amidst the chaos of life

Literary Comparisons

• Echoes of Romantic Poetry: Similar to Wordsworth’s "The Prelude"
  • Wordsworth’s Experience: A terrifying realization of the universe’s scale
  • Hughes’ Experience: A calming, grounding memory

Poetic Structure & Style

• Stanzas: 18 in total; 16 are couplets, 2 are tercets
• Verse Style: Free verse, no fixed meter or rhyme scheme
• Line Variation: Lines vary from 2 to 16 syllables
• Literary Devices Used:
  • Enjambment & Caesura: Modulate rhythm and reinforce meaning
  • Sound Patterns: Alliteration ("tear turned"), consonance ("cast in frost"), assonance ("breath left")
  • Repetition: Anaphora ("not a leaf, not a bird"), parallel syntax, polyptoton

Imagery & Symbolism

• Nature’s Permanence: Horses as eternal, serene symbols
• Semantic Fields:
  • Monochromicity: Gray, frost, iron, stone
  • Color: Contrasting fields in stanzas 9 and 10
  • Immovability: Ice, stillness, statues, permanence

Language & Tone

• Personification: Of elements like "evil air," enhancing mood
• Sentence Structure: Conveys fragmentation and calmness
• Compound Adjectives: Unique details ("hour-before-dawn," "frost-making")

Conclusion

• Wish for the Future: To recall the memory of serenity amidst life’s noise
• Structure Impact: Enhances atmosphere of calm

Final Remarks

• Significance of the Horses: Symbolize constant serenity and nature’s beauty
• Evocative Use of Language: Creates vivid imagery and profound reflection

These notes capture the essence of the lecture on Ted Hughes' poem "The Horses," providing detailed insights into its themes, structure, and literary significance.