Pike by Ted Hughes

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COMMENT CLOSELY ON WAYS IN WHICH THE LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY OF THE FOLLOWING POEM PRESENT THE PIKE “Pike” by Ted Hughes is composed of eleven stanzas that tells the interlocking story of the type of fish ‘pike’ and what is assumed to be Hughes’ younger years and his fishing experiences. The pike is a large species of freshwater fish, natively found in North America and across Eurasia. There are five recognised species of this large predatory fish. Pike are most commonly found in large bodies of deep, slow-moving water such as lakes, rivers and occasionally in large streams. Pike inhabit areas where there is plenty of cover from the reeds, where they are able to lurk until dinner swims past. Pike are generally quite large in size, but it is the female pike that often become the largest predators within their environment. Pikes can range in size from just half a meter, to 1.8m in length depending on the species and the area which it inhabits. The grey-green scales of the pike give it perfect camouflage when it is hiding amongst the reeds. The pike is one of the most easily recognised fish in the world, mainly due to their elongated body shape and sharply pointed head. The teeth of the pike are one of it's most characteristic features as they are pointed and very sharp, to make catching prey more efficient. Pike is the centre focus point of the poem but the pike is actually used to disguise Ted Hughes’ actual childhood and memories. “Pike, three inches long, perfect.” The fact that Hughes is using a baby pike as the first imagery of the poem represents the fact that they are already beautiful from birth and there is nothing more that they needed to do in their life to improve as they are already at the top. He is also addressing the innocence of the Pike at birth, putting the fish in rather adorable light to the reader to begin with. The phrase “green tigering

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