Chaucer’s Prioress: Idealism Vs. Reality

The concept of a voyage can help us to understand ourselves better and our environment. In examining journeys, we can see that life is unpredictable. This makes it important to appreciate the small things in our lives that are often taken for granted. Ted Hughes illustrates in his ‘Birthday Letters’the fluctuating, unpredictable, and unpredictable nature of journeys. Robert Frost’s poem “Out, Out” supports this view and expresses how insignificant life is. The two texts I have read have made me realize how unpredictable and unexpected journeys are. The little things will bring us luck if you appreciate them and are grateful for them. Ted Hughes’ poems “Red” and “Daffodils”, which symbolically describe his emotional journey with Plath, express this.

Hughes uses inclusive language to recall fond memories from their early marriage. This reinforces the bond they shared. The tone of the text suddenly changes to ‘She can’t even remember you.’ This abusive tone, combined with the change from the first person to the second, contrasts effectively with the beginning and represents their struggle with Plath’s illness. Hughes’ poem uses daffodils to symbolize their relationship. Hughes makes them seem like they are suffering. The daffodils are personified to convey a sense of uncertainty and unease. “Among the soft shrieks/Of their girlish dance-frocks/Fresh-opened dragonflies”, he says. Hughes’s uncertainty and concern about his relationship with Plath is evident in this passage. This culminated in Hughes realising that, just like the blooms, their marriage had ‘opened too early’, which expressed his regret for the loss of passion and warmth in the relationship.

Hughes shows us that life is often unpredictable and fluctuating. To avoid experiencing the same anguish as Hughes, it’s important to embrace the joyous moments. In the last poem, “Red”, of ‘Birthday Letters,’ Hughes further conveys their tragic end and Plath’s crippling mental illness. Hughes uses vivid descriptive language to metaphorically cover Plath with the colour red: ‘But Red/ Was What You Wrapped Around You’. Hughes uses symbolism to depict Plath’s suffering that she has caused herself and to express his hatred towards her. Hughes uses the colour blue as a symbol to show Plath’s maternal qualities and grace. Hughes, who displays Plath’s qualities, is bitter. “But the blue jewel you lost” is a reminder that he is disappointed in Plath for not being able to overcome the illness despite motherhood. Hughes shows his mistake in taking for granted the happiness he had with his wife and gives us a lesson on appreciating small things. This poem reminds the reader that our journeys continue, as we continually yearn to experience past events. Hughes shows, in the end, that journeys can help us understand our lives and also develop intuition.

The fragility and the shortness of the life can be brought to light by examining journeys. Robert Frost’s ‘Out, Out,’ is a powerful poem that shows just how short and meaningless our lives are. The title of this poem is an reference to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth reveals, “Out-out, brief candle!” when he hears about Lady Macbeth’s passing. The reference to Shakespeare’s Macbeth also shows how small our lives really are. This is shown again by the tone used at the end, when those bystanders “went back to their business” who are unaffected by the death. Bystanders almost seeming to forget the death of the boy, demonstrate the meaninglessness of life. Frost creates in his poem a serene and harmonious scene “Five Mountain Ranges One Behind the Other/ Under the Sunset Far into Vermont.” He then interrupts this tranquil image by personifying the buzzsaw, which “snarled & rattled snarled & rattled”.

Frost shows us how quickly something calm can be thrown into chaos, and the boy loses his life. It is through this recognition of the minuscule nature of life that we learn to value it. Frost conveys Frost’s boy’s newfound understanding and horror at the fragility and fragility of life through evocative metaphors and imagery. The boy is unable to believe that such a simple action can save his life. It shows how easily something innocent can become corrupted. Our lives are precious because of that. Frost stresses that we should make the best of every moment. It is also shown how unpredictable and ferocious travel can be. It is important to value your life because it can be more fragile and vulnerable than you think.

We can’t predict the outcome of a trip. These experiences can make us appreciate what is happening in our lives. Hughes’ Red’, Daffodils, and Frost Out, Out, made me realize the importance to not take anything for granted. The authors of both texts explained how fragile life is. As I analysed journeys, it became clear to me how insightful they could be for a greater understanding of human complexity. Recent experiences have shown how journeys challenge, inspire and force us to rethink the assumptions we hold about life.