1a. What are the thistles fighting against?
2a. How do thistles reappear in stanza 2?
3a. Like what do the thistles "grow gray"?
4a. What characteristics does Hughes identify in the thistles?
5a. Assess which side wins the battle in the poem.
1b. What do the thistles' "opponents" have in common?
2b. What does this image suggest about the ability of human beings to battle nature?
3b. What evidence at the end of the poem suggests the thistles' renewal?
4b. What power do thistles have that human beings cannot completely conquer?
5b. Compare the attitude toward nature expressed in Yeats's poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" on page 907 and Hughes's "Thistles."
Oxymoron. Identify an oxymoron in stanza 2. Explain how this oxymoron reflects the tone of the poem.
Caesura. Lines 4–7 contain three caesuras. What effect do they create? What effect do they have on the rhythm of the stanza?
Image. What type of relationship between nature and humans does Hughes portray?
1. Write catalog copy about thistles for a seed catalog. Include vivid images in your copy.
2. Write a magazine article for an outdoors publication. Choose one aspect of nature that appeals to you. Write in unsentimental language about your subject.
3. Write a poem about the cycle of life. You may wish to try writing in free verse.
Combining Sentences. Combine the following pairs of sentences using single words, phrases, or clauses.
1. Hughes's most characteristic work is without sentimentality. He emphasizes the cunning and savagery of animal life in harsh, sometimes disjunctive lines.
2. The dialect of Hughes's native region set the tone of his verse. He came from the West Riding area of Yorkshire.
3. In his twenties Hughes married the American poet Sylvia Plath. He published his first volume of verse at 27.
4. Hughes published prolifically. He liked to collaborate with photographers and illustrators.
5. Hughes wrote many volumes for children. Under the North Star and A Farmyard Fable for the Young were children's books.
Panel Discussion. Before participating in a panel discussion on the topic, research biologically engineered crops to look at one way humans try to control nature. What are the advantages of these crops? What are the disadvantages? How widespread is the use of biologically engineered crops? What happens when the seeds from these crops come in contact with crops that are not biologically engineered? What arguments do opponents of biologically engineered crops present? What are the arguments of the proponents?
Reseaarch Findings on Biologically Engineered Crops:
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