.

             Hughes's early poetry mainly focused on humans, but after he developed a.

             sense that writing poetry was similar to hunting and that the finished poem.

             was a new species of animal, he began his pursuit to write about wildlife.

             The Hawk in the Rain (1957), Hughes's first published volume of poetry,.

             was highly regarded and used animals to portray "primal power" and .

             "elemental violence" (Karbiener and Stade). .

             He followed with the Hawthornden Prize-winning Lupercal (1961), .

             hich includes the poem "Hawk Roosting." In 1970, Hughes published Crow,.

             which dealt with the bird that is an "embodiment of global.

             folklore, an elemental life force, and a survivor of catastrophe".

             (Karbiener and Stade). American artist Leonard Baskin gave Hughes the.

             inspiration for the Crow poems after a series of drawings that he created.

             of the bird. It was through Hughes's upbringing and surroundings that he.

             was able to identify with nature and give it those human-like qualities.

             that he expressed throughout his writing.

             .

             To illustrate these human-qualities, Hughes produced "The Thought-Fox".

             which uses a diffident fox to portray the process of writing a poem. In.

             order to present his views, Hughes used the image of hunting a fox in hopes.

             of capturing it and creating a poem. At first, the fox is an idea, lying.

             hidden in the shadows. Then, it gradually comes closer and closer until it.

             is "jumping through the eyes of the poet" (Webster). It is no longer in the.

             shadowy depths of imagination, but rather in full view, "safe from.

             extinction" (Webster). As seen in his background information, Hughes was.

             fond of capturing animals as a child. It comes to no surprise that he would.

             now attempt to capture them on paper. When Richard Webster stated,.

             "[Hughes] needs the 'sudden sharp hot stink of fox' to pump up the.

             attenuated sense he has of the reality of his own body and his own.

             feelings," he was saying that Hughes was showing the reader how he felt.