Relic by Ted Hughes (Detailed commentary and analysis)

Detailed commentary and analysis by Claire's Notes of Relic by Ted Hughes
Cambridge iGCSE: Ted Hughes
"Relic" by Ted Hughes is a contemplative poem that examines the remnants of marine life found on a beach. The poet reflects on a jawbone of a shark, considering its role as a relic of death and the survival struggle in the ocean. Themes of mortality, the passage of time, and the relentless cycle of life and death are prominent. Hughes' stark imagery and reflective tone underscore the harsh realities of nature, portraying the ocean as a place of both life-giving and life-taking forces. The poem invites readers to ponder the impermanence of life and the enduring evidence of past existence.
Relic by Ted Hughes
I found this jawbone at the sea's edge:
There, crabs, dogfish, broken by the breakers or tossed
To flap for half an hour and turn to a crust
Continue the beginning. The deeps are cold:
In that darkness camaraderie does not hold.
Nothing touches but, clutching, devours. And the jaws,
Before they are satisfied or their stretched purpose
Slacken, go down jaws; go gnawn bare. Jaws
Eat and are finished and the jawbone comes to the beach:
This is the sea's achievement; with shells,
Vertebrae, claws, carapaces, skulls.
Time in the sea eats its tail, thrives, casts these
Indigestibles, the spars of purposes
That failed far from the surface. None grow rich
In the sea. This curved jawbone did not laugh
But gripped, gripped and is now a cenotaph.
My poetry videos all have the same structure: I start by putting the poem into its historical and biographical context where this enhances its understanding and give a short summary of the poem itself; I then look at the poem in its entirety, picking out structural features, such as metre (rhythm), any rhyming and patterns in language which the poet uses; I finish by going through the poem on a line-by-line basis, giving definitions of words and offering an interpretation of the poet’s words with justification. Most of the terminology I use (in green) is provided with a definition below, so even if you haven’t come across it before, you should still be able to understand the points I am making.
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I have been an English teacher and private tutor for more than 20 years.
Please note that any literature analysis is highly subjective and may disagree with analysis by another person. All interpretations are valid if they can be justified by reference to the text. This interpretation is my own: it is not exhaustive and there are alternatives!
Please leave any comments or questions below.

[@mar.conde13]

Hi! Have you analysed the poem “A Memory” by Ted Hughes? It is part of my IGCSE course and I could use your help. Thanks!!

[@ClairesNotes]

It's coming soon!

[@JulianLambert]

So helpful and interesting, thank you Claire

[@ClairesNotes]

Thank you!

[@sportsnation437]

Any predictions for Wjec unit 2 for English Literature of Inspector Calls and Heroes and the Unit 1 of mice and men . Thank you for reading

[@ClairesNotes]

I don't make predictions, I'm afraid. It's not an exact science and you never know what's going to come up. Look back at the past papers. Say there was a question on Mr Birling last year, it's unlikely (but not impossible!) that he'll come up again so soon. If I were you, I would identify what you think hasn't come up in a while and give that a bit of extra revision (rather than revising the others less). Hope that helps!