‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes belongs to “New Selected Poems 1957-1994, Uncollected”. Hughes wrote this poem commemorating the death anniversary of his mother. His mother, Edith Farrar Hughes died on 13 May 1969. In this poem, the poet visualizes the angelic beauty of his mother’s soul. In the poet’s imagination, she is with her sister, Miriam who is also dead. Her sister died when she was only 18. However, through this poem, the poet glorifies his mother and recollects how she cared about him.
Explore Anniversary
- 1 Summary
- 2 Structure
- 3 Literary Devices
- 4 Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- 5 Historical Context
- 6 Similar Poetry
Summary
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes commemorates the poet’s dead mother and her sister, Miriam, on her death anniversary.
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes is a commemorative poem that glorifies the spirit of the poet’s mother. Her soul has an angelic outlook in the poet’s imagination. The poet revisits the thoughts of his mother after seeing the torn diary page marked 13 May. On it, his brother had written, “Ma died today”. But, for the poet, she is still alive, in his poetic imagination, brimming with heavenly light. There is an out-worldly feature in her voice and her complexion. Hughes can hear what his mother tells his sister who is also dead. Their conversation forms the basis of the poem and in the end, the poet imaginatively goes nearer to the weeping spirit of his mother. Sadly, she doesn’t weep for him. As a jealous sibling, the poet thinks she cries only for his brother. And, she loves the poet through the thoughts of his brother.
You can read the full poem here.
Structure
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes is an exceptionally long poem without specific line-lengths. The poem moves with the flow of the poet’s thoughts like a stream-of-consciousness text. There are a total of six stanzas. The size of the poem expands from the first stanza till the third one and then starts contracting to depict the fading thoughts in the poet’s mind. However, there isn’t any specific rhyme scheme in the poem and it’s in free verse. Though there are some instances of irregular rhyming in the poem, the sound scheme mostly depends on its internal rhyming. Moreover, the poet contains the iambic meter, anapestic meter, and trochaic meter. The mixed meter scheme presents a conversational approach that the poet chose while composing this lyric.
Literary Devices
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes displays various literary devices. In the first stanza, the poet uses a metaphor in “feather of flame”. It is also a symbol of an angel. Hence, it is a metonymy too. In the second stanza, “perpetual” is a metaphorical reference to how the poet thinks about his mother on Sundays. There is an antithesis in “Creation and destruction of matter/ And of anti-matter”. There is also personification in this stanza. In the third stanza, there is onomatopoeia in, “Her voice comes, piping,/ Down a deep gorge of woodland echoes”. Moreover, there is alliteration in, “Down a deep gorge”. In the fourth stanza, the poet uses a simile to depict the face of his mother. In the following stanza, “weeping love” contains a personal metaphor. And, in the last stanza, the poet uses irony in the last line.
Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
Stanza One
My mother in her feathers of flame
(…)
“Ma died today” – and there they are.
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes presents the subject matter of the poem in the first stanza. The poet refers to the “torn-off diary page” where the poet’s brother wrote, “Ma died today”. The poet sees what he wrote in his diary on 13 May when his mother died. Moreover, the poet imagines the growth of his mother’s angelic wings. She is with her sister, Miriam in his imagination. Moreover, the “feathers of flame” refers that the poet’s mother had become an angel after death.
Stanza Two
Lines 1–5
She is now as tall as Miriam.
(…)
Ringing in their orbits.
The second stanza of ‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes describes the physical features of the poet’s mother. According to the poet’s imagination, she has become as tall as her sister. It is a “Sunday Morning” when the poet is thinking about his mother. He is so attached to his mother’s thoughts that he can’t think anything else. It appears that the day will never end for the poet. Moreover, he sees the spirits of his mother and her sister, strolling together and circling in their orbits like planets. The onomatopoeia in the phrase “Listening to the larks” depicts the image of the sky.
Lines 5–9
… The work of the cosmos,
(…)
Like the Northern Lights in their feathers.
In the last few lines of this stanza, the poet makes use of different images such as the “cosmos”, “creation and destruction of matter/ And of anti-matter”, and the movement of his mother’s wings. The specific reference to the “pulses” and “flares” of the wings glorifies his mother. In the following lines, using a simile, the poet presents the color of the feathers. It is like the “Northern Lights” or Aurora that is seen in the polar regions. The use of the northern lights creates a mysticism in this section.
Stanza Three
Lines 1–5
My mother is telling Miriam
(…)
Where I dragged him from the reservoir.
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes describes the conversation between the mother and her sister. As the poet is thinking about his mother, what his mother says is, in reality, the poet’s thoughts. Her voice seems to the poet as if it is coming from “a deep gorge of woodland” having an echoing quality. She mentions the water-mark on her dress and tells his sister that it is the marks of the poet’s tears. It seems that while she was dragging her son from the reservoir, he clung to her dress and cried.
Lines 6–12
And that is the horse on which I galloped
(…)
Where I was not once a guest.”
In this section of ‘Anniversary’, the spirit of the poet’s mother refers to the horse on which she galloped through the brick wall and out over the heather only to bring the poet a new pen. It reflects how much she loved his son. Moreover, she laid the pen on the altar to infuse it with heavenly bliss. Thereafter, she presents the image of the mass marriages of the poet and his brother. She expresses her happiness to be there with her two sons getting married and starting a new journey on the same date. The negation used here, emphasizes her happiness in the recollection of this thought.
Lines 12–16
… Then suddenly
(…)
Helplessly till she weeps.
In this section, the “red coals” contains a metaphor. Here, this image refers to the mistakes of the poet. His mother tried to assist his son when he committed such mistakes in his personal life. In “For the third time”, might be a reference to a mistake that the poet committed thrice. However, the thoughts make her emotional.
Lines 16–23
… Miriam
Who died at eighteen
(…)
“I liked to wear best.”
In ‘Anniversary’, the poet refers to Miriam and says that she died at eighteen. After hearing about her sister’s life, she appears like the innocent “Madonna” or Virgin Mary. For dying at an early age, she missed all such things. In the following lines, the poet’s mother worries about her shoes and dresses. And, at last, chooses her favorite one and points at it by saying, “I liked to wear best”. This section depicts her longing for the worldly life with her sons and their families.
Lines 23–28
… And: “Much of it,
(…)
Knowing they were somewhere. It still is.
Look.”
In the last few lines of this stanza, she says how she meditated upon the horizons and thought that the horizons geographically existed somewhere. Now, in her spiritual body, she knows where the horizon is. Ironically, it’s in heaven.
Stanza Four
Lines 1–6
And they pause, on the brink
(…)
Miriam now sheer flame beside her.
In the fourth stanza of ‘Anniversary’, the poet imagines the sky as if it is the dewy grassland for the souls. The star appears to the poet as “dew”. Hence, “starry dew” is a metaphor. Moreover, the poet says his mother is looking at him from the sky. She is darker and her Red Indian hair and skin are tinged with “olive” green. The image of his mother seems to the poet as if she is now an “out-worldly” creature. Her sister has a “sheer flame” beside her as if she is an angel.
Lines 7–10
Their feathers throb softly, iridescent.
(…)
Looking towards me. I do this for her.
In the last few lines of this section, the poet visualizes their feathers throbbing softly and glittering. His mother’s face is glistening as if she placed her face into the “skyline wind”. She looks at the poet to say something. The poet listens to that and writes this poem for his loving mother.
Stanza Five
She is using me to tune finer
(…)
As if I were the shadow cast by this approach.
In the fifth stanza of ‘Anniversary’, Ted Hughes says that while writing it seems that as if his mother is fine-tuning his thoughts. Moreover, the poet thinks his mother loves his other son the most. That’s why she cries for her and visualizes the poet in the shadow cast by the poet’s brother.
Stanza Six
As when I came a mile over fields and walls
(…)
Able for all that distance to think me him.
In the last stanza of ‘Anniversary’, Hughes imaginatively runs miles over fields and walls toward his mother. But, in the end, he finds she is actually not weeping for him. It is his brother whom she misses the most. For this reason, in the end, he says “Able for all that distance to think me him.”
Historical Context
‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes commemorates the poet’s mother Edith Farrar Hughes (1898-1969). In this poem, there is a reference to the poet’s brother Gerald Hughes (1920-2016). He was ten years older than the poet. That’s why being the first son in the poet’s family, the poet’s mother adored him the most. In this poem, the poet expressed how his mother loved his elder brother more than him. Still, the poet loved his mother and glorified her soul through this poem.
Similar Poetry
Like ‘Anniversary’ by Ted Hughes, the following poems also depict the mother and son relationship.
- Mother’s Song by Shirley Lim – In this poem, Shirley Lim speaks on themes of love and motherhood.
- Mother, Any Distance by Simon Armitage – In this poem, the Poet Laureate of the UK, Simon Armitage talks about his mother’s role in his life.
- Mother to Son by Langston Hughes – In this one of his best poems, Langston Hughes refers to a mother’s warning to her son. Hughes one of the best American poets of the 20th century.
- To My Mother by Edgar Allan Poe – This poem is one of the best of Poe’s poems. Here, in this sonnet, Edgar Allan Poe describes his feelings for his mother and the mother of his wife.
You can read about 10 of the Best Poems About Motherhoodhere.
FAQs
'Anniversary' by Ted Hughes commemorates the poet's dead mother and her sister, Miriam, on her death anniversary. 'Anniversary' by Ted Hughes is a commemorative poem that glorifies the spirit of the poet's mother. Her soul has an angelic outlook in the poet's imagination.
What influenced Ted Hughes poetry? ›
The rural landscape of Hughes's youth in Yorkshire exerted a lasting influence on his work. To read Hughes's poetry is to enter a world dominated by nature, especially by animals.
What is the tone of the poem wind by Ted Hughes? ›
"Wind" evokes not only the sheer force of nature, which eclipses anything humans are capable of, but also the storminess of human relationships. Like many of Hughes's poems, "Wind" is bleak in tone and relies on hard, punchy sounds as well as vivid, visceral imagery.
How old was Sylvia Plath when she met Ted Hughes? ›
On February 25, 1956, twenty-three-year-old Sylvia Plath stepped into a roomful of people and immediately spotted what she later described in her diary as a “big, dark, hunky boy.” She asked her companions if anyone knew the name of this young man but she received no answer.
What is the writing style of Ted Hughes? ›
Ted Hughes' poetic style is original and he is influenced by Hopkins, Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. His usual tendency is to use tough vocabulary and put words together in an unusual combination. Consequently, readers are obliged to make a mental effort to get the meaning of the word combinations.
What themes did Ted Hughes write about? ›
Prominent themes in Hughes' poetry include nature (of course), especially the struggle for survival that is inherent within nature, as well as myth (he was a devotee of Robert Graves' 1948 book The White Goddess, which argued for a mythical basis for poetic inspiration, centred on the triple goddess of maiden-mother- ...
Why is Ted Hughes important? ›
Ted Hughes is one of the most important poets in English literature of the last century and his huge volume of work (including his poetry, prose, plays, translations, letters and critical essays) has received a great deal of critical attention. Hughes was, of course, much more than just a writer.
What does the wind Symbolise? ›
The wind symbolises the raw and brutal power of nature. The wind god is a symbol of might and strength. He hates weaklings.
What is a metaphor for wind? ›
The wind is as loud as a howling wolf, The wind looks like a sweeping broom, The wind feels like a bee sting, The wind smells like a messenger carrying the scent of a rose. The wind is a howling wolf, screaming outside my window. The wind is a broom, sweeping the leaves from the sidewalk.
What is the structure of the poem wind? ›
'Wind' is a formal looking six stanza poem, each stanza a quatrain, so 24 lines in total. It is, loosely, a free verse poem because it doesn't have a strict rhyme scheme or a set, consistent metre (meter in American English).
It has been described as poetry of the personal or "I", focusing on extreme moments of individual experience, the psyche, and personal trauma, including previously and occasionally still taboo matters such as mental illness, sexuality, and suicide, often set in relation to broader social themes.
What was the relationship between Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes? ›
On February 25, 1956, Sylvia Plath meets her future husband, Ted Hughes, at a party in Cambridge, UK. The two poets fell in love at first sight and married four months later. Plath was born in 1932, the daughter of an autocratic German father who taught biology and was a leading expert on bumblebees.
Which poem discusses the importance of old age? ›
Sonnet 73, one of the most famous of William Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, focuses on the theme of old age. The sonnet addresses the Fair Youth.
Is Ted Hughes a nature poet? ›
Ted Hughes was an elemental poet of myth and nature, his verse easy to parody. In the late 1960s, the British satirical magazine Private Eye mimicked his work in a manner that Jonathan Bate, in his new biography of Hughes, describes this way: “crow, blood, mud, death, short line, break, no verb.”
How is Ted Hughes different from other modern poets? ›
Unlike some modern poets so believe that a poem should not mean but be, Ted Hughes is profoundly concerned with the subject matter of his poetry. The main theme in his poetry is this energy which has to be turned into a positive force. Violence is misunderstood in his poetry.
Is Ted Hughes a postmodern poet? ›
The recognition launched his professional career in poetry, leading critics to recognize Hughes as one of the giants of Postmodernism. His poetry helped shape the twentieth-century's Postmodern era, characterized by the employment of black humor and fragmentation.
What are the features of Ted Hughes poetry? ›
Hughes, (born August 17, 1930, Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire, England—died October 28, 1998, London), English poet whose most characteristic verse is without sentimentality, emphasizing the cunning and savagery of animal life in harsh, sometimes disjunctive lines.
What does cold clockwork mean? ›
The phrase 'cold clockwork' suggests he is part of a machine that is uncaring. He was running. Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs. Listening between his footfalls for the reason. Of his still running, and his foot hung like.
What happens bayonet charge? ›
It describes the experience of 'going over- the-top'. This was when soldiers hiding in trenches were ordered to 'fix bayonets' (attach the long knives to the end of their rifles) and climb out of the trenches to charge an enemy position twenty or thirty metres away. The aim was to capture the enemy trench.
How does Ted Hughes describe the Hawk? ›
Ted Hughes had this to say: 'The poem of mine usually cited for violence is Hawk Roosting, this drowsy hawk sitting in a wood and talking to itself. That bird is accused of being a fascist, the symbol of some horrible genocidal dictator. Actually what I had in mind was that in this hawk Nature was thinking.
First, as he runs, the soldier is confused and 'stumbling', clumsily 'lugging' his rifle and feeling pain and panic in his chest. Strong enjambements keep the poem uneven and sudden, until Hughes uses a dash parenthesis - like this - and a stanza break to change the speed and the tone.
What role did Ted Hughes father play in the first World War? ›
Hughes's father William (1894–1981) served in the Lancashire Fusiliers, joining up in Rochdale in September 1914 and fighting first at Gallipoli and later in France.
What is the poet's attitude towards the wind? ›
Answer: According to the poet, the wind is not friendly with the weak characters. It troubles them more. It destroys their crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives, hearts and their crops.
What are the figures of speech used in the poem wind? ›
The most common figure of speech in the poem is 'Anaphora' which means repeating of certain words. The repetition of the word 'don't' in the first three lines of the poem is an example of Anaphora.
Which values of life does the poet emphasize in the poem? ›
Answer: Build strong hearts ,bodies and homes ,not to lose our dignity , face any kind of challenges in life ,and stay strong . these are the values mentioned in the poem .
What is simile in poem wind? ›
The simile of an iron bar bending from some great force describes the wind's deadly impact on a gull. "The house/ Rang like some fine green goblet in the note/ That any second would shatter it." Hughes uses the simile of someone ringing the edge of a goblet to describe the sound of the wind against the house.
What are the 4 types of wind? ›
Types of Wind - Planetary, Trade, Westerlies, Periodic & Local Winds.
What is personification in the poem wind? ›
An example of personification of wind is: The wind leapt through the open window and scattered across the tile floor. Another example of the personification of wind is the poem “wind” by Subramania Bharati in which the poet talks to the wind and describes the power of wind as destructive. “Wind, come softly.
What is the tone of the poet in this stanza? ›
Answer: The overall tone of the poem is one of regret. He believes that at some time far in the future, he will still be thinking of his two possible paths “with a sigh”. He does not anticipate being any less conflicted then or any more satisfied with his choice.
What is metaphor in poetry? ›
Metaphor is a common poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object. A beautiful example can be seen in the first stanza of The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, in the line: The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas…
Detailed Solution. The correct answer is 'Alliteration'.
What is theme of confessional poetry? ›
The confessional poetry of the mid-twentieth century dealt with subject matter that previously had not been openly discussed in American poetry. Private experiences with and feelings about death, trauma, depression and relationships were addressed in this type of poetry, often in an autobiographical manner.
What is the main purpose of confessional poetry? ›
Confessional poets wrote in direct, colloquial speech rhythms and used images that reflected intense psychological experiences, often culled from childhood or battles with mental illness or breakdown. They tended to utilize sequences, emphasizing connections between poems.
What are the main characteristics of confessional poetry? ›
The most defining characteristic of confessional poetry is that it focuses on subject matter once considered taboo. Issues like drug abuse, sexual guilt, alcoholism, suicide and depression, which were typically considered shameful or embarrassing, were discussed openly.
Who stuck their head in an oven? ›
Plath killed herself at the age of 30 by sticking her head in an oven in her London home on Feb. 11, 1963, as Nicholas and Frieda slept nearby.
Why is Sylvia Plath significant? ›
Why is Sylvia Plath important? Sylvia Plath was an American writer whose best-known works, including the poems “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus” and the novel The Bell Jar, starkly express a sense of alienation and self-destruction that has resonated with many readers since the mid-20th century.
Why does the poet feel that it must be lovely to be old? ›
First Stanza
and wrinkled ripe fulfilment. Lawrence begins Beautiful Old Age with speculation, that it must be a lovely thing to “be old.” His speaker lacks authority on this subject as he is not yet reached his later years, but is imagining what the future “ought” to hold.
What is the saying about old age? ›
“Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.” – Theodore Roosevelt.
What are good topics for a poem? ›
Poetry ideas - Write a poem about:
- Night-time.
- A particular color.
- Being underwater.
- A person whose life you're curious about.
- Your mother's perfume.
- Falling asleep or waking up.
- Growing older.
- The feeling of getting lost in a book.
Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes describes the few desperate moments of a soldier's charge against a defended position, dramatising the feelings of fear, dislocation and confusion.
The phrase 'cold clockwork' suggests he is part of a machine that is uncaring. He was running. Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs. Listening between his footfalls for the reason. Of his still running, and his foot hung like.
How does Ted Hughes describe the Hawk? ›
Ted Hughes had this to say: 'The poem of mine usually cited for violence is Hawk Roosting, this drowsy hawk sitting in a wood and talking to itself. That bird is accused of being a fascist, the symbol of some horrible genocidal dictator. Actually what I had in mind was that in this hawk Nature was thinking.
What happens bayonet charge? ›
It describes the experience of 'going over- the-top'. This was when soldiers hiding in trenches were ordered to 'fix bayonets' (attach the long knives to the end of their rifles) and climb out of the trenches to charge an enemy position twenty or thirty metres away. The aim was to capture the enemy trench.
What are the two main themes in bayonet charge? ›
Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes is a war poem written in third-person narrative, divided into three stanzas. The main themes of this poem are war, dislocation and confusion, fear and patriotism.
What is the conflict in bayonet charge? ›
In Bayonet Charge, the poet illustrates the horrible experience of one unnamed solidier and presents the effects of war on him as being completely negative. By beginning it with 'suddenly he awoke,' Hughes immediately throws the readers thought into the chaos of war which intensifies the impact the poem has on readers.
What does the yellow Hare Symbolise in bayonet charge? ›
In stanza three, the innocent hare is a symbol of death and parallels the life of the soldier. The poet uses a simile to describe the distressing image and pain of the hare. 'Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame and crawled in a threshing circle' in order to convey the hare's frantic movement.
What does dropped like luxuries mean? ›
The poet undermines the usual rhetoric of war – 'King, honour, human dignity' – with a dismissive 'etcetera'. During battle, these concepts 'drop like luxuries'. For those directly involved in the fighting, belief in these ideals is self-indulgent and irrelevant and must be abandoned to survive.
What is a yellow hare? ›
a yellow hare that rolled like a flame / And crawled in a threshing circle. The descriptive adjective "yellow" here can serve the double meaning of being both sick and cowardly, perhaps being used by Hughes to enhance and echo his character's own emotions.
What does Was he the hand pointing that second mean? ›
As the soldier continues to run, he senses that he is just a metaphorical cog in a machine: “in what cold clock of the stars and the nations / was he the hand pointing that second?” The poem implies that he's nothing more than a tool of war and that his urge to protect his country is not returned—his country won't ...
What is the attitude of the hawk? ›
The hawk's tone of voice is proud, arrogant, he thinks of himself as master of his world. Indeed, like a God, he has power over life and death. His whole life is spent either being in 'sleep' or hunting for prey. And even when he is asleep he dreams of mastering his hunting and killing technique.
The hawk has "no falsifying dream,"and indulges in no "sophistry" (clever but false logic) or "manners" (unnecessary niceties). In other words, the hawk as a speaker is very different from a human speaker. Although its main task in life is killing, it's not depicted as evil.
Why does the hawk say nothing has changed? ›
The hawk claims that the world has not changed since he was created. Since then, it has been perfect and permanent. He says it has not changed because he has not allowed it to do so.
