Fulbright Scholars by Mel Mc Guinness

Subject Matter
This poem is the first in a chronological selection from Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes. It is a
representation of his first sighting of the other person addressed in the poem. It explores the poets
first sighting of Sylvia Plath in a photograph on a nespaper stand at the Strand.
!hile al"ing on a hot summers day# the spea"er passes a nes stand displaying the nespaper of
the day. He notices the picture of the $ulbright Scholars ho ere the inta"e for that year. The
assumption in this poem is that Sylvia Plath as one of the students represented in that photograph.
The poem explores Hughess memories and reminiscence about that day. In the poem the spea"er
dras on both memory and hindsight. This creates a tension ithin the poem# beteen hat he
remembers and hat he has since learned. $or this reason there are conflicting perspectives ithin
this poem. Hoever# one must remember that the poem is merely HIS perspective# his
interpretation# his perception of the events of that day and conse%uently & as inferred ithin the
poem'of their lives together. $or this reason it is sub(ective.
The spea"er evo"es memories of his thoughts and feelings on this occasion. He remembers some of
Plaths physical attributes li"e )*our +eronica La"e bang, and )your grin,. He is not alays
complimentary in his observations# and at times employs sarcasm and disdain# by ay of high
modality )exaggerated,.
Later in the poem# he remembers buying a peach from a stall near -haring -ross Station. The peach
ta"es on a metaphoric significance ithin the context of the poem.
It must be noted that the poem is set not long after !orld !ar II. The peach therefore also has
significance in that luxuries li"e fruit had started to become available after the ar.
The last four lines are very rich in meaning as they operate on more levels than merely the literal.
In a literal sense# not a great deal happens ithin this poem. Hoever# there is a deeper level of
meaning hich re%uires some contextual "noledge of Birthday Letters.
Analysis
The poem opens ith a rhetorical %uestion hich sets up the tension beteen the conflicting
perspectives of his memories and his hindsight. It is dominated by a tone of %uestioning and
uncertainty made evident through the repeated use of rhetorical %uestions and the oft used ord
.maybe. /ven the line )$or some reason0, evo"es a feeling of uncertainty. This is compounded
by the repetitive use of the ord .or hich is used to mean .perhaps# not to mean an alternative
choice.

It reads li"e a monologue and ma"es fre%uent use of personal pronouns hich again conveys a
sense of sub(ectivity or personal perspective. There is the obvious contrast of )I, and )you, ithin
the poem hich evo"es the ever'present debate about their different perspectives on their
relationship and the perspectives of so many others# to date. This tension beteen the to is evident
in the )!ere you among them1 I studied it0,.
The poem moves through a (ourney from innocence to experience# from being alone to being
.dumbfounded. It is noticeable that the spea"er remembers some aspects of this experience very
clearly# )2oted your long hair0, and yet there is uncertainty about other aspects of the event# )I
remember that thought. 2ot *our face., $rom this e can assume that Sylvia Plath definitely as in
the photograph and that he did indeed notice her. The use of the ord )2oted, has different
connotations to the ord .noticed. In other ords he made a point of remembering these
characteristics# vi3. her long avy hair. 4lmost in the same breath he states that he noted the .bang
and then goes on to state# )2ot hat it hid,. This implies that she has a secret. It as a case of the
obvious concealing the less obvious. He "nos this ith the benefit of hindsight.
This is further compounded by the use of the ord )appear, in the line )It ould appear blond,.
This raises the notion of appearance versus reality' or indeed the idea of perspective.
The reference to )*our +eronica La"e bang, is loaded ith meaning. +eronica La"e as "non for
assuming the roles of a femme fatale. This leads us to %uestion hether Hughes is implying that
Plath as his indeed his personal femme fatale. He furthermore suggests that this )bang, as
hiding aspects of her character' that this representation of her as duplicitous.
In the folloing lines he alludes to her problems# implying that her grin as fa"e and held a
purpose of its on. It as there for the )cameras# the (udges# the strangers# the frighteners,. Is the
)frighteners, an allusion to the )demons that haunted Plath1
The line )Then I forgot. *et I remember5The picture06 ma"es (udicious use of (uxtaposition of the
to ideas of forget and remember. It is not clear hat exactly he forgot. Hoever# the en(ambment
of the folloing lines ma"es it clear that he remembers the picture but not necessarily all the details
of the occasion.
Hughes employs a pun# through the use of the )luggage,. This implies that the $ulbright scholars#
esp. Plath# ere carrying more thatn (ust the usual luggage. That as in the case of Plath# there as
emotional luggage as ell. )It seems unli"ely#,hints at the incredulity if the idea that these aarded
scholars ould have emotional luggage. 72 a literal level# it implies that it is unli"ely that the
photograph ould have included their luggage alongside them.
In the final section of the poem Hughes uses alliteration in ),sore'footed# under hot sun# hot
pavements,. This evo"es the.s sound hich is reminiscent of a burning sensation. This evo"es a
sense of discomfort in the poem. This is folloed by a %uestion then a statement# )Thats as I
remember,. The combination of the to alongside each other leaves the reader ith a feeling of
uncertainty and doubt about ho sure he really is. !e %uestion ho much is perspective and ho
much is con(ecture.
The image of the peach hints at the idea in 8enesis a"a as 4dams apple# or the fall of man. These
lines lead us to believe that Hughess interest in Plath as spar"ed by this picture and in hindsight
he no recognises this as the moment hich led to his subse%uent strife.
Structurally the piece consists only of one stan3a. It is a monologue hich mimics Plaths
confessional style of poetry.