parenthood and childhood

📌 Plath – Morning Song vs. Hughes – Full Moon and Little Frieda 📌 Plath – Morning Song

Quote: “Love set you going like a fat _____ watch.”

The baby is likened to a “fat gold watch,” suggesting both _____ and inevitability. The ticking watch metaphor underscores time’s relentless _____, linking birth to a countdown of _____. This contrasts with Hughes’ Full Moon and Little Frieda, where the child’s _____ at nature is emphasized over the burdens of parenthood, making his perspective more _____ and celebratory of the child's _____, rather than the weight of responsibility.

gold, preciousness, movement, responsibilities, wonder, detached, innocence

📌 Plath – Morning Song vs. Hughes – Full Moon and Little Frieda 📌 Hughes – Full Moon and Little Frieda

Quote: “A spider’s _____, tense for the dew’s _____.”

The delicate web, “tense for the dew’s touch,” mirrors the fragile, heightened _____ of a child seeing the world anew. This imagery conveys a sense of _____, tension, and anticipation, emphasizing the child’s _____ perspective. Unlike Plath, who focuses on the _____ of motherhood and the overwhelming nature of responsibility, Hughes captures a moment of _____ between child and nature, where wonder and _____ take precedence over the burdens of care.

web, touch, awareness, purity, fresh, weight, connection, innocence

📌 Plath – Morning Song vs. Hughes – Full Moon and Little Frieda 📌 Plath – Morning Song

Quote: “Your _____ opens clean as a cat’s.”

The simile drawing comparison to a cat’s mouth highlights the child’s _____, animalistic nature, focusing on the raw, _____ elements of life. The tone is _____ yet affectionate, blending awe with a sense of _____, suggesting Plath’s _____ toward the new responsibilities of motherhood. In contrast, Hughes’ Full Moon and Little Frieda presents childhood as a pure, _____ experience observed from a distance, while Plath embeds her personal _____ and reverence within the experience of motherhood, creating a more complex, _____ narrative.

mouth, instinctual, natural, clinical, detachment, ambivalence, external, anxieties, layered

📌 Plath – Morning Song vs. Hughes – Full Moon and Little Frieda 📌 Hughes – Full Moon and Little Frieda

“Moon! You _____ suddenly, Moon! Moon!”

The child’s spontaneous _____ and exuberant exclamations contrast with Plath’s more _____, burdened reflections on motherhood. Hughes uses repetition and exclamation to mimic the unfiltered, _____ excitement of a child, portraying the world through an innocent, _____ lens. In contrast, Plath’s language is more _____-reflective and complex, intertwining beauty with _____, capturing the weight and complexity of motherhood rather than spontaneous wonder.

cry, joy, measured, enthusiastic, undistracted, self, obligation

📌 Plath – You’re vs. Hughes – Her Husband

📌 Plath – You’re

Quote: "_____-like, happiest on your _____, / Feet to the stars, and _____-skulled."

Plath uses playful, _____ imagery to describe the unborn child, portraying it as an _____ defying gravity. The phrase “moon-skulled” evokes a sense of _____ and mystery, combining both wonder and _____. This contrasts with Hughes' Her Husband, which takes a far more _____ and grounded approach, focusing on the burdens of _____ rather than the innocence and boundless potential of childhood. While Plath’s imagery elevates the child’s _____, Hughes is concerned with the weight of _____ and hardships that come with maturity.

Clown, hands, moon, whimsical, acrobat, fragility, apprehension, serious, adulthood, spirit, responsibilities

📌 Plath – You’re vs. Hughes – Her Husband

📌 Hughes – Her Husband

Quote: "The stubborn _____ of money."

In this line, Hughes personifies money as a “stubborn _____,” which presents it as an unyielding, almost _____ force. The bluntness of the diction underlines the _____ and harshness of financial struggle. In contrast to Plath’s You’re, which celebrates the fresh and hopeful _____ of new life, Hughes’ Her Husband offers a stark view of adult life—filled with _____ and duties. The phrase “stubborn character of money” highlights the overwhelming _____ of adult obligations, while Plath’s metaphor of a clean slate suggests _____ and the possibility of new beginnings.

character, character, oppressive, inevitability, potential, struggle, burden, innocence

📌 Plath – You’re vs. Hughes – Her Husband

📌 Plath – You’re

Quote: "A _____ slate, with your own _____ on.

In You’re, Plath metaphorically presents the unborn child as a metaphor for a new start—a “_____ slate” free from past burdens, with the potential for shaping its own future. The simplicity of the phrase creates a sense of _____ and possibility. This is in stark contrast to Hughes' Her Husband, where the adult world is far removed from the _____ of a new beginning. In Her Husband, adulthood is filled with _____ and restrictions, undermining the idea of a fresh start that Plath’s metaphor conveys.

clean, face, clean, optimism, purity, responsibilities

📌 Plath – You’re vs. Hughes – Her Husband

📌 Hughes – Her Husband

Quote: "And the _____-weight of money. He’ll _____ her / With new light on her obligations."

Hughes uses the metaphor “blood-weight of money” to emphasize the emotional and physical _____ that financial concerns take on the individual. The image of money being weighted with blood invokes _____, pain, and the harsh realities of life. “New light on her obligations” implies a painful _____ to the unrelenting demands of adult life. This is in direct contrast to Plath’s You’re, where the unborn child is a symbol of _____ and potential. Plath’s hopeful tone emphasizes the _____ and optimism that come with new beginnings, while Hughes’ tone in Her Husband suggests that adult life is dominated by _____, sacrifice, and limitation, providing no such freedom or optimism

blood, humble, toll, sacrifice, awakening, possibility, freedom, duty