THL3703
PORTFOLIO
EXAM
Unique No: 754261
DUE: 15 October 2025
, THL3703 PORTFOLIO PAPER
The Interplay of Syntactic and Metaphorical Foregrounding in Shaping Poetic
Meaning: An Analysis of Ted Hughes' "Sketching a Thatcher"
Student Name:
Student Number:
Unique Number: 754261
Due Date: 15 October 2025
1 Introduction
Ted Hughes' "Sketching a Thatcher" presents a masterful example of how syntactic and
metaphorical foregrounding work in concert to create poetic meaning. The poem's
central argument emerges through the dynamic interaction between its unconventional
syntactic structures and its elaborate metaphorical constructions, which together
transform a simple portrait of an elderly craftsman into a profound meditation on human
vitality, natural harmony, and the essence of authentic labor. This paper will
demonstrate how Hughes employs syntactic foregrounding techniques including
fragmented syntax, enjambment, and parallel structures to enhance and direct the
reader's interpretation of the poem's complex metaphorical networks, particularly the
sustained animal imagery that positions the thatcher as a creature perfectly adapted to
his environment.
Through detailed textual analysis grounded in the theoretical framework of stylistic
analysis, this paper will trace how the poem's syntactic deviations and extra patterning
create interpretive spaces that the metaphorical language fills, generating meaning
through the intricate relationship between form and content. The analysis will focus on
how intra-textual relations between syntactic and metaphorical elements drive the
poem's thematic concerns with aging, energy, and the relationship between human craft
and natural processes.
1|Page
, 2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 Foregrounding as a Central Concept
Foregrounding functions as the primary mechanism through which poetic language
achieves its distinctive effects, operating through two complementary processes:
deviation from standard linguistic norms and the creation of extra patterning that draws
attention to specific textual elements. In "Sketching a Thatcher," foregrounding
manifests both through syntactic departures from conventional prose structures and
through the deliberate repetition and variation of metaphorical patterns that create
interpretive prominence.
Deviation occurs when the text violates expected linguistic conventions, forcing readers
to process language in new ways and thereby creating interpretive possibilities
unavailable in standard discourse. Extra patterning, conversely, involves the strategic
repetition of structural or semantic elements that establish internal relationships within
the text, creating networks of meaning that extend beyond individual linguistic units.
2.2 Framework for Metaphorical Analysis
The analysis of metaphorical language requires careful attention to the relationship
between arguments and focus expressions within metaphorical constructions. The
argument represents the primary subject being metaphorically described, while focus
expressions provide the specific qualities, actions, or characteristics that the metaphor
highlights or transfers from the vehicle domain to the tenor domain.
Tenor-vehicle relationships operate at both local and global levels within poetic texts.
Local relationships emerge from individual metaphorical constructions, while global
patterns develop through the accumulation and interaction of related metaphorical
elements throughout the poem. Focus expressions play a crucial role in specifying
these relationships, determining which aspects of the vehicle domain become salient for
understanding the tenor and guiding the reader's reconstruction of implicit metaphorical
connections.
2|Page
PORTFOLIO
EXAM
Unique No: 754261
DUE: 15 October 2025
, THL3703 PORTFOLIO PAPER
The Interplay of Syntactic and Metaphorical Foregrounding in Shaping Poetic
Meaning: An Analysis of Ted Hughes' "Sketching a Thatcher"
Student Name:
Student Number:
Unique Number: 754261
Due Date: 15 October 2025
1 Introduction
Ted Hughes' "Sketching a Thatcher" presents a masterful example of how syntactic and
metaphorical foregrounding work in concert to create poetic meaning. The poem's
central argument emerges through the dynamic interaction between its unconventional
syntactic structures and its elaborate metaphorical constructions, which together
transform a simple portrait of an elderly craftsman into a profound meditation on human
vitality, natural harmony, and the essence of authentic labor. This paper will
demonstrate how Hughes employs syntactic foregrounding techniques including
fragmented syntax, enjambment, and parallel structures to enhance and direct the
reader's interpretation of the poem's complex metaphorical networks, particularly the
sustained animal imagery that positions the thatcher as a creature perfectly adapted to
his environment.
Through detailed textual analysis grounded in the theoretical framework of stylistic
analysis, this paper will trace how the poem's syntactic deviations and extra patterning
create interpretive spaces that the metaphorical language fills, generating meaning
through the intricate relationship between form and content. The analysis will focus on
how intra-textual relations between syntactic and metaphorical elements drive the
poem's thematic concerns with aging, energy, and the relationship between human craft
and natural processes.
1|Page
, 2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 Foregrounding as a Central Concept
Foregrounding functions as the primary mechanism through which poetic language
achieves its distinctive effects, operating through two complementary processes:
deviation from standard linguistic norms and the creation of extra patterning that draws
attention to specific textual elements. In "Sketching a Thatcher," foregrounding
manifests both through syntactic departures from conventional prose structures and
through the deliberate repetition and variation of metaphorical patterns that create
interpretive prominence.
Deviation occurs when the text violates expected linguistic conventions, forcing readers
to process language in new ways and thereby creating interpretive possibilities
unavailable in standard discourse. Extra patterning, conversely, involves the strategic
repetition of structural or semantic elements that establish internal relationships within
the text, creating networks of meaning that extend beyond individual linguistic units.
2.2 Framework for Metaphorical Analysis
The analysis of metaphorical language requires careful attention to the relationship
between arguments and focus expressions within metaphorical constructions. The
argument represents the primary subject being metaphorically described, while focus
expressions provide the specific qualities, actions, or characteristics that the metaphor
highlights or transfers from the vehicle domain to the tenor domain.
Tenor-vehicle relationships operate at both local and global levels within poetic texts.
Local relationships emerge from individual metaphorical constructions, while global
patterns develop through the accumulation and interaction of related metaphorical
elements throughout the poem. Focus expressions play a crucial role in specifying
these relationships, determining which aspects of the vehicle domain become salient for
understanding the tenor and guiding the reader's reconstruction of implicit metaphorical
connections.
2|Page
