Q. Explore how Hughes vividly conveys this memory of sheep-shearing.

Your bony white bowed back, in a singlet,

Powerful as a horse,
Bowed over an upturned sheep
Shearing under the East chill through door-draught
In the cave-dark barn, sweating and freezing -
Flame-crimson face, drum-guttural African curses
As you bundled the sheep
Like tying some oversize, overweight, spilling bale
Through its adjustments of position

The attached cigarette, bent at its glow

Preserving its pride of ash
Through all your suddenly savage, suddenly gentle
Mastering of the animal

You were like a collier, a face-worker

In a dark hole of obstacle
Heedless of your own surfaces
Inching by main strength into the solid hour,
Bald, arch-wrinkled, weathered dome bowed
Over your cigarette comfort

Till you stretched erect through a groan

Letting a peeled sheep leap free

Then nipped the bud of stub from your lips

And with glove-huge, grease-glistening carefulness
Lit another at it

Mind Map
Intro: “Bent at its glow”
Diction, the theme of strength, and form and structure

Diction:
“Suddenly savage, suddenly gentle”
“You were like a collier, a face worker”
“In a cave-dark barn, sweating and freezing”

The theme of strength:

“Inching by main strength into the solid hour”
“Powerful as a horse”
“Flame-crimson face, drum-guttural African curses”
Form and structure:
Compound words - add musicality
Smallest para = break
Sibilance
Simile
Enjambment in the last stanza shows the continuation of the work

Answer

The phrase “bent at its glow” describes the cigarette the farmer lights during shearing. “Bent”
suggests that the cigarette bowed before the farmer as a sign of respect for him. It is a loose
reference to the bowing in the first paragraph showing that even the inanimate objects admire
the farmer. Also, the continuously burning cigarette is a symbol of the farmer’s determination
towards his work. The poem “A Memory” was written with respect for Ted Hughes’s late father-
in-law Jack Orchard who was a farmer and worked at the farm owned by Hughes. This poem
was written in memory of Orchard using his Moortown Diary. Ted Hughes has effectively utilized
the poem’s diction, the theme of strength, and form and structure to convey this memory of
sheep shearing.

The wide range of vocabulary used by Hughes helps portray visual imagery of the farm and the
type of work done over there. The sibilance “suddenly savage, suddenly gentle” adds a
musicality to the poem and shows the smooth rhythm of shearing. The abrupt stop of the
sibilance with “gentle” indicates the control the farmer has over the farm and the process. The
juxtaposition of the movements as “gentle” and “savage” displays the changing nature of the
job. Adding to it, he states “You were like a collier, a face worker” comparing the farmer to a
coal mine worker and a face worker, who have to dig meters with just hand tools. This shows
the intensity of work and how hard it was for the farmer but still, he continued to do it
masterfully. The simile outside of the barn also shows how old the job of farmers is by
comparing it to the job of a coal mine worker that began in the 18th century, adding an ancient
aspect to it. The metaphor “In a cave-dark barn, sweating and freezing” reflects the environment
of the barn as very dusty and dark just like that of the caves. The working conditions being so
dirty and dark tells us that the job is very difficult. Also, the barn is being described as a “cave”
which shows how old it is and again points to it being ancient. “Sweating and freezing” reflects
upon the level of physical strength needed to do the job.

The theme of strength displayed in the poem shows how much energy and power in both
mental and physical form is needed to work in the barn. “Inching by main strength into the solid
hour” is an elongated line in the poem which shows that the job takes a lot of time. It also shows
that the process is slow and tiresome requiring both physical and mental strength highlighting
the memory of Orchard at the farm. Furthermore, he describes the strength by comparing it
using a simile, “powerful as a horse”. The comparison of strength with the force of nature makes
it look very “powerful” and indestructible. Also when the simile is coupled with plosives in the
previous line, strength is increased even more making it more dangerous. Moreover, he states
“flame-crimson face, drum-guttural African curses” which makes the poem even more
memorable as when frustration kicks in, it starts to sound foreign. “African” also suggests the
ancient art of husbandry and how agricultural practices were undertaken in the older times. The
continuous use of compound words adds musicality to this memory and also harmony to
Hughes’s and Orchard’s relationship between them and between nature. These phrases make
the memory look more significant when recalled making it a memorable one.

The poet has used a unique form and structure while writing the poem which conveys a lot of
this memory. The use of compound words in various places in the poem helps Hughes add a
smooth rhythm to the poem and make this memory cherishable. The process of sheep shearing
is reflected by the length of stanzas and the smallest stanza consisting of two lines only points
to a break taken by Orchard, although he again goes back to shear another sheep. The similes
used in the poem help describe the poem more elaborately by comparing the barn, the farmer,
and the working conditions with different things with the same level of difficulty. The title of the
poem is very direct which establishes the entire base of the poem which is of a memory of the
farm and helps readers understand a little about the poem by just knowing the title. Lastly, the
last paragraph has a complete enjambment which shows the continuity of the process and also
finishing the poem without any punctuation tells us that the process does not stop and highlights
continuation.

Ted Hughes has creatively used diction in the poem which helps him add different elements to it
such as emotions. The utilization of the theme of strength has been inculcated in the poem to
help the readers understand more about the work at the barn and how dangerous it is. Lastly,
the form and structure of the poem add a harmonious aspect to it to help balance the two
different sides of the poem. All together, diction, the theme of strength, and the form and
structure help Hughes successfully convey the memory to the readers.