A Comparison Of The Poetry Of Edward James Hughes

People, more than any other living thing on this earth, engage in battle, war, and violent acts on one another. We humans, one of the few species that wage war, are capable of love and affection yet kill off more of our own than anything else. We have enough nuclear strength to ensure our extinction as well as the end of the rest of the world with us. Most people are oblivious or choose to ignore the truth about their learned tendencies of brutality. They read books like The Hunger Games, where children are sent to an arena to fight to the death. They watch countless violent action movies on their televisions and think nothing of it. In fact, they are enthralled by it. The vast majority of people are not born with the innate or instinctual inclination to violence, but instead, they are raised to be aggressive. One poet who recognized this tragic flaw in humanity was Edward James Hughes, an eccentric man who lived in the twentieth century. Edward, known as Ted, was considered one of the most successful poets of the 1900s. He wrote fictional poems and children's books. He is well known for his contributions of nature influenced poems containing inner meanings and lessons. Hughes lived in England and the United States where he taught at the University of Massachusetts. Five of his poems contain a specific connection or theme. These works are "Crow's Fall", "Hawk Roosting", "The Jaguar", "Thistles", and "To Paint a Water Lily". In these works, Ted Hughes uses animals or living organisms to represent the violent tendencies of people.

Ted Hughes had quite an unusual life. He was born on August 17, 1930 in Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire. He grew up in the nearby town of Mexborough where he wrote his first poem at the age of fifteen. He later ...

... middle of paper ...

...

This central theme of human brutality is an indispensable part of Ted Hughes' work. The thread that relates animals to the barbarity of people is prevalent in Hughes' other works including "The Iron Man". This thread wasn't just written to expose these violent characteristics in mankind but also to change people's perspective and in turn sooth humanity into becoming less violent and more peaceful. This principal message of Hughes may have enlightened many people who would have otherwise disregarded knowledge about their own savage tendencies. Ted Hughes also may have inspired individuals to take part in pacifism which became widespread in the 1960's. Unlike many peace advocates today, Ted Hughes promoted nonviolence in a much more subtle way. Ted Hughes has forever changed the world with his desire to help humanity realize their error and amend it.