An Analysis of Power in The Jaguar, a Poem by Ted Hughes

Analysis, Pages 5 (1082 words)

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Explore connections between Hughes' presentation of the power of animals in 'The Jaguar' and at least one other poem from the collection Hughes describes the raw power of animals to be something that cannot be physically constrained. The poet demonstrates the untameable spirit of the natural world whilst, at the same time, highlighting the ignorance of the human mind as we can do nothing but stare in awe at the beauty of the natural world.

Firstly, 'The Jaguar' is written in regular 4 line-stanzas, and throughout the poem there is a mixture of enjambed and cut-off lines.

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This use of punctuation creates a sense of organisation, and when paired with the constant, ordinary structure of the stanzas creates a sense of boredom, mimicking both the crowd's feelings and constant movement throughout the zoo until, like the masses, we are stopped and mesmerized by the actions of the jaguar. Furthermore, The tone of the poem also begins to alter as the speaker moves from one animal to the next.

Monosyllabic diction in the earlier part of the poem conveys the speaker's sense of boredom and lack of interest in the first group of animals, but by the time he gets to the jaguar the rhythm of the lines picks up and more complex, polysyllabic diction gives expression to the vitality of the jaguar. This fast pace is similar to that in 'The Horses' and suggests a wild and almost frantic spirit in both the animal and the poem itself. The ability of the animals to determine the pace of the poem demonstrates the unyielding power they have over the consciousness of the human mind, similar to the moment of sublime both the jaguar and the horses grant mankind as they stare in wonder at their untainted nature.

Secondly, the power of the jaguar is described in both kinaesthetic and auditory imagery. The alliteration in 'short fierce fuse' creates an underlying aggressiveness, which is crystalized by the increase of pace in the sibilance created by the rule of three: 'stands, stares mesmerized', portraying the jaguar to be almost erratic as he paces around his cage. The demonstration of power in 'The Horses' however is more subtle and not expressed through the action of the horses, like in the jaguar, but rather through their stagnation.

For example, the speaker describes the horses as 'huge in dense grey', the use of the adjective 'huge' takes a surface level description whereby the horses are superior to the human on both a physical and spiritual level, demanding instant respect. 'Dense grey' is a referring to the air in which the horses are engulfed moments before the eruption of the sun, and despite the adjective 'dense' appearing to covertly suggest an oppressive tone the horses seem to endure through the darkness and accept the coming of dawn, whilst man flees in fear back into the familiar darkness. This imagery depicts the horses as strong and 'patient' creatures who are able to adapt to the changing of the world through their heightened spiritual understanding, whereas humans cower in dark and oppressive ignorance, unable to accept the truth of reality.

'The Jaguar' also indicates to animal's heightening of spiritual awareness through the lines 'but there's no cage to him[,] More than to the visionary his cell'. The defiance to captivity on behalf of the jaguar acts to show that his spirit is unbreakable and cannot be tamed. One could argue that the jaguar is deluded and insane because he cannot seem to recognize his captivation. However, when linked to 'The Horses' it seems to be more justifiable that the jaguar is tapped into a higher spirit and we (the crowd) from his perspective are the ones trapped behind bars. This is supported through the line 'he spins from the bars', making it clear that the jaguar is fully aware of his own physical boundaries yet in the heightened realm of his spirit he cannot be restricted by the walls we build around him.

Moreover, Hughes describes the Jaguar's prowl using the metaphor 'his stride is wildernesses of freedom', although it may be argued that this highlights the delusion of the jaguar as he is trapped in a cage and not free at all, it may also be interpreted as his inability to be tamed. The verb 'stride' has connotations of a powerful and confident walk, illustrative of his proud nature and portraying him as a symbol of liberty. Furthermore, the following line 'the world rolls under the long thrust of his heel' seems to link to the well-known phrase 'the world in the palm of his hands'. By connecting the two metaphorical phrases Hughes has, momentarily, brought the spiritual master of the jaguar down to the understanding of mankind through a famous saying.

This heightens our perception of the jaguar as we are almost foolish for believing ourselves to be able to contain the spirit of the jaguar simply through the encaging of his physical body, and yet our own incompetence is what draws the crowd to him. Finally, 'horizons' appear as a repeated motif throughout the animal works of Hughes. 'The Horses' also ends with the noun 'hearing the horizons endure'. This metaphor creates an extended freedom in both 'The Jaguar' and 'The Horses' and can be taken to be endless and infinite.

A horizon can be seen but is also out of reach, in the same way that humans can sense a spiritual presence, as experienced by Hughes' ideologies of totems, yet the concept and full understanding cannot be grasped. This leaves the animal kingdom to be superior to that of humans as they can stride towards and endure the gravitas of the truth of reality, but all we can do is watch and cower in darkness.

To conclude, Hughes uses both structural and linguistic devices in 'The Jaguar' to create the possibility of a double meaning: the delusion of the jaguar, or the ignorance of man. Despite arguably portraying the jaguar as psychotic in his movement, the simmering of power beneath his paws and in his soul, cannot be questioned. 'The Horses', on the other hand are subjected to stagnation throughout the poem but still belittle man. Their infinitive 'patient' and power to 'endure' the enlightenment of reality leaves an unquestionable sense that both physically and mentally humans are inferior to the power and understanding of the animal realm.