THL3703
PORTFOLIO EXAM 2025
UNIQUE NO. 754261
DUE DATE: 15 OCTOBER 2025
, Advanced Theory of Poetry (Theory of Literature)
The Interplay of Syntactic and Metaphorical Foregrounding in Ted Hughes’s
“Sketching a Thatcher”
1. Introduction
Ted Hughes’s “Sketching a Thatcher” presents the portrait of an aged thatcher whose
energy, resilience, and symbolic resonance transcend his physical craft. The poem
fuses syntactic foregrounding and metaphorical constructions to shape its meaning,
requiring readers to interpret beyond literal description. This paper argues that the
interplay between syntactic foregrounding (through deviation, parallelism, and extra
patterning) and metaphorical foregrounding (through arguments, focus expressions, and
tenor-vehicle relationships) transforms the Thatcher into a figure emblematic of
endurance, vitality, and survival against time. Drawing on Chapter 2 of the THL3703
study guide, the analysis demonstrates how Hughes’s syntactic structures intensify
metaphorical images, and how intra-textual relations create a coherent symbolic
portrait.
2. Theoretical Framework
2.1 Foregrounding in Poetic Language
Foregrounding is the stylistic principle whereby certain linguistic features are made
prominent through deviation from norms or extra patterning through repetition and
symmetry. In poetry, foregrounding not only attracts attention but also compels
interpretive work, deepening thematic resonance.
2.2 Metaphorical Language: Argument and Focus Expression
Metaphor involves mapping a vehicle (source domain) onto a tenor (target domain).
The argument is the subject under description (here, the Thatcher), while the focus
PORTFOLIO EXAM 2025
UNIQUE NO. 754261
DUE DATE: 15 OCTOBER 2025
, Advanced Theory of Poetry (Theory of Literature)
The Interplay of Syntactic and Metaphorical Foregrounding in Ted Hughes’s
“Sketching a Thatcher”
1. Introduction
Ted Hughes’s “Sketching a Thatcher” presents the portrait of an aged thatcher whose
energy, resilience, and symbolic resonance transcend his physical craft. The poem
fuses syntactic foregrounding and metaphorical constructions to shape its meaning,
requiring readers to interpret beyond literal description. This paper argues that the
interplay between syntactic foregrounding (through deviation, parallelism, and extra
patterning) and metaphorical foregrounding (through arguments, focus expressions, and
tenor-vehicle relationships) transforms the Thatcher into a figure emblematic of
endurance, vitality, and survival against time. Drawing on Chapter 2 of the THL3703
study guide, the analysis demonstrates how Hughes’s syntactic structures intensify
metaphorical images, and how intra-textual relations create a coherent symbolic
portrait.
2. Theoretical Framework
2.1 Foregrounding in Poetic Language
Foregrounding is the stylistic principle whereby certain linguistic features are made
prominent through deviation from norms or extra patterning through repetition and
symmetry. In poetry, foregrounding not only attracts attention but also compels
interpretive work, deepening thematic resonance.
2.2 Metaphorical Language: Argument and Focus Expression
Metaphor involves mapping a vehicle (source domain) onto a tenor (target domain).
The argument is the subject under description (here, the Thatcher), while the focus
