hawk roosting Flashcards
what can the title symbolise? (animal)
a bird of prey viewing its territory, confident of its power
what can the title symbolise? (human)
a hawk is someone who favours war and aggression- could represent a dictator
“roosting”- relaxed about their violent actions- they feel omnipotent
what is the significance of using a first person narrative?
shows the hawk is selfish, arrogant and self- centred
gives the hawk authority
what is the technique used in this poem?
anthropomorphism
what is the use of the hawk’s voice in the poem?
the voice shows a hawk that flaunts and brags about its superiority and power in life in a god- like manner- the hawk thinks it is omnipotent and all-powerful
what is the form of the poem?
a dramatic monologue and it has no rhyme- menacing, harsh and extremely blunt
what is the significance of only having one speaker of the hawk in the poem?
the hawk has not been interrupted and can assess its powers without any external creature or human debating or questioning its powers
who wrote hawk roosting?
ted hughes
what type of poet was ted hughes?
a nature poet
what could the poem be an allegory for?
human nature
what words connote nature in the poem?
hawk
wood
trees
air
sun’s rat
earth’s
what does the poem begin with?
“i sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed. inaction, no falsifying dream”
what does the first stanza end with?
“or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat”
what are some of the lines in the 3rd stanza?
“it took the whole of creation”
“to produce my foot, my each feather”
“now i hold creation in my foot”
“i kill where i please….
because it is all mine”
“there is no sophistry….
in my body: my manners are tearing off heads”
“the allotment….
of death”
what is the term used when each stanza has 4 lines?
a quatrain
what does the regular lengths of the stanza convey?
the decisive, controlling nature of the hawk
what is the significance of the poem beginning how it does?!
the poem begins with the hawk perched at the very top of the tree- he asserts his dominance from the very beginning- sets the tone for the poem and the general idea
how does the poem end?
“I am going to keep things like this”
what is the significance of the poem ending how it does?
it ends on a self-confident, arrogant statement that conveys the control the hawk has now as well as the future control it will have as “nothing has changed since i began” and “my eye has permitted no change”
what tense is the poem written in and what is the effect of this?
present tense- adds to the idea that the hawk has always been and will always be at the top of the food chain forever
how is the hawk’s physical description conveyed as?
“between my hooked head and my hooked feat”- “in my sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat”
what is the second stanza conveying?
how easy and convenient the hawk’s life is
everything in nature has been made for the hawk to give it an easy life
the hawk marvels at how much nature has given him- he uses exclamatory mode to convey this
what parts of creation has helped the hawk?
“the high trees”
“the air’s buoyancy”
“the sun’s ray”
what parallel does Hughes create?
a parallel between up and down
everything is below the hawk- the earth is even below the hawk, being watched by the ominous hawk
what technique is used so that Hughes can create the parallel between up and down?
dichotomy and it reflects the superiority of the hawk
what does the line “no arguments assert my right” mean?
no-one’s opinion can allow him to change or question the power he holds over killing and being predatory
Hughes uses nature to symbolise what??
the plight of man
