Horses Poem †Edwin Muir Essay

â€Å"Horses† Edwin Muir in First Poems, 1925 Notes Compiled and Edited by RI First Reading †¢ The sight of horses now, in the present, leads the  speaker to consider his feelings towards horses  when he was a child: ‘Perhaps some childish hour  has come again’. †¢ Main focus: – The various descriptions of horses and the speaker’s feelings towards the horses – An other-worldliness about them, something magical – Admiration and fear are mixed – A clear Romantic feel about the poem: e.g. ‘And oh the rapture†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Stanza 1 †¢ ‘lumbering’ gives the impression that the  horses are moving in a slow, heavy and  awkward way Stanza 2 †¢ Pistons in the machines in an ancient mill are  used to describe the movement of the horses’  hooves as the child ‘watched fearful’ †¢ The use of imagery drawn from the early  industrial age is interesting in what it tells us  about the child’s fear Stanza 3 †¢ The word ‘conquering’ suggests a reference to  an even earlier age †¢ The word ‘ritual’ and the descriptions  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœseraphim of gold’ and ‘ecstatic monsters’ hint  at something pagan or pre-historic Stanza 4 †¢ The ‘rapture’ conveys a Romantic sense of  worshipping these natural creatures: see lines 2–4 Stanza 5 †¢ ‘glowing with mysterious fire’ links with the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmagic power’, which describes the horses he  sees in the present day (in the first stanza) Stanza 6 †¢ The powerful force of the horses is captured in  the eyes gleaming with a ‘cruel apocalyptic  light’ †¢ The religious imagery follows on from the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœstruggling snakes’ of stanza 5 Stanza 7 †¢ The repetition of ‘it fades’ suggests loss,  straightforwardly the fading of his memory †¢ ‘Pine’ means to feel a lingering, often nostalgic desire Exercises †¢ To assist a closer reading of the poem as a whole Stanza 1 †¢ Task 1 – Look up the meaning of ‘lumbering’ and then consider the way it contrasts with the description in lines 3 – 4 Stanza 1 †¢ Task 2 – Look closely at the meanings of ‘terrible’, ‘wild’ and ‘strange’ – These are of course words common in everyday  usage, but precise dictionary definitions of these  words might yield unexpected and original ideas – Note that the horses are ‘lumbering’, whilst the  plough is ‘steady’ Stanza 2 †¢ Check that you have understood the shift in  time. †¢ The rest of the poem deals with the speaker’s  recollection of his feelings as a child. †¢ What impression do you feel is created by the  simile of the ‘pistons’? Stanza 3 †¢ The references in this stanza are to a preindustrial age. †¢ Consider the effects of these words: ‘conquering hooves’, ‘ritual’, ‘seraphim of gold’ and ‘mute ecstatic monsters’. †¢ You should consult a dictionary where appropriate. Stanzas 4 and 5 †¢ What do you make of the tone in stanza four? †¢ Explore the words used to describe the horses,  and to consider what they reveal about the  speaker’s attitude? †¢ What contrast is signalled by the use of ‘But when  at dusk†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ at the beginning of stanza five? †¢ What do you make of ‘mysterious fire’ here and  the ‘magic power’ attributed to the present-day  horses in stanza one? Stanza 6 †¢ Analyse the effectiveness of the imagery: the ‘cruel apocalyptic light’ of their eyes and the personification of the wind. Stanza 7 †¢ Before considering the final stanza and reaching a judgement about its effectiveness, you might read the whole poem (perhaps working in pairs). †¢ Having studied closely the previous stanzas, how do you now feel that the final stanza should be spoken? †¢ How does the tone here differ from the tone in other parts of the poem? Activities †¢ In order focus on the sounds of the poem, you might in pairs or small groups practise reading the poem aloud. †¢ Try to capture a suitable voice for the speaker as you read, and vary the tone as appropriate. †¢ Finally, annotate a copy of the poem, indicating briefly the effects created by imagery and sound devices †¢ Select an example of a device used in a particularly striking or vivid way; explain what it is that makes it striking for you. Thematic links with set poems †¢ Nature: Pied Beauty, Hunting Snake, Pike, The Woodspurge, Upon Westminster Bridge, Summer Farm †¢ Time: A Different History, The Cockroach, The City Planners, The Planners Summary †¢ Past memories †¢ Surpassing reality †¢ The poet reminiscing one of his childhood memories: – Horses ploughing during a rainy day Power of Nature †¢ Expression of the power of nature †¢ Language techniques – Simile – The â€Å"mechanical† metaphor – Oxymoron – Negative connotations Vocabulary of nature †¢ Horses †¢ Field †¢ Blackening rain †¢ Hooves †¢ Stubble †¢ Hulks †¢ Monsters †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Sun Light Bossy sides Flakes Snakes Dusk Gloam †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Fire Bodies Mire Eyes Night Manes Wind Country Tree Figurative Language †¢ Similes – Hooves †¢ ‘like pistons in an ancient mill’ – Image:  » Their hooves are like machines  » They keep on moving up and down, ploughing the whole field †¢ Struggling snakes – Snake-like furrows – Prepares us for the biblical imagery  » ‘cruel apocalyptic light’ †¢ Eyes – As brilliant and as wide as night Personification †¢ Wind Their manes the leaping ire of the wind Lifted with rage invisible and blind †¢ Dusk †¢ The broad-breasted horses in the light of the setting sun †¢ The light coming off of their bodies in flakes †¢ The steaming nostrils †¢ Their warm, gigantic bodies glowing with mysterious fire †¢ The smouldering heat of their bodies in the cold mud †¢ Metaphors – â€Å"Conquering† – â€Å"Great hulks† †¢ Mechanical †¢ Industrial age †¢ Comparing a horse’s power to that of an engine – E.g. car engine – Reader can visualize and sense the physical power of the animal – Powerful image of the horses – Appreciation of the beauty of the powerful force of the horses †¢ Oxymoron – Horses described as ‘mute ecstatic monsters on the mould’ – Horses being presented as ‘terrible, so wild and strange’, yet with ‘magical power’ – Leading the reader to ponder the poet’s message: †¢ The idea of nature fading away and life becoming mechanical – Followed by the disclosure of his dislike of modernisation †¢ Negative connotations – Dark side and despair †¢ Through negative connotations – The â€Å"smouldering† bodies of the horses  » Their eyes gleaming with a â€Å"cruel apocalyptic light† †¢ Here the poet expresses his emotions towards the arrival of evil, or apocalypse and his world turning dark The right words †¢ First half of the poem – Words like â€Å"seraphim† and â€Å"gold† †¢ Emphasis on strong presence and value in nature †¢ End of the poem – â€Å"black field† and â€Å"still-standing tree† †¢ The poet introduces a dark, sad tone – As he expresses his realisation  » faded nature  » loss of its presence Conclusion †¢ Memory – Struggle †¢ Light and darkness †¢ Symbolic – Expresses aspects of nature †¢ Wildness †¢ Innocence