The Thought-Fox

Question 1

What are the themes?

Answer 1

Patience, Concentration, Instinct, Luck

Question 2

What is the structure?

Answer 2

The poem comprises six stanzas of four lines. There is no regular rhyme scheme, but consonant rhymes (scattered here and there). There is no set metre, but emjambment creates a rhythm that imitates the sinuous movement of of the fox.

Question 3

Describe the language and imagery

Answer 3

The poet uses singular first person ‘I’. The present tense gives us a sense of immediacy and excitement. The poet skillfully uses soft alliterative consonants (like ‘m’s in the first line and the hard ‘s’s and the ‘t’s in the last stanza). Carefully placed punctuation (the semi-colon in stanza one and two controls the place). The vivid image of the fox appearing in the final stanza is what makes the poem so memorable.

Question 4

What is the tone?

Answer 4

The physical setting of the poem in a dark forest and the slow revelation of the fox together create a tone of great suspense and mystery.