Telegraph Wires

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfnC4i__02E
What is their
purpose?
What do we
associate with
these?

From what you already

What could they
know about Hughes, why
represent in a
do you think he wrote a
metaphorical
poem with this title?
sense?
The opening of the poem

How does the poem begin? What do we see here that we see
often in Ted Hughes’ poems?

Take telegraph wires, a lonely moor,

And fit them together. The thing comes alive in your ear.
Telegraph Wires
Let’s read through the
poem.
Thinking questions:
• As you listen, what stands out in terms
of the rhythm and sound of the poem?
How does it sound? What is the effect?
Link this to the role of telegraph wires.
• What is Hughes trying to suggest about
Telegraph Wires?
• What stands out about the last line?
Why? Compare this to line 2.
Take telegraph wires, a lonely moor,
And fit them together. The thing comes alive in your ear.
Towns whisper to towns over the heather.
But the wires cannot hide from the weather.
So oddly, so daintily made
It is picked up and played.
Such unearthly airs
The ear hears, and withers!
In the revolving ballroom of space,
Bowed over the moor, a bright face
Draws out of telegraph wires the tones
That empty human bones.
Big Ideas & Poet Intention
Can you find evidence for the following statements?
o This is a poem about loss.
• These wires may seem ever present and integral to
our lives, but they are not indestructible.
• They are inanimate but have the capacity to leave us
devastated and shaken.
• These wires represent both life and death.
• These wires have the ability to control our lives.
Take telegraph wires, a lonely moor,
And fit them together. The thing comes alive in your ear.
Towns whisper to towns over the heather.
But the wires cannot hide from the weather.
So oddly, so daintily made
It is picked up and played.
Such unearthly airs
The ear hears, and withers!
In the revolving ballroom of space,
Bowed over the moor, a bright face
Draws out of telegraph wires the tones
That empty human bones.
How can context help us?

This is from the collection ’Wolfwatching’. What

do we learn about this collection? What does it
reveal in terms of this poem?

Extension: this was published in 1989, At this

point, Hughes had experience a lot of loss in his
life. How might this have influenced his reasons
for writing this poem?
 Move around the room and write!
What does Hughes
want us to
understand? What is his
message?
Why did Hughes
choose to write
about telegraph
wires?
How has he
combined
communication
How does Hughes What personal issues
and death in this
subvert the role of may have influenced
poem?
telegraph wires? Hughes? How do you
Why? think he feels about
telegraph wires

Analysis
Why has Hughes used couplets in this
poem? What is the effect?
What is the effect of the sibilance in stanza 2? How
does this reflect the personification used?
Which words create a foreboding atmosphere?
What do these foreshadow?
What is the effect of consonance in lines 6 and 11?
Analyse one example of caesura.
Take telegraph wires, a lonely moor,
And fit them together. The thing comes alive in your ear.
Towns whisper to towns over the heather.
But the wires cannot hide from the weather.
So oddly, so daintily made
It is picked up and played.
Why is the word ‘unearthly’ used here?
Such unearthly airs
The ear hears, and withers!
In the revolving ballroom of space,
Bowed over the moor, a bright face
Draws out of telegraph wires the tones
That empty human bones.
In groups of 3, work through the
questions and add your analysis to
the poem in your booklet. Remember
to use your notes on the themes,
big ideas and poet intention to help
you develop your analysis.
How has personification been
used in stanza 1? Why?
What does the personification in line 4
suggest about the wires?
How has metaphor been used in stanza 5? How does this continue
into the final stanza? What does it suggest about the messages
delivered?
Why Has enjambement been used
here?
What is the effect of the rhyming
couplets? What quality does they add
to the poem?
End of lesson thinking question

What other elements of technology do you think we could look

at in the same way that Hughes considers telegraph wires?
How do they affect our lives - was this the intention?
Extension: how far have you progressed in terms of the
learning question?

Learning question:
What is Hughes trying to convey in this poem?