Poem: The Laburnum Top VOCABULARY Laburnum: The Golden Chain tree.

A commonly found tree with golden flowers that hang in bunches. Laburnum Top: The top of the laburnum tree - its highest branches Goldfinch: Wild canary. A small, yellow bird. The male of the species has black markings across the face, on the wings and tail. Twitch: Small, often involuntary movement of a body part Chirrup: An onomatopoeic word capturing the sound made by a bird Startlement: Amazement, a sudden unexpected action which causes surprise Sleek: Smooth. In the context of the poem, it could imply a quick movement without much disruption. Abrupt: Sudden or unexpected Chittering: An onomatopoeic word capturing bird sounds Tremor: Shiver, shake

Trillings: Singing repeatedly. In the context of the poem, an onomatopoeic word, capturing bird sounds. Stokes: Adds fuel. In the context of the poem, the goldfinch feeds its family, providing the fuel (nutrition) that the machine (the bird's family) needs to be energetic Flirts: In the context of the poem, move abruptly or jerkily with light steps Eerie: Strange in a frightening or mysterious way Infinite: In the context of the poem, the sky Launches: In the context of the poem, flies Subsides: Returns, reduces in intensity

THE THREE LEVELS OF 'LABURNUM TOP': The literal, connotative and the autobiographical

THE LITERAL MEANING

In nature poetry, the focus is on the magnificence of nature either in terms of its beauty or its violent self. Ted Hughes was inspired by the Romantic pro-nature poet William Blake, John Donne - the man who used nature defiantly, Hopkins who amalgamated traditional verse with innovative imagery and T.S. Eliot for whom an evening sky was similar to a patient etherised upon a table. Thus, for Ted Hughes, nature held a magnanimous cache of meaning to human life.

Similarly, the literal interpretation of the poem 'Laburnum Top' presents a complimentary relationship between the goldfinch and the laburnum tree. The goldfinch, aka wild canary, builds its nest on the highest branches of the Laburnum Tree. Hence, the poem is titled, 'Laburnum Top'. Also known as the 'golden chain tree', the golden flowers are a perfect camouflage for the bright yellow goldfinch. Autumn lends a yellow colour to the leaves too. At the beginning of the poem, one September afternoon, the top of the laburnum tree stands silent and still. The poet uses alliteration and personification (The laburnum top is 'silent'). The leaves are turning yellow in autumn and the seeds have already fallen. The arrival of the goldfinch is sleek, smooth, alert and abrupt (assonance) like a lizard (simile). It quickly enters the dense foliage and it seems that a machine that had lain dormant till then, awakens. The tree has been compared to a machine (metaphor). The bird's family, quiet thus far in the absence of the goldfinch, begin to chirrup (onomatopoeia) and twitch and generally create commotion. The tree seems to have come alive as it seems to tremble and thrill (alliteration and personification) with the movement of the bird and its family. The birds thus are the engine (metaphor) of the machine - the laburnum tree. The goldfinch stokes this engine by feeding its family (stoking = feeding = adding fuel to an engine). Once they have been fed, the goldfinch moves to the end of a branch peeping out such that only its face is visible in the yellowness of the tree. The face has black markings which make it seem like the bird is wearing a mask. This mask and the strange, uncanny whistle chirrup she emits is like a warning to any predators who wish to harm its children and on that note, she flies away into the vast infinite sky leaving the tree empty and once again, silent as it was. __________________________________________________________________

GOING BEYOND THE WRITTEN WORD

Ted Hughes uses a technique called 'Animal Symbolism'. This is a poetic technique where animals are used as symbols of something entirely different and figuratively, much larger. The gold finch has been interpreted by scholars as symbolic of the industrial revolution and/or his wife Sylvia.

METAPHORICAL / CONNOTATIVE MEANING: ANIMAL SYMBOLISM

Using animal symbolism (explained earlier), the goldfinch of the laburnum top, may be seen to represent the industrial revolution. Ted Hughes wrote actively from 1954 to 1970 although a few poems did get published after this period and even posthumously. The first industrial revolution began in 1750, however, it was the second industrial revolution beginning around 1850 which gradually large scale industrialisation. England's economy and environment were altered completely and in literature, poets and authors attempted to draw man's attention back to nature. People lost jobs because machines could perform the task of ten men at once. People lost faith because somehow religion could not explain the fall of the aristocracy or the loss of livelihood of the common man. A middle class arose which quickly gained power and momentum in society. Poets who wrote extensively reflecting their artistic hostility towards industrialisation by highlighting the power and beauty of nature over man-made creations, were called the Romantics. The movement was termed Romanticism. William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Lord Byron and P B Shelly were the main proponents of this movement. Inspired by Blake, Donne, Hopkins and Eliot each of whom had their own ways of immortalising nature, Ted Hughes chose to be a nature poet as well. By the time Ted Hughes wrote 'Laburnum Top', industrial revolution had taken England by storm and was a part-and-parcel of everyday life. Hence it is no surprise that like Eliot, Ted Hughes refers to industrial terms, (for instance, 'machine', 'engine', 'stokes it full') in his poetry for expansion of meaning. However, as his other inspirations, he keeps the focus of the poem on nature and its beauty.

For the Laburnum Top,scholars have interpreted the goldfinch as a symbol of industrial revolution which entered rural, calm and serene England and quickly brought thrill and excitement. However, the poet seems to claim that this revolution hid its true face behind a mask and when one looked beyond the mask or when the initial impact of the revolution phased out, England was left emptier than ever before. He might be referring here to the collapse of faith, rural serenity, human employment opportunities and the pious environment.

THE PERSONAL/AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ASPECT - HUGHES PLATH RELATIONSHIP

On February 26, 1954 Ted Hughes met Sylvia Plath. They were married four months later on June 16, 1956 and separated after seven years, in 1962. A year later on February 11, 1963, clinically depressed with a history of attempts to end her life, Sylvia Plath committed suicide. Ted Hughes' affair with Assia Wevill was touted as the major cause of the separation. Six years later, Assia committed suicide in the exact same way as Plath. Assia also took the life of her and Hughes' four year old daughter, Shura.

These events led feminists and the general public to assume and accuse Ted Hughes of having been abusive to both Sylvia, Assia and his daughter. Ted Hughes got further criticism for having destroyed the final volume of Sylvia's journal which could have explained the reasons for her death. He stated that he had destroyed the journal for the sake of Sylvia and his children. Their son, Nicholas Hughes too committed suicide in 2009 after battling depression. Often, a poet's works can be read as reflections of his internal thoughts. Ted's poems are rooted in nature, a juxtaposition the beauty and violence so evident in the 'survival of the fittest' norm of nature. A school of thought interprets 'Laburnum Top' as Ted Hughes' reflection on his relationship with Sylvia. She was the goldfinch who entered his life smooth and abrupt, leading to thrill and excitement. She eventually revealed her barred face mask that hid her true self and in her death, he was left emptier than ever before, spiritually lifeless. Ted Hughes maintained silence over the accusations and eventually, published 'Birthday Letters', a collection of poems which were a continued conversation with Sylvia detailing the events of their life together. In October 2010, twelve years after Hughes' death, the last poem of the series 'Birthday Letters' was discovered which Ted had not sent for publication earlier. Following is the last stanza from this poem titled 'Last Letter'