H Is For Hawk

Question 1

Meaning

Answer 1

Memoir following helen macdonald

Question 2

Structure

Answer 2

Dry and factual vs poetic
Long syntax
Short sentences
Narrative perspective change
Autobiographical first person retrospective
Italics for internal monologue

Question 3

Dry and factual section vs poetic section

Answer 3

-highlights the connection she felt with the hawk
-legal and hawking jargon creates a factual tone
-that is then blown apart as the emotional and surreal section appears

Question 4

Long syntax

Answer 4

Structure tally mirrors her sense of excitement
Emphasises the chaos of sound and experiences the hawk and the women experience

Question 5

Short syntax

Answer 5

-slows the narrative pace building up to the climax
-after the climax it abruptly shifts the pace of the passage showing her disappointment, possibly mirrors her heart beat as excitement leaves her

Question 6

Narrative perspective change

Answer 6

-Completely changes the feel of the passage
-creates empathy
-makes the hawk seem incredible and creates emotional attachment to it, so that when we see that it is not hers it is all the more disappointing
-makes her attachment seen spiritual and not only because she things the hawk is pretty

Question 7

Autobiographical first person retrospective

Answer 7

-allows the reader to share in and identify with her experiences

Question 8

Italics for internal monologue

Answer 8

Provides insiste into her thoughts
Makes us feel bad for her.
-as they are short sentences, or monosyllabic, it displays how her thoughts are disjointed and portrays her immense disappointment

Question 9

Language

Answer 9

Prosaic language
Abstract nouns
Polysyndeton
Semantic field of mythology
Metaphors
Juxtaposition
Onomatopoeia
Alliteration
Sensory imagery
Derogatory language

Question 10

Prosaic Langauge

Answer 10

Creates a low before the high, there is not beauty without the ugly, and so this emphasises the later poetic language

Question 11

Abstract nouns

Answer 11

Their non tangible qualities add a magic to the description, ‘brilliance and fury’

Question 12

Polysyndeton

Answer 12

Give an information and sensory overload mirroring what she is feeling

Question 13

Semantic field of mythology

Answer 13

-gives the bird magical and amazing qualities, making it seem incredible in our minds, something out of this world

Question 14

Metaphors

Answer 14

-shows the bird is hard to categorise
-creates images in the readers mind
-displays the woman’s amazement at the hawk

Question 15

Juxtaposition

Answer 15

‘fretful porcupine’ (which conveys fear and timidity) to images of power such as griffon or reptile
• She cannot be defined and is so surreal and unlike anything that the narrator has previously witnessed
Contrast between second and first hawk
• The juxtaposition between the first and second hawk allows readers to share in her experiences and appreciate the extent of her emotional connection with the first hawk. The extent of her emotional connection could be linked to her feelings of grief for her father and her attempts to ease her feelings by attaching herself to another living thing

Question 16

Onomatopoeia

Answer 16

Emphasises that meeting the hawk was a moment of importance and intensity

Question 17

Alliteration

Answer 17

Emphasises the onomatopoeia, shows it is an important moment, ‘whirring chaotic clatter of wings and feet’

Question 18

Sensory imagery

Answer 18

Portrays the bird as unpleasant eg ‘wailing’

Question 19

Derogatory language

Answer 19

Reductive and derogatory language such as “madwoman” from a “Victorian melodrama” contrasts starkly with previous images of beauty and “brilliance”