The jaguar

the text of the poem is on page 4 of your books

published online version of the poem *

recording of Ted Hughes reading the poem *

some introductory thoughts on what the poem is about

• This is one of Ted Hughes's most popular early poems.  It presents ideas about captivity and freedom, hinting at the concept of creative imagination being able to overcome limitations, in this case, of the restrictions of a traditional zoo cage.

• Hughes gives us a vivid picture of a zoo as such places were in the 1950s.  They housed magnificent creatures such as jaguars inside very small caged accommodation.  People could look in, close up, at the animals that were kept behind secure bars.  Hughes shows us that zoos of this sort had deadening effects on the creatures inside them - similar to imprisonment.  Since the 1950s, zoos in Europe have stopped housing large animals in this way, influenced by the kind of ideas that we find in this poem, which emphasise that such caging is unsuitable, in fact, in most people's opinion now, entirely unacceptable.

• Hughes took a time to revise this poem, and his choice of the jaguar, such an awesomely impressive animal, is a happy one, as it allows him to emphasise to the maximum extent the contrast between the creature's innate power and its situation inside the cage.

• As so often in poems by Hughes, this poem combines an emphasis on the animal's raw, primeval power, with links to ideas about human experience.  There are many interesting themes suggested by this poem: for example:

wildness contrasting with domestication;

animal energy contrasting with intellectual power;

wild forces contrasting with civilisation and its rules;

the creative imagination, especially that of poets.

• The jaguar emerges by the end of the poem as a kind of visionary, a symbol perhaps of the human capacity for big ideas and transcendent thoughts, even when the reality of everyday experience might mean that the thinker is caged in.

• It's interesting how the poem ends with a focus on the crowds in the zoo gathering to look in awe at the jaguar.

some questions to consider

• In the first stanza, what does Hughes emphasise in his description of the apes, parrots, tiger, lion and boa constrictor?

• Explore the idea of 'fatigued to indolence' - what does the idea suggest to you about the zoo creatures and their lives?

• Why might Hughes have chosen to repeatedly mention the sun over the first two stanzas?

• How does Hughes emphasise that life has been drained from the zoo creatures?  Pick out the phrase which you think most emphasises that idea.

• Why might Hughes have chosen the repetitive construction 'cage after cage'?

• What is it that most attracts the crowd to the jaguar's cage?  Explore the verbs which Hughes uses to establish the primal energy of the jaguar.

• Explore the way in which Hughes characterises the crowd - what is interesting about this description of their fascination with the jaguar?

• Why does Hughes describe a 'fuse', 'fire' and 'the bang of blood'?

• 'there's no cage to him' - how does Hughes imagine this to be true, given that in reality the jaguar is in the cage?

• Think about the idea of the 'visionary' in 'his cell' - what sort of figures come to mind?

• Where does Hughes imagine that the jaguar might think himself to be?

• Explore the poem's structure. How might the use of stanzas contribute to the overall effect of the poem?

• What do you think Hughes means in the line ‘His stride is wildernesses of freedom’?  Explore the possible meanings of this phrase.

• What do you imagine when you hear the final line of the poem? ‘Over the cage floor the horizons come’?

• Which poems from the list below did you like most?  Do any of them remind you of the Hughes poem?  Which poem is most different in your opinion, and why?

some creative writing to help you understand the poem more deeply

• Try writing about a powerful creature which has impressed you - where did you see it?  What was it about the creature which stuck in your mind?

See also Hughes's later poem Second Glance at a Jaguar, on page 60 of your books.  What does Hughes do differently in this later poem?  Which of the two poems do you prefer, and why?

Poems on related subjects by Ted Hughes

Tiger Psalm on page 201 of your books.

some other lovely poems about powerful animals

• The Tyger * by William Blake

• Jaguar * by Francisco X. Alarcón

• Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers * by Adrienne Rich

• The Tiger * by John W. Clark

An excellent podcast discussion * of the poem from teachers at Bristol Grammar School.

An interesting news article * about Ted Hughes and his interest in jaguars.

photo

The main entrance to London Zoo (ZSL) in Regent's Park, London - photo by James Harding