Nature
As in most poetry, nature is a common theme among Hughes' poems. He seems to dedicate much of his time to observing the quiet business of the natural world. He writes about flora and fauna indiscriminately. His nature references seem to carry no significance beyond the observable, which means they are not being included symbolically. For instance, the jaguar in the cage who paces back and forth furiously is depicted as a nervous, excitable animal compared to the rest in the zoo, but he is still just a beast. The poem does not mean to teach people about people unless they see themselves reflected in the jaguar's nervous temperament. For his part, however, Hughes is just pointing out how the jaguar instinctively behaves.
Contrast
Much of Hughes' poetic genius comes from his uncanny ability to identify contrasting elements. Just like light and dark, as opposites, create a contrast of illumination and darkness, many other observable elements of the universe manifest in these conflicting natures. This applies to all of Hughes' poems. For example, in "The Leopard" he writes about the dramatic difference between the behavior of the jaguar and the other animals in the zoo. Whereas the others sleep peacefully, the jaguar can be seen pacing his cage aggressively. Both energies are natural to the animal kingdom, but they are in perfect contrast to one another. One is the action of peace or innocence and the other of anger and violence. Another example is found in "The Drowned Woman" in which the prostitute's conspicuous stroll through the park is contrasted against the innocent play of the children. The two parties have no association with one another, but Hughes has placed them in conversation with one another simply by observing how different they are.
Misogyny
Hughes seems to put forth a low perception of women in his writing. If he includes female characters, they are almost exclusively women of ill repute. Although he does not speak disrespectfully of the women, Hughes does not speak highly of them either. They are reduced to their profession, considered undesirable. For all their beauty, these women are treated like pariahs. They are not respected nor welcome wherever they wander. This may not have been Hughes intention, but he does strictly mention prostitutes in his works instead of women of any other line of life.
