The Writer and The Thought-Fox :: Comparative, Wilbur, Hughes

The metaphorical voyage found in Richard Wilbur’s â€Å"The Writer† and the experience described in Ted Hughes’s â€Å"The Thought-Fox† show events in which a journey of discovery is made. Though their theme and metaphors are vastly different, many parallels exist between their use of animals and their creation of sensorial imagery. In this way, the reader finds how the voyage of life and the flight of a bird are akin to the adventures of a fox; one can hope to direct fate, but we must let it run its natural course. â€Å"The Writer† begins with the speaker informing the audience that his daughter is â€Å"at the prow of the house† (1) where his â€Å"daughter is writing a story† (3) as â€Å"the windows are tossed with linden† (2). From the beginning of the poem, the speaker begins to deliver an extended metaphor of life’s voyage with the phrase â€Å"prow of the house† (1). Moreover, the speaker continues it throughout the poem with phrases such as, â€Å"Like a chain hauled over a gunwale† (6) or â€Å"I wish her a lucky passage† (Line 9) or â€Å"Beating a smooth course† (29). In addition to the metaphor, the Wilbur depicts precise imagery and a symbol for the audience to experience. One example of imagery is found in the line, â€Å"Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden† (2). Not only does this line create a sense of confined—yet open—space, but the audience can easily imagine the sound and wave-like movements coming from the swaying linden trees. Another image created is two people anticipating the â€Å"starling† (19) to fly smoothly into the outside world as they watch the â€Å"sleek, wild, dark / and iridescent creature† (22-23) â€Å"helplessly from . . . through the crack of a door† (20). Lastly, Wilbur utilizes the form of a small fragile bird trying—repeatedly—to fly out of an unfamiliar room into the world. As the speaker’s daughter will have struggles during her life because situations are unfamiliar to her. Similarly, â€Å"The Thought Fox† establishes the physical setting very quick; the speaker is a room in which â€Å"something else is alive / besides the clock’s loneliness† (2-3) and where there is a â€Å"blank page† (4) where the speaker is imagining a forest at midnight. In doing so, Ted Hughes begins to create a metaphor of darkness with the phrase â€Å"midnight moment’s forest.† The darkness found in this forest represents the unknown bounds of the human imagination because the deeper one goes into darkness the further one â€Å"is entering [into] loneliness† (8). The Writer and The Thought-Fox :: Comparative, Wilbur, Hughes The metaphorical voyage found in Richard Wilbur’s â€Å"The Writer† and the experience described in Ted Hughes’s â€Å"The Thought-Fox† show events in which a journey of discovery is made. Though their theme and metaphors are vastly different, many parallels exist between their use of animals and their creation of sensorial imagery. In this way, the reader finds how the voyage of life and the flight of a bird are akin to the adventures of a fox; one can hope to direct fate, but we must let it run its natural course. â€Å"The Writer† begins with the speaker informing the audience that his daughter is â€Å"at the prow of the house† (1) where his â€Å"daughter is writing a story† (3) as â€Å"the windows are tossed with linden† (2). From the beginning of the poem, the speaker begins to deliver an extended metaphor of life’s voyage with the phrase â€Å"prow of the house† (1). Moreover, the speaker continues it throughout the poem with phrases such as, â€Å"Like a chain hauled over a gunwale† (6) or â€Å"I wish her a lucky passage† (Line 9) or â€Å"Beating a smooth course† (29). In addition to the metaphor, the Wilbur depicts precise imagery and a symbol for the audience to experience. One example of imagery is found in the line, â€Å"Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden† (2). Not only does this line create a sense of confined—yet open—space, but the audience can easily imagine the sound and wave-like movements coming from the swaying linden trees. Another image created is two people anticipating the â€Å"starling† (19) to fly smoothly into the outside world as they watch the â€Å"sleek, wild, dark / and iridescent creature† (22-23) â€Å"helplessly from . . . through the crack of a door† (20). Lastly, Wilbur utilizes the form of a small fragile bird trying—repeatedly—to fly out of an unfamiliar room into the world. As the speaker’s daughter will have struggles during her life because situations are unfamiliar to her. Similarly, â€Å"The Thought Fox† establishes the physical setting very quick; the speaker is a room in which â€Å"something else is alive / besides the clock’s loneliness† (2-3) and where there is a â€Å"blank page† (4) where the speaker is imagining a forest at midnight. In doing so, Ted Hughes begins to create a metaphor of darkness with the phrase â€Å"midnight moment’s forest.† The darkness found in this forest represents the unknown bounds of the human imagination because the deeper one goes into darkness the further one â€Å"is entering [into] loneliness† (8).