The Pike - Ted Hughes

Pike

Ted Hughes

Summary: The poem is based on his childhood. As a child he often visited the lake (presumably so that his father can go fishing), of which there lived a huge pike in the deep part of the pond. It is the memory of such a place that acts as a foundation on which this poem was based upon. This poem is amazing in the sense that the implication of the poem is both physical and allegorical. The pond could represent the conscious mind of Hughes himself. The deeper area could represent the subconscious, which is where the true monsters live, as Hughes often said.

The poem follows the pattern of many of Hughes’ work. It is usually marked by practical knowledge and precise description of the creature described, such as their bodies and how they move, as well as their behaviour. Hughes also tended to have a very big obsession with big and fierce creatures and often written poems including the The Juguar in the animal world and the Thistles of the plant world. He always tended to depict these creatures in the most warlike and vicious state.

Just to give you a picture of how big the Pike looks like:

Significant poetic devices and their significance (eg: Metaphors, symbols, rhyme scheme, form, imagery, repetition… etc)

·         Note how the beginning of every sentence starts with a capital letter, even though there are sometimes no form of punctuation to dictate it so. This can be used as a way to stroke the ego of the pike, as if by saying that ‘we should always make a grand sentence starter for the Pike!’, as if we are throwing a red carpet down for the Pike to walk on when we are making descriptions of it which in the perspective of the poet, may be his thoughts exactly.

Other than the ones mentioned there is no (or very little) bits that we can analyse from the structure due to the fact that all his other poems follow the same format. So why should this be any different? All that we can say is that he is very consistent in the way that he writes his poems, a sign of a very organised and well-collected poet.

However, like most poems, there are reoccurring themes that we find in the context¸ and for the sake of simplicity I will try and colour code them.

Word-based analysis

Stanza 1

“Pike, three inches long, perfect
It was until I searched up what a baby pike looked like when I finally realised what the poet was implying when he wrote “three inches long”.

The fact that he is using a baby pike as the first imagery of the poem represents the fact that they are already beautiful from birth and there is nothing more that they needed to do in their life to improve as they are already at the top. He is also addressing the innocence of the Pike at birth, putting the fish in rather adorable light to the reader.

Pike in all parts, green tigering the gold
The phrase “green tigering the gold” basically has the meaning of the pike being green with the gold that we see in a tiger. This has two forms of interpretation

·         The use of the word “tigering” relates to, of course, the tiger that we find on land, which is sometimes considered to be one of the most powerful land creatures to ever walk this Earth. Its cat-like bone structure is perfect for hunting in its particular environment. This could thus be a reference to how the pike is perfectly built for killing in water, similar to how the tiger is perfectly built for hunting on land. He could also make a reference to its ferocity and dominance that we see in the tiger, implying that he sees it in the pike as well.

·         The use of the word gold, especially the shade of gold that we often see on the tiger, implies royalty, putting the pike in a rather majestic and elegant light.

Killer from the egg: the malevolent aged grin.
The poet here is exemplifying the fact that the pike is already structured to become the perfect killer since birth. It already is born with the instincts to survive and the techniques to hunt, portraying the Pike as the ultimate king of the sea in terms of dominance, commanding respect. Furthermore it creates makes the pike look like a sacred animal, as if hand-crafted by God to do amazing things.
They dance on the surface among the flies.”
The main diet of the Pike at birth is the flies. Therefore the use of the word dance is a metaphor used to describe the hunt. However the poet is implying the fact that the hunting is so easy to them due to their ingrained thinking and specialised body structure that they make it seems as seamless as if they were doing a dance among the flies rather than hunting them.

Stanza 2

“Or move, stunned by their own grandeur
The phrase “stunned by their own grandeur” is used to create an air of arrogance around the Pike, as if it knows that it is something to be respected. This reinforces the point about the poet calling the Pike perfect as even the Pike is aware of that. Furthermore the use of the word grandeur once again relates the Pike to royalty or a higher-class noblemen, commanding even more respect.

Over a bed of emerald, silhouette
Take note that Emerald is considered very rare and valuable in human terms and the fact that the emerald is found on the seabed of the pond represents the fact that the Pike guards over it, as if the Pike was the king, the pond its kingdom or castle, and the bed of Emeralds, its wealth or treasury.

Of submarine delicacy and horror.
Note the juxtaposition in the two words “delicacy” and “horror” as well as the metaphor when we describe the pike as a submarine. The two juxtaposing words represent the pike itself. It is delicate and beautiful at times (perhaps at birth), yet horrifying and terrifying when hunting. This is favourable in both contexts, as you want to be horrifying and terrifying when you are hunting, yet favourable in the eyes of the poet when the creature is beautiful when young as it helps bring his point across, meaning that the pike gets to enjoy the best of both worlds. This is something that not many people get to do, making the pike look privileged, as the poet likes to make the pike look. 
A hundred feet long in their world.”
This could be a metaphor for their dominance, for although small relative to the pond, they are huge in arrogance and their aura can be sensed (and feared) for as much as a hundred feet, accentuating once again the arrogance of the Pike, as well as its right to be by the poet.

Stanza 3

“In ponds, under the heat-stuck lily pads-
In this point of view, the pike swims below the heat-stuck lily pads. This can refer once again to royalty as we find the lily pads sacrificing itself and taking in the heat, just so that the Pike can be cool directly below it.

Gloom of their stillness;
This is similar to the works of Hunting Snake by Judith Wright, who implies that the snake (and in this case, the pike as well) are both creatures of mystery, and that we tend to think of them as something different than they truly are – creatures of beauty. Furthermore the fact that Hughes also does the same gives the pike a calm and collected attitude; as if everything that is happening in the pond is planned by the Pike and that everything planned is going smoothly.

Logged on last year’s black leaves, watching upwards
This can exemplify the fact that the pike even holds dominance over the areas that it can’t reach (ie above the surface of the water) as it keeps close watch every day, ensuring that no one dares step even close to its territory. The black leaves could refer to the lily pads which have died, sacrificing themselves for the sake of the pike. The fact that the pike looks through the dead black leaves without acknowledging its presence once again demonstrates its arrogance, as if it deserves to have plants die for it.

Or hung in an amber cavern of weeds”
Once again there is this concept of plants sacrificing themselves to provide shelter or anything that the Pike might request. In this case, as already said before, shelter. There is also that issue of the Pike being mysterious, once again giving it a calm and collected attitude. This could also be applicable when it is in its environment, hunting for prey that might pass by. It is collected and calm, and not worried that the prey might get away, because it’ll always get the prey in the end.

Stanza 4

“The jaws’ hooked clamp and fangs
Structure once again being perfect for hunting.
Not to be changed at this date;
Nothing more needs to be improved since birth, it was already born perfect.
A life subdued to its instrument;
It is perhaps here that he issues the problems of being a pike. That perhaps the Pike is perfectly built for killing, and thus has to live up to its expectations. That all its life it is honing its skills in hunting just to be able to fulfil the expectations of everybody. It is here that is life is subdued (weakened) what is the point in life if you are built do something that you are not passionate about? Or something that you don’t really want to do? It is here that the poet is implying that the Pike may reflect on him instead, perhaps relating it to an incident in his childhood as he starts to remember his past when he recalls this pond as well as the pike. This is similar to the poem found in the anthology The Cockroach when the poet finds that the animal that he describing, the cockroach, completely reflect the actions of his life, as well as the life of many that walk on this earth. Could the pike also be reflecting on us as well?
The gills kneading quietly, and the pectorals”
This gives us a view of the mechanical makings of the Pike. Perhaps the poet is exaggerating these features to give us a sense of its raw power as well as its efficiency and consistency due to the use of the verb and adverb kneading quietly. Note as well the random use of a named muscle that is a feature of a core muscle, one of the most important muscles in your body. The fact that it is featured indicate how much power that the pike has, especially in the ones where the strength of the muscles is required most (core muscles)

Stanza 5

“Three we kept behind glass,
Jungled in weed: three inches, four,
And four and a half: fed fry to them
Suddenly there were two, finally one”

The scene described dictates the experience that the poet had of keeping such creatures as pets. Take note that the fact that they were so small although the poet was so proud illustrates how hard it actually is to capture a pike that even capturing one this small was already considered an achievement.
Also note how they suddenly disappeared. This indicates that the other two were killed off by the strongest one. This expresses their arrogance once again as they try to remain on top and the best and the most dominant, despite the fact that they are the ones being help mercy to the poet, who “feeds fry to them” and kept them “behind glass”
“Jungled in weed”, mystery once again.

Stanza 6 and 7
“With a sag belly and a grin it was born with.
And indeed they spare nobody.
Two, six pounds each, over two feet long,
High and dry and dead in the willow-herb -
One jammed past its gills down the other’s gullet:
The outside eye stared: as a vice locks -
The same iron in this eye
Though its film shrank in death”

This is one of the poet’s experience when he went to the lake with his father to go fishing one day. One pike swam into the mouth of another one, where both of them suffocated and died. This could represent the dangers of arrogance, contrary to what the poet was implying as he mentioned arrogance a countless number of times and painted it in a positive light. He in this area is trying to imply the fact that sometimes, as president John F Kennedy used to say “When you are preparing for a fight, prepare to dig two graves”. In this case, the pike could represent him as his recollection could have triggered a memory of his past where he had faced a similar issue, only to find both parties lose due to arrogance.
However, there is still a level of respect for the way that these two Pike died, they were pikes after all. The best creatures to ever walk this earth in the eyes of the poet. Anyway the phrase “vice locks- the same iron in this eye” indicates a sense of masculinity as we see tools mentioned and of all tools, locks which represent strength as well, indicating the poet feels like the two pikes died in the most masculine way possible, thus deserving some respect.

Stanza 8 and 9

“A pond I fished, fifty years across,
Whose lilies and muscular tench
Had outlased every visible stone
Of the monastery that planted them -
Stilled legendary depth:
It was as deep as England. It held
Pike too immense to stir, so immense and old
That past nightfall I dared not cast”

These two stanzas represent the bittersweet memories that the poet had in connection with this pond, and how he has lived with it and saw it changed throughout the ages. The use of the metaphor in the phrase “fifty years across” is used both as a time and distance measure, used to say that it is big enough for one to take fifty years in order to cover the whole area, fishing wise. This is a good way for one to create a sense of meaning to a statistical measurement, not only indicating that the poet possess knowledge of the area, but how the poet came to obtain the knowledge – in this case through experience.
The use of the word “monastery” was specially used by the poet so as to create the pond as having a sacred touch to it, as if it was the haven for pikes. It is also creates an innocent image to the pond, as well as the poet when he visited that area regularly as a child.
Also note the hyperbole when the poet said that the pond was “as deep as England”. This hyperbole sounds juvenile, like a child saying that ‘an elephant was the size of Canada… (if that makes any sense at all)’, indicating that the poet has been at the same pond since he was a young boy, bringing back bittersweet memories in the poet, and in the reader as he starts to recall his childhood days as well, strengthening the empathy link between both the reader and the poet as they are able to relate to the same feeling that they get when talking about their past.

Stanza 10 and 11

“But silently cast fished
With the hair frozen on my head
For what might move, for what eye might move.
The still splashes on the dark pond,
Owls hushing the floating woods
Frail on my ear against the dream”

This is the final experience reported in the play, where the poet decides to one night fish in the pond. This is completely contradictory to what just stated previously stating “That past nightfall I dared not cast”. It is at this time that things start to become surreal, as we finally see the world that we don’t usually see as many are usually asleep at this time. Furthermore the person is very sleepy, and it usually at this time that dreams and reality start to blend as you become more and more sleepy and drift into a half-sleep. Note the oxymoron in the phrase “still splashes” which add to this very surreal image as in no way, in any shape or form, that a splash can be still as they completely contradict each other in every way… that is unless the world described is surreal. (But even then I wouldn’t know what a still splash looks like.)

Also note the powerful imagery used to create this surreal image. “Owls hushing the floating woods” This piece of imagery is used to describe the darkness and the tree branches that branch out into the night sky. We do not notice where the tree branches originate from as they are hidden in the darkness due to the density of the forest, making it look as if they are floating.

This can also be a metaphor for the mind of the reader, for at night when you are alone, sleepy and in the depths of night the branches, which may represent the tendril of darkness of evil’s hold on you, try to engulf you to make you do things that you will regret the next morning. This comes along due to the irrationality that you get when you are sleepy. The branches then branch out towards the pond, which in this case represent the mind, trying to infect it.

The poet looks around as he is scared “For what might move, for what eye might move.” This indicates that he is scared for anything attacking him, presumably the creatures of the forest. However, what he fears even more is the “eyes that might move” – the things that are already watching him, preparing to strike. Based on the descriptions of the pike before, we can also assume that he is afraid of the pike watching him with those very scary beady eyes, ready to display its strength in the water at any time.

“Darkness beneath night’s darkness had freed,
That rose slowly towards me, watching.”

The first darkness is a metaphor for the Pike, justifying the fact that:

1.       It is currently in its element where it is most powerful. It has the best edge possible for hunting purposes.

2.       It is once again a creature of mystery, and it is at this time of night that it becomes more mysterious as its behavioural patterns change and such approaching this very crucial time when it has to hunt.

3.       It is the thing that you should be more scared of than the dark itself due to the pike’s potency at night. “Darkness beneath night’s darkness had been freed”. This gives the image of the pike finally being free, indicating that it will be more ferocious and animalistic than it normally is as whatever restriction that was in place before is now freed.

4.       The pike then rose slowly towards him, watching, foreshadowing the fact that he is about to be attacked or that something dramatic will happen. The poem ends here, leaving us wondering what that dramatic moment might be, in turn creating tension at the end of the story. Genius.

Speaker of the poem: The poet himself, Ted Hughes. In his mature self although metaphorically in his childhood self as well.

Speaker’s attitude toward the subject of the poem:  Nostalgic towards his childhood and the pond. A profound respect, almost obsession, with the pike due to its power and its impact on his childhood days.

Paired poems (Identify poems in the anthology and why they are appropriate to be paired)

1.       Hunting Snake in the sense that both writers share a profound respect for the animal that they are describing.

2.       The Woodspurge due to both poets having a wider meaning towards their feature of choice and that what they are actually describing could be completely allegorical, representing something else.

3.       Horses in the sense of the time shift throughout the text, although Horses is chronological. They also share an equal amount of respect for the animal that they are describing and also tend to point out the physical strength found in the animal.

Memorable Lines:

1.       “They dance on the surface among the flies”

2.       “Over a bed of emerald, silhouette of submarine delicacy and horror”

3.       “A pond I fished, fifty years across”

4.       “It was as deep as England”