Compare And Contrast Sylvia Plath`s Poem, "tulips", And Ted Hughes` Poem, "wodwo"- An Analytic Text

In 'Tulips', the speaker explores the notion of romanticised death, and the encouragement for life, symbolised by the tulips. As the poem is set in a 'white' hospital, there are constant reminders of death approaching, and we get a sense that the speaker is almost flirting with non-being. With the speaker's near-death experience comes a tension between floating and sinking sensations, as well as an exploration of the feeling of pain. This is done both physically and emotionally, as 'the tulips.weigh (her) down'. Feelings of fear and acceptance are also explored as the speaker 'lies' there, having 'given (her) body to the surgeon'. Furthermore, there is a search for identity, and the speaker questions whether she wants her relationships or her psychological being to identity her. Thus, tensions between family and isolation are explored, and this is reinforced by the fact the speaker highlights the feelings of trouble, complications and responsibility she faces with family. Like in 'Tulips', the speaker in 'Wodwo' is also on a search for his true identity and how he fits into the world. He explores the state of his own mind and tries to make sense of the world he likes in. Throughout the poem, the speaker explores both the physical and emotional realms, as he is fuelled with the determination and keenness to discover. Clearly, the speaker is open-minded, and although he is aware of the concept of pleasure and other emotions, he desperately explores the illogicality and irrationality in his own behaviour.

The speaker in 'Tulips' makes use of the setting in order to build a calm and peaceful atmosphere. To reinforce the scene set in the hospital, the speaker creates a metaphorical imagery of it being 'winter' in the ward, with 'everything white' and her surroundings 'snowed-in'. In addition, there is a lack of rhyme scheme, which highlights that the speaker is freely exploring her feelings in an unstructured manner. She chooses her vocabulary of 'white walls' and 'light' to enhance the sense of serenity she feels in her hospital bed. Furthermore, the repetition of 'pass and pass' mirrors the rhythmic and monotonous pattern that the speaker's eyes follow as the nurses shuffle around the room. It also underlines the passing of time, giving the reader a sense that the speaker has been lying there, immobile, for a long time. The lack of punctuation mirrors her dazed and anaesthetized state as her thoughts are formed in an almost unconscious state. The speaker metaphorically likens the nurses to 'gulls' as they 'pass inland in their white caps'. This positive imagery is carried on throughout the poem, and the speaker likens herself to a 'pebble' who is 'smooth(ed) gently' by the nurses. Clearly, this calmative descri ption tells us that the speaker enjoys being in this passive, numbed state. Her preferred state of separation is further reinforced by the fact that she is 'sick of baggage'. This refers to all the responsibilities that come with relationships, as well as the emotional drain that comes with family. The 'smiles' of her 'husband and child.catch on (her) skin like hooks', and this metaphor creates negative imagery as well as underlining the sense that these relationships are painful. The imagery of the speaker being a 'thirty-year old cargo boat' creates a sense of weight, aging and fatigue, as the speaker feels like her family is a burden. At this point, there is a break in the poem and this helps to emphasize the juxtaposition of the colour white with the sudden burst of red tulips. Immediately, the contrast brings up symbolism of blood and life source, and there is a threatening tone that accompanies the arrival of the tulips from her husband, as though it was part of her own body that was betraying her and turning against her. Clearly, this is more palpable in the speaker's psychological state, as she dramatizes the potential threat of the tulips by stating that they 'talk to (her) wounds'. The personification of the red tulips as she 'hear(s) them breathe, lightly', creates a sense of horror as it seems they are alive. The speaker feels that they are threatening her, as they come from people who love her, and they drag her out of her dazed mental state, as they are a constant reminder of the complications and troubles of life. Also, the use of first person pronoun further heightens and dramatizes the situation, as well as the threatening imagery of the tulips. She uses the sensual vocabulary of 'sudden tongues and their colour' and the sound of their 'breath(ing)' in order to heighten the pace of the poem and make the threat more imminent. Her emotional awareness of the potential threat is so enhanced that it transcends the emotional boundaries and is associated with the physical and sensual realm. She further personifies the tulips, claiming 'they are subtle', in order to arm them with malevolent intentions and a consciousness. To complete the image, the speaker likens them to 'a dozen red lead sinkers round (her) neck', as they 'weigh (her) down' with reminders of her former life.

Unlike in 'Tulips' where the speaker uses the setting of the hospital to escape part of her identity and leave behind her old life with all its responsibilities, the speaker in 'Wodwo' turns to the setting in order to unearth his true identity. He 'enters water' and passes 'trees and roots', and his exploration of nature serves as a study of his own state of mind. Immediately, it is clear that the speaker adopts a sub-human approach through the use of sensual language, and we picture him 'nosing here' and 'turning leaves over', and the 'faint stain' indicates a muddle of senses, reinforcing his innate sense of confusion towards the nature of his identity. The speaker uses illustrative language to describe his surroundings by 'the river's edge' near the 'rotten stump'. This, coupled with the alliteration of 'glassy grain', create a sense that the speaker is more than an animal- it has intellectual capacity and is able to look outside himself, questioning. Like in 'Tulips', the poem is a monologue, and this mimics the speaker's stream of consciousness, and it is as though he is giving us a series of thoughts. Like 'Tulips', there is a lack of punctuation in 'Wodwo', and this serves as an illusion of an unstructured thought process due to the fact that there are only a few fully formed sentences. Throughout the poem however, the structure of the sentences deteriorate increasingly in order to heighten the speaker's sense of urgency, as his question remains unanswered. Unlike the repetition used in 'Tulips' to create a rhythmic sense of peace, the repetition in Wodwo of 'roots roots roots' creates tension, as well as a sense of urgency as the questions are now less directed. The speaker makes a point of repeatedly using question marks, repeating his question, 'what am I?' in order to highlight that he is not giving up- he is determined to discover. At this point, the poem's pace is heightened, and the sentences run in to each other, hardly making sense, and we witness an outpour of endless queries. This also serves to create a dramatic tone in the poem.

Throughout "Tulips" and "Wodwo", Plath and Hughes explore the physical and emotional realms in order to explore tensions, as well as the process of discovering one's identity. However, Plath does this primarily through the use of symbols and metaphorical imageries, while Hughes takes a more sensual approach by overwhelming the reader's sense with illustrative, emotive vocabulary. Also, Plath makes a point of steering clear of an emotional thought process, while Hughes emphasizes the speaker's expressive and emotional response to his surroundings.