To Paint A Water Lily By Ted Hughes

In “To Paint A Water Lily” by Ted Hughes, a speaker contrasts the overwhelming amount of action and the stillness in a pond to illustrate the countless parts in nature that is difficult to capture as a whole. The speaker speaks for each aspect of the pond that is eventually put together as a whole in a painting to raise awareness of the chaotic side of nature that is usually left unnoticed. The poem begins with a serene image as the “green level of lily leaves / Roofs the pond’s chamber and paves”. However, the pond quickly becomes a “furious arena” for the dragonflies. The speaker tells the audience to “study / These, the two minds of this lady”. The “lady” represents mother nature, and the speaker is commanding the reader to view both the