Technique/idea Key Quotes and analysis
Key themes: What does Passion A great deal of his poem takes part
this poem explore? Sin at ‘night’, a time known for being
Guilt quite sensual and lustrous.
Superstition The last line of the poem uses
religious language as atonement:
‘Bless me father I have sinned’.
The speaker tells the priest ‘It has
been an hour since my last
confession’ emphasising his guilt,
since he needs to confess hourly.
The ‘yields doubled’ once the
hireling came into the picture. Once
he is killed due to being a ‘warlock’,
the speaker blames his cattle’s
disease on being ‘elf-shot’.
Language: Any patterns Anthropomorphism The farmer’s cattle are
of language? Poetic Sensual imagery anthropomorphised to have ‘doted
techniques? Eg: similes, Juxtaposition on him’, showing the boy’s
metaphors, verbs, etc. Light and dark imagery connection to nature, which the
Devil imagery speaker severs by killing him.
Euphemism Sensual imagery with the simile ‘fat
Childlike imagery as cream’ creates an erotic tone,
implying the speaker’s desire.
The juxtaposition between ‘hunting’
and the speaker owning a docile
farm is a predatory image, showing
how he’s taunted by his split in
himself.
‘Dark lantern’ is oxymoronic, the
light and dark imagery is unsettling
and links to the term ‘deer in the
headlights’.
Devil imagery of ‘leather horns’ links
with the idea of homosexuality being
viewed as a sin. According to Ian
Duhig ‘the cow with leather horns’ is
equivalent to a hare with its tall
pointed ears, an idea drawn from
witchcraft. Duhig is referring to a
tradition he'd heard of where
witches were said to turn into hares.
At this point, the farmer knows he’s
encountered something
supernatural as if about to transition
into another form.
Comparison with the boy being like
a hare is continued with the
euphemism of ‘to go into a hare gets
you muckle sorrow’, suggesting that
Key themes: What does Passion A great deal of his poem takes part
this poem explore? Sin at ‘night’, a time known for being
Guilt quite sensual and lustrous.
Superstition The last line of the poem uses
religious language as atonement:
‘Bless me father I have sinned’.
The speaker tells the priest ‘It has
been an hour since my last
confession’ emphasising his guilt,
since he needs to confess hourly.
The ‘yields doubled’ once the
hireling came into the picture. Once
he is killed due to being a ‘warlock’,
the speaker blames his cattle’s
disease on being ‘elf-shot’.
Language: Any patterns Anthropomorphism The farmer’s cattle are
of language? Poetic Sensual imagery anthropomorphised to have ‘doted
techniques? Eg: similes, Juxtaposition on him’, showing the boy’s
metaphors, verbs, etc. Light and dark imagery connection to nature, which the
Devil imagery speaker severs by killing him.
Euphemism Sensual imagery with the simile ‘fat
Childlike imagery as cream’ creates an erotic tone,
implying the speaker’s desire.
The juxtaposition between ‘hunting’
and the speaker owning a docile
farm is a predatory image, showing
how he’s taunted by his split in
himself.
‘Dark lantern’ is oxymoronic, the
light and dark imagery is unsettling
and links to the term ‘deer in the
headlights’.
Devil imagery of ‘leather horns’ links
with the idea of homosexuality being
viewed as a sin. According to Ian
Duhig ‘the cow with leather horns’ is
equivalent to a hare with its tall
pointed ears, an idea drawn from
witchcraft. Duhig is referring to a
tradition he'd heard of where
witches were said to turn into hares.
At this point, the farmer knows he’s
encountered something
supernatural as if about to transition
into another form.
Comparison with the boy being like
a hare is continued with the
euphemism of ‘to go into a hare gets
you muckle sorrow’, suggesting that
