Comparative Analysis of the poems The Horses and The Thought Fox - Literature Essay Samples

In Hughes’s poetry, â€Å"racial memory, animal instinct and poetic imagination all flow into one another with an exact sensuousness† Seamus Heaney â€Å"The Horses† and â€Å"The Thought-Fox† are two of Hughes’s most powerfully symbolic poems, introducing the authors extensive examination of the rational actions of humans as compared to the instinctual actions of animals. It is true that the dominating impression that these poems leave with a reader is a sense of the vigor and frequently violent energies of both the non-human world and the inner world of man’s own emotions. To begin with, the very titles of both the poems deal with two different animals having various significant symbolic implications and connotations. It is very interesting to note that Hughes has chosen a Fox to illustrate his idea of creativity. Fox is a crafty animal, very mischievous, very slippery, not to be trapped or caught easily. Being a symbol of deception and cleverness, it would always try to hoodwink the hunters and other animals. It is somewhat subtle and elusive. Very intelligently, this image of Fox hints at the process of hitting upon an idea or getting a sudden interesting thought or more precisely, the art of creation of poetry which is also elusive and slippery in nature. Its just like, once an idea is conceived, the only way to preserve it is through capturing it on a piece of paper, otherwise there is a dire threat of it being slippery enough (exactly like a fox) to sneak out of the mind. On the other hand, horses in â€Å"The Horses† are the symbols of nat ural energy, potency and pro-creative power. The beginning lines of both the poems use the personal pronoun ‘I’ which refers to the narrator. The setting of both poems is indicated in the first lines which is ‘woods’ in â€Å"The Horses† and ‘forest’ in â€Å"The Thought-Fox.† We find another striking similarity between the odd timings which are mentioned in both poems. e.g. ‘hour-before-dawn’ in â€Å"The Horses† and ‘midnight’ in â€Å"The Thought-Fox.† We have very strong vibes of some impending threat in the very beginning of the poems where on one side the unfathomable fear of the â€Å"Evil air† and a â€Å"frost-making stillness† makes us freeze with alarm, the danger of â€Å"Something else† being â€Å"alive† in the other poem clutches the strings of our mind even more. We are shaken up in the very commencement of the poems, our senses seem to be all at work and we seem to be already startled with the underlying theme, the tone and the choice of words by the poet. From the beginning till the end, both poems have a proper sequence that takes the readers along like a roller coaster ride. As in â€Å"The Thought-Fox,† initially we find the lonely narrator with a blank page, who may be struggling to scribble something on it even though the page remains blank. This leads to the emergence of a vague figure in the next stanza, which takes some formation and is seen as the figure of a fox. It further takes a proper shape and finally, by the end, the page gets printed and the creation is complete. On the other hand, we see a sequence in â€Å"The Horses† as well. The poet starts like a journey during which the narrator comes across horses that are â€Å"making no sound†. He moves away from these horses and describes the external world and its environment with the same brilliance with which he described the horses. We see him returning to the horses by the end and the journey gets complete. It seems that both the poems are treated a s a very powerful lens of the camera which first shows the objects lying near but then focuses the far off images very clearly and then returns back to the close image again. In psychoanalytic terms, both poems can be interpreted in very interesting ways. â€Å"The Thought-Fox† may in a way represent a conflict between the Id and the Ego where the awake Ego is trying to compose a piece of writing while the passionate subconscious Id is constantly trying to overpower it, resulting in the triumph of the awake Ego in the form of the â€Å"printed page† by the end of the poem. However, in â€Å"The Horses† the â€Å"Huge in the dense grey† horses can be interpreted in various ways. Horses may represent the unconscious of a man which sometimes fall into a deep slumber just like these â€Å"Grey silent fragments† in the poem. They can also be considered the un-trodden corners of man’s mind which get stirred only very rarely. These very horses can also be taken as the symbolic fulfillment of wishes (in the form of Dreams) that have been repressed for a long time. These wishes come out in strange ways, cloaked or covered under the veils of some uncanny images. Considering the differences in the two poems, we come across various tiny details that very delicately separate the two poems in form, content and theme. While there is only one Fox in â€Å"The Thought-Fox† and â€Å"ten together’ horses in â€Å"The Horses†, still this one fox overpowers the ten horses in its sharpness and quick movements. We find ‘stillness’ and ‘silence’ in â€Å"The Horses† whereas â€Å"The Thought-Fox,† despite its loneliness of its narrator, is filled with sharpness and a lot of unstoppable movement. While we see many colors in â€Å"The Horses† like grey, orange, red and blue, â€Å"The Thought-Fox† on the other hand had only darkness and ‘A widening deepening greenness’. Yet, by the end, we have a strong feeling of ‘abundance’ as we can imagine almost anything and everything with the page being printed. In â€Å"The Horses†, there is ‘Not a lea f, not a bird’ while the narrator sees ‘no star’ in â€Å"The Thought-Fox†. Further we see a lot of juxtaposition of opposites in â€Å"The Horses† like ‘blackening’ and ‘brightening,’ ‘The frost’ showing ‘its fires’ etc but in the â€Å"The Thought-Fox† we see no combination of opposites on the surface level but the only juxtaposition we see in this poem is the contrast between the lonely atmosphere of the poem and the sharpness of the emerging fox. It is not a special concern for animals that seems to have drawn Hughes to write about them in these poems. It is surely something deeper than merely an ordinary concern for animals (which apparently could have resulted from his employment as the zoo-attendant). It is rather that he sees in them the clearest manifestation of a life-force that is distinctly non-human or, rather, is non-rational in its source of power. Hughes observes in modern man reluctance to acknowledge the deepest, instinctual sources of energy in his own being, an energy that is related to the ‘elemental power circuit’ of the universe and to which animals are closer than man.

Can I Attend College With A Criminal Record

The main aim of education is to foster equality and good citizenship. However, not at all times will everyone get to do a course that they desire or join a school of their choice. In such cases, many factors are prevalent like poor performance, lack of finances or criminal records.Many people tend to ask themselves many questions such as whether they can be able to join institutions of higher learning having criminal records. Well, that depends on how ready you are to persevere in order to achieve your goals irrespective of your past wrongdoings.This post vividly discusses what college degree felons should consider, potential careers, financial options and much more. The aim of the content is helping anyone with a past criminal record realize his or her dreams through a college education. College Degrees for People with Criminal Records Notably, joining a college is possible even with a criminal record. However, what matters most is your course selection in college. Your criminal history will naturally have an impact on your career. This calls for you to turn that challenge into an opportunity.You should take into account the probabilities of you being hired in the field you choose. The medical and psychological fields should be your last options. You are likely to face job discrimination in these areas, however, except becoming a substance and drug abuse counselor. How do you determine which college degree is best for you? The best way is to look at it from an employer's point of view. If you have criminal records on the theft of money, for example, accounting should not be your option. It is essential to recognize that you need to become a behind the scenes guy. For those with a violent history, companies might want to keep you at a distance with the customers.Fortunately, the field of engineering is very promising for former convicts. A degree in this area can secure you a place in the factories programming and be making robots instead of operating them in the field. You can be sure of a decent income with minimal discriminations. Currently, the demand for such experts is higher and the more you are educated, the more companies will want you to work with them.People convicted of driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated, which is a lesser offense to a felony, can follow them for up to ten years. Therefore, a job requiring much driving is not a viable option for them.For sexual and viol ent crime offenders, the education field may present hiring biases, especially when working with minors. Besides, some colleges have adopted strict hiring processes. A university or a post-secondary college may consider you if the incident took place over ten years ago. Additionally, more qualifications such as Ph.D. and prior teaching experience may come in as an added advantage.Getting a degree is the main thing to keep in mind. You just need to have a working plan and go steps further to asking companies what degrees would suit their future needs.The major go-for-it degrees are electronics, computer technology, art, graphic design, foods industry, law/legal studies, landscape architecture, language translator, and vocational fields such as mechanic, construction, and plumbing among others.Financial Options For Ex-con Students Having a criminal record will reduce your eligibility chances of some of the financial aids. Incarceration or any conviction will limit your eligibility for the federal student aid. Whether you are in a state or federal institution, you cannot get federal student loans or Federal Pell Grant. The same will apply if you are in a private college.For those on probation or parole, you are eligible for federal student aid. However, your eligibility may be limited if your conviction was for drug-related or sexual offenses.If your criminal record was on a forcible or non-forcible sexual offense, and you are subject to involuntary civil commitment, upon completion of the incarceration period for that offense, you cannot get a Federal Pell Grant.Resources for Students with a Criminal Record I. The National Transitional Jobs Network (NTJN) -This body is a national coalition dedicated to serving ex-cons. They do this through helping you face the barriers to unemployment success. They offer education supportive services and skill training to ex-cons. Additionally, they work with federal state, and city policy makers in an attempt to further advocacy and anti-poverty efforts.II. The National HIRE Network- Helping Individuals with Criminal Records is a national clearing house for helping people with criminal records. They do this by finding job opportunities and counseling ex-cons thereby increasing their employable skills. By doing more research, there are many more resources, which former convicts can use to pursue their goals.It is important to approach your college like someone who made mistakes and is learning from them. You do not need to run away from it or even lie about it. Face it in a positive manner for it to help you pursue your college education.Tips for fillin g out Applications Below are afew of the tips that will assist with your application, help you lead a normal college life and a successful after-school life.​A. Be Prepared - Prepare your mind well to be able to answer any questions about your past if the college asks you for an interview. Some positive things to stress are you understand your mistakes, and you have accepted responsibility, and most importantly, you have moved on. Put your conviction in a positive light and emphasize on your lessons from the incident.You would not want to present yourself in an awkward and suspicious condition. Pull yourself together to ensure you avoid giving irrelevant and contradicting information. Remember those who process college applications are elites.B. Own Up To it - Hiding from your past is the worst thing you can do to yourself. If you sweep it under the rug, the school might discover it, and that can ruin your admission chances.C. Align Your Learnings with College's Mission - Schools share many prin ciples. Some colleges highly value people with self-awareness. Understanding the school's policy will help you align your past with the principles. You would want to reflect on how your experiences made you a more self-aware person and how it has given you direction in life.D. College Application - Turning the application weaknesses to strengths is one of the best things you can do to ensure admission. This move is as counteractive as it sounds, but it is not easy.However, if you can be smart enough about it, you can leverage the wrongdoing as a life changing and a learning experience. The main agenda is to accept yourself while still showing the rest of the world that you are a corrected and changed being.Everybody knows that people make mistakes. Moreover, a majority of us can identify with a decent redemption story. If your application requires you to submit an essay, you would want to use it as an impetus. If you decide to do so, be truthful and make sure not to blame anybody; o n the contrary, own your mistakes.Before accepting applications, most colleges are currently opting to run criminal background checks on their applicants. Hence the need for ultimate honesty during your application process. Your college will not ignore your honesty. You need to earn their trust for the approval of your request. Besides, if they find out on themselves about your hidden past, your acceptance chances will reduce significantly.