Essay Questions

Why does the narrator of “The Warm and the Cold” personify the moon as a female being?

In this poem, the narrator analyzes the desperation of the moon—an icy-cold piece of rock that floats through the cold and bleak winds of space. Though the moon is often revered in poetic literature and is painted in an almost romantic light, Hughes focuses on the loneliness of the moon and the tremendous amount of control it has over basic earthly processes on our planet—including the winds and tides. As the moon may be a metaphor for loneliness and bitterness, it is possible that the narrator chose to personify the moon as a female character because women are often stereotyped as having more pronounced emotions than men. As the moon in this poem is portrayed as an inherently emotional being, the narrator may have felt that the moon was best personified as a female character.

How can “Earth-Moon” be interpreted as a metaphor?

In this poem, the Earth and the Moon are metaphorical representations of two different humans. Much like the Moon relies upon the Earth, and vice versa, these two characters—personified through the Moon and the Earth—also rely upon each other. Ultimately, however, the Earth betrays the Moon by attacking it, deflating it, and ultimately killing it. Once the Moon has disappeared for good, the Earth realizes how dark and bleak the night sky is without its light. The Earth is forced to reflect upon its betrayal and this character comes to realize the full breadth of its mistake. These two characters are representative of a real-world relationship, wherein one person—the Earth—betrays another—the Moon. When the betrayed person is forced to abdicate themselves from the life of the betrayer, the betrayer realizes how lonely and bleak their life has become.

Why does Hughes use the repeated declaration of “Death” at the end of each statement in “Examination at the Womb-Door”?

The title of this poem is very telling and can shed some light on Hughes’ decision to conclude each sentence/statement with a declaration of death. Hughes suggests that—from the moment we are born at “womb’s door”—we are on the path to death. The narrator suggests that Death is the true keeper of our bodies, including our lungs, muscles, guts, and brains. In this way, Hughes suggests that birth is not ultimate life-giver. Death is the true ruler of our lives, for it will ultimately determine when our lives come to a close. In this way, it can be assumed that Hughes’ repeated use of the word “Death” is an intentional literary decision, meant to establish Death as the true ruler of our lives. Life is short, and we are always drawing nearer to Death’s door. We therefore owe every living and waking moment to Death, for each moment lived is a moment we have been spared from death.