The Thought-Fox

do you think that the line 'it enters the dark hole of the head 'signals of collision of theb animal and the idea.explain

hw

Asked by
Last updated by Aslan
Answers 1
Add Yours

The final stanza differs also from the rest of the poem through its introduction of violence. Inspiration, represented by the fox's smell, is no gentle force. The fox's "hot stink...enters" the speaker's head like an arrow piercing a target's bullseye. The language used to describe the fox's smell—"sudden," "sharp," "hot"— juxtaposes with the animal's cold and delicate, albeit bold, demeanor. By including elements of the fox's wild nature, the speaker creates a nuanced picture of the inspiring power he signifies: inspiration, at times, can be variously affronting and all-consuming, unbiased and unaccommodating. As a result, the speaker's poetic creation arises through a kind of violence. Something has "entered" or disrupted the speaker's mind; now he is changed. This fertilizing disruption is what the speaker had been waiting for, and it is the source of the poem.