Ted Hughes - The Birthday Letters (3 Viewers)

[bell531]

Ted Hughes - The Birthday Letters

This is what we're doing as part of Module C: Representation and Text, from Elective 1: Conflicting Perspectives, though we're starting it later in the year. I have no idea what the poems are about or what they're like, and it seems pretty obscure. Is anyone else doing it?

Here's what the module is about, if anyone wants it:

Module C: Representation and Text


This module requires students to explore various representations of events, personalities or situations. They evaluate how medium of production, textual form, perspective and choice of language influence meaning. The study develops students’ understanding of the relationships between representation and meaning.

Each elective in this module requires the study of one prescribed text offering a representation of an event, personality or situation. Students are also required to supplement this study with texts of their own choosing which provide a variety of representations of that event, personality or situation. These texts are to be drawn from a variety of sources, in a range of genres and media.

Students explore the ways in which different media present information and ideas to understand how various textual forms and their media of production offer different versions and perspectives for a range of audiences and purposes.

Students develop a range of imaginative, interpretive and analytical compositions that relate to different forms and media of representation. These compositions may be realised in a variety of forms and media.

Also, the poster for the new Syllabus (found here http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/hsc_english_poster_09-12.pdf) says that the poems to be studied are "Fullbright Scholars", "The Shot", "The Minotaur", "Sam", "Your Paris" and "Red".

 

[alex.leon]

Did this module first term last year.
It was the funnest module i've done in ages. If you're doing Ted Hughes then the whole thing's based around the divorce of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and how their conflicting perspectives on their relationship and each other are shown through their poetry.

I loved it.

 

[bell531]

Did this module first term last year.
It was the funnest module i've done in ages. If you're doing Ted Hughes then the whole thing's based around the divorce of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and how their conflicting perspectives on their relationship and each other are shown through their poetry.

I loved it.

So can you give me a heads up? What were the better poems? Any shocking ones? And what was your assessment task? so I have an idea what we will be asked

 

[Rockyroad]

haha
we did conflicting perspectives including birthday letters 1st term - i loved it too - i alwasy find analysing poems easier than anything else.
My favourite poems were 'your paris' and 'the shot' and 'the minotaur' i hated 'red'.
your paris works really well for conflicting perspectives because within the poem there is the old hughes and the young hughes and his different opinions of his wife and how she really hid herself and he missed that.
umm... for related material -we did the Bill Henson controversy and the howard years and other stuff.
and it is helpful to develop a thesis for birthday letters - perhaps go to a hsc lecture on birthday letters - i did and i found it realy seful and it helped me find a thesis.

questions were vague and just what you could expect - stuff like - discuss how the idea of conflicting perspectives is shown through birthday letters usng two or more poems.
and i think we were asked to discuss what we thought his purpose of birthday letters was - eg to relay blame off himself etc.

 

[alex.leon]

So can you give me a heads up? What were the better poems? Any shocking ones? And what was your assessment task? so I have an idea what we will be asked

Sure! 'Your Paris' and 'The Minotaur' were my faves. I love Sylvia Plath though, think she's a legend, so i kind of loved all of sylvia's.

Well, we were asked to show the conflicting perspectives of Sylvia and Ted through their poetry. To be honest its quite easy- just find the differences!

It seems like a year away now!

 

[bell531]

Thanks, that was really helpful from both of you. I just didn't want to head into this topic not knowing anything about it, and I've found that other year 12's are the best to go to for the general ideas and opinions on the work that we're all currently doing.

and it is helpful to develop a thesis for birthday letters - perhaps go to a hsc lecture on birthday letters - i did and i found it realy seful and it helped me find a thesis.

Got any details? Where was it, and who was it hosted/presented by? Most importantly, will it be on again?

 

[Rockyroad]

Thanks, that was really helpful from both of you. I just didn't want to head into this topic not knowing anything about it, and I've found that other year 12's are the best to go to for the general ideas and opinions on the work that we're all currently doing.



Got any details? Where was it, and who was it hosted/presented by? Most importantly, will it be on again?

Sorry I don't really know. Our teacher gave us the info about it. It was at Wesley conference centre in Sydney - Pitt street. Maybe ask them if there will be another - i went to one on Pride and Prejudice and letters to Alice yesterday as well so they seem to be hosting them all the time, with lecturers from unsw and usyd etc. Maybe they will redo it - I don't know. Good luck. What topics have you already done?

 

[bell531]

Good luck. What topics have you already done?

We did Romulus last year, for Belonging, which althought is quite boring, it has some good content. I'm also just finishing up Blade Runner / Frankenstein, which is much more interesting and easy to talk about.

 

[alex.leon]

We did Romulus last year, for Belonging, which althought is quite boring, it has some good content. I'm also just finishing up Blade Runner / Frankenstein, which is much more interesting and easy to talk about.

I did some revision today on my Plath/Hughes notes for midyear exams, so thought i would try and help out a little more.

First of all, it's integral you discuss poetic techniques more than the finicky details of the story between Plath and Hughes. Their seperation, and her suicide is highly relevant, but you need to show HOW they conflict in their perspectives.

If possible, try and find some poems that are both linked to the same issue. ie. 'Pursuit' by Plath tells of how Hughes oppresses her through male domination --> violence etc.

This is completely contradicted by Hughes in 'The Minotaur', who swivels that idea around and points the finger at Sylvia, saying it was HER who was violent etc.

Try and contrast Plath and Hughes style as well. Plath uses extended metaphor, simile and lyricism lavishly. Hughes is very succinct, to-the-point and uses apostrophe (talking directly to the reader)

Remember, this isn't a detective case. You're not making judgements on either, and when it all boils down, your opinion isn't whats being assessed -it's your ability to extract and contrast (or compare) the poetic techniques, word choice and style of the poetry. If you are going to make certain assumptions, always back it up with textual evidence (that was my downfall! I got 19/20 for our assessment and one mark taken off for an unsupported conclusion!)

Hope i've helped

 

[bell531]

I did some revision today on my Plath/Hughes notes for midyear exams, so thought i would try and help out a little more.

First of all, it's integral you discuss poetic techniques more than the finicky details of the story between Plath and Hughes. Their seperation, and her suicide is highly relevant, but you need to show HOW they conflict in their perspectives.

If possible, try and find some poems that are both linked to the same issue. ie. 'Pursuit' by Plath tells of how Hughes oppresses her through male domination --> violence etc.

This is completely contradicted by Hughes in 'The Minotaur', who swivels that idea around and points the finger at Sylvia, saying it was HER who was violent etc.

Try and contrast Plath and Hughes style as well. Plath uses extended metaphor, simile and lyricism lavishly. Hughes is very succinct, to-the-point and uses apostrophe (talking directly to the reader)

Remember, this isn't a detective case. You're not making judgements on either, and when it all boils down, your opinion isn't whats being assessed -it's your ability to extract and contrast (or compare) the poetic techniques, word choice and style of the poetry. If you are going to make certain assumptions, always back it up with textual evidence (that was my downfall! I got 19/20 for our assessment and one mark taken off for an unsupported conclusion!)

Hope i've helped

Are you thinking of the wrong topics? Who are Plath and Hughes?

 

[jet]

Are you thinking of the wrong topics? Who are Plath and Hughes?

Ah, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes?

I did plath for extension 1, but we dont do hughes for advanced. I wish we did. I have read both, and you can really easily see why its part of the module.

Just read through some of Plath's stuff to give you some background.
Ted Hughes isnt that obscure. I got Birthday Letters at Dymocks in Parra, which is a feat for any book lol.

 

[Rockyroad]

Are you thinking of the wrong topics? Who are Plath and Hughes?

Umm.. Ted Hughes wrote Birthday Letters. Which is a collection of 'letters'/poems to his dead wife, Sylvia Plath. It's essential that you know a bit of their background before you discuss the purpose of Birthday Letters.
Plath was an intelligent ambitious young person. Her father died when she was about eight. Plath tried to kill herslef as a teen - took heaps of pills and hid under the house, lay there semi conscious for days until she was heard moaning and then discovered. She got a fulbright scholarship and went to uni - i forget what she studied - maybe literature. She eventually met Hughes at a party where she bit his cheek and he ripped off her ribbon. They got married and had three kids. He encouraged and mentored Plath's poetry writing. Bit of a mentor student relationship. Plath hated her mother. Hughes left her for another woman. SHe killed herself by putting her head in the oven while her 3 children were sleeping in the next room - she left them milk and bread. Hughes' next wife (Alessa Wevil or something) also killed herself - and killed their daughter at the same time by gas in the kitchen. Hughes was having an affair while he was with Wevil - a nurse who was much younger than him. He stayed with her till he died I think. Just beforehe died - he published birthday letters where he seems to be saying that he loved Plath but she destroyed herself and damaged HUghes in the process. He blames Plath herself and her father's death for Plath's suicide. Also - Hughes destroyed one of Plath's diaries after she died so her children wouldn't read it.

 

[bell531]

Are you thinking of the wrong topics? Who are Plath and Hughes?

Ah, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes?

Wow. I realised later, but I still can't believe that mistake of mine. In the thread that I made nonetheless.




Ridiculous embarassment aside, the help has been very good. Thanks to rockyroad as well, as the context is always helpful and it seems as though their relationship was very conflicting. Three wives including two suicides for Hughes - what was wrong with this man?

 

[Rockyroad]

Wow. I realised later, but I still can't believe that mistake of mine. In the thread that I made nonetheless.




Ridiculous embarassment aside, the help has been very good. Thanks to rockyroad as well, as the context is always helpful and it seems as though their relationship was very conflicting. Three wives including two suicides for Hughes - what was wrong with this man?

Ha ha. Best response I've ever heard to a mistake like that. Awesome. I know, two suicidal wives, it's hard to imagine he had nothing to do with it. I also hate the fact that he destroyed her diary - that is unforgivable - no one has the right to do that.

 

[roar84eighty]

If you're doing Ted Hughes then the whole thing's based around the divorce of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and how their conflicting perspectives on their relationship and each other are shown through their poetry.

Sounds fairly interesting, I might have a look at these poems in the holz.

 

[Munky-Narrabri]

jesus im doing this topic, and i hate it so much. i disliked plath from when we did her last year, as a lead up to TH. anyone know a website where all of the poems are listed, even better, a website where the poems are all there?

 

[tallicachild]

jesus im doing this topic, and i hate it so much. i disliked plath from when we did her last year, as a lead up to TH. anyone know a website where all of the poems are listed, even better, a website where the poems are all there?

Her poetry or his?
His poetry that you'll need is all in Birthday Letters which you should have a copy of if you're doing this topic?
If you search for certain poems of Plath's e.g. Daddy, Lady Lazarus etc, then they might be on the internet, but I doubt you'll find one website with all the poetry there because of copyright.

 

[tallicachild]

Did this module first term last year.

This might be a ridiculously stupid question, and I apologise if it is, but how did you do this module first term last year? Wasn't that yr 11?

 

[electrolysis]

Oo we're doing this as well, havnt started it yet, but it doesnt look interesting... no poetry is interesting lol...

 

[duckyness]

This might be a ridiculously stupid question, and I apologise if it is, but how did you do this module first term last year? Wasn't that yr 11?

I think they meant the first term of year12, which was the last term of last year