Ted Hughes is a poet laureate who lived from 1984 to 1998. He was a British poet, very renowned in his time and called the poet of the 20th century. He has also won numerous awards for his outstanding works, for example The Whitbread Book of the Year for two consecutive years, for Tales from Ovid in 1997 and Birthday Letters in 1998, and was awarded an OBE in 1977 and the Order of merit in 1998. He was an extremely focused symbolic writer, known for his direct, authoritative, representation of ideas with animal symbolism. His work has been greatly influenced by his hometown, family, lifestyle, mythology and much more. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThings that are not to be taken literally are then stated using a literary technique, such as symbolism. Things that have a deep meaning in them can be used as symbolism. Symbolism is often used by writers to provide deeper insight to readers and also to make their writing imaginative. Symbolism has the ability to give writing a rich feel and meaning. There are certain levels of symbolism that are incorporated into the writing. The first is literal, or the meaning of the sentence according to the dictionary. Then there is the symbolic meaning which is very significant in a holistic way. Symbolism is a creative way of putting words into writing and therefore gives the reader a guide to find interest in the words and mind of the writer alike and see what the writer really wants to convey. The writer who uses symbolism is basically describing a broader perspective of meaning related to the things he or she is talking about. There are many writers of contemporary poetry and one of them is Ted Hughes who has a big name in the genre. He is also known as an animal poet because he talks a lot about animals in his poems, but the important point to discuss is that he uses animals as images to talk about human beings. The use of animals in his poems is a spiritual way of writing poetry. Ted uses an exceptionally stunning way to write his poems and almost all of them contain symbolism. In his poems he uses animals to reveal human emotions such as anger, grief, pain, betrayal, etc. Image, myth and symbol are the ways through which his themes are explored. He has a great command of images. There are countless images in his poems and some of them have a particular meaning in all his works while others change from time to time. Ted Hughes uses animal imagery mainly from the perspective of animal hunting in poems and prose and there is a repetitive order to the use of imagery. The first poem in this analysis of poetry is titled “Thought-Fox,” which is one of the best examples of symbol. “I imagine the forest of midnight moments: Something else is alive Beyond the loneliness of the clock” The Thought Fox describes in a sober and indistinct way as the poem is written. What poets put into writing is always an inspiration because they have well thought out and well expressed ideas. Among many things in mind, only what is written on paper is something more important. The fox discusses exactly the thoughts that happen in the poet's mind. The fox here serves as symbolism. Ted is heavily influenced by mythology and thus uses it in his poetry. He uses those mythical symbols and stories for his own purposes and this similarity does not stop him from using modern symbolism. In the middle of the poem the poet refers to the fox which is a symbol used to indicate his thoughts taking place in his mind and whichthey appear silently. In other words, instinct takes precedence over intellect. Another key motif in the Fox of Thought is darkness. As the fox is depicted as the deep thoughts of the poet's mind which has the ability to distinguish and record the thoughts as the mind wants, the darkness on the other hand refers to the poet lost in his thoughts and desperately wants to get rid of them but cannot c 'it's inspiration. Furthermore, there is also darkness contrasting with the light idea of ​​creativity and productivity. The poem describes how the fox is struggling in the darkness, which gives the deeper meaning of staying consistent and getting lost in the darkness as bigger ideas develop when the mind is empty and darkened by not many ideas but fewer of them. The line, “Something closer / Though deeper in darkness / Is entering solitude,” says that the fox is playing like an isolated animal. Hughes is renowned for his nature-based poetry and use of animal symbolism. In both “The Jaguar” and “Hawk Roosting,” animals symbolize different human characteristics while remaining on the surface and in depth. “The Jaguar” is written on a literal level about a trip to the zoo. The point of view is third person, apparently that of a zoo visitor. However, on a deeper level, the poem is a statement about man's modern state of existence, where zoo cages are like our compartmentalized lives and trapped animals represent humanity. The jaguar is presented as an animal whose "pace is the desert of freedom". He is the anomaly, the rebel, the revolutionary. “There is no cage for him”: this statement is ironic because the jaguar, like all other animals, is found in a zoo cage. However, he didn't let the bars trap him and obscure his true magnificence. His “eye is satisfied with being blind in the fire” because what he sees is beyond, is greater than anything that can be presented to him in the cage. His world is inside his head; and no matter how many physical constraints are placed on him, he cannot be caged. The jaguar is a symbol of rebellion: it indicates all those individuals in society who do not conform to the invisible iron cage that surrounds them. It signifies all artists, poets and thinkers, perhaps even being a symbol for the poet himself. Even though the jaguar and other animals find themselves in the same depressing situation, they reacted in very different ways; and only the jaguar managed to survive captivity and not let the lack of physical freedom limit his mind and vision. Similar to the jaguar character, in "Hawk Roosting", the hawk was portrayed as completely free, individualistic and powerful. However, the difference is that, just as the jaguar uses his mental freedom positively, using it to protect his dignity from the degradation of those around him, the hawk shows readers the negative side of this complete lack of respect for anyone. other and/or social constraints. The Falcon embodies the characteristics of arrogance and pride. This poem, through the symbolic dramatic monologue of the falcon, offers us an insight into the mentality of a human being driven by vanity to a state of madness, tyranny, aggression and wickedness. It is a poem about animals, yet it comments on the violence, brutality and self-centeredness of humankind. As the hawk proudly states "My ways are tearing off heads" and describes its flight path "through the bones of the living", it may be a reference to war and genocide where individuals are reduced to "heads" and " bones" as dehumanization is a requirement for committing large-scale atrocities. The cow seems like a strange animal to choose as a motif, but it is a symbol.