Hawk Roosting Flashcards
Who was the author of Hawk Roosting?
Ted Hughes
Summarise the poem
- Poem about the hawk boasting its power
- The hawk thinks it is the most important and powerful creature in the world, it controls the universe
- The hawk describes how it wants to kill its prey in a particularly violent way
→ could be a metaphor for the behaviour of political leaders or people in general - The hawk is presented as proud of its own perfection and efficiency: omnipotent in its own eyes
What are the themes present in the poem?
Power
Nature
Violence
Life cycle
Describe the form of Hawk Roosting and its impact on the poem
Made up of 6 quatrains
But there is no rhyme scheme or strict metre
→ cold, harsh and blunt
Quatrains + extensive use of end stopped lines give the poem a sense of order and flow
Dramatic monologue from the hawk’s perspective
Poet celebrates nor condemns the hawk: it is solely from a first person POV
How is the Hawk shown to have complete control of the woodlands through the form of the poem?
→ Quatrains are well structured
→ Lack of rhyme and strict metre
→ Steady and calm pace of the poem again mirrors the hawk’s measured control over the woodlands } he will not be rushed by anyone
What is the structure of the poem and its impact on Hawk Roosting?
- Stanza 1 + 2 about his physical strength - what his body is like and where he can sit
- He is perched on top of a tree, reflecting upon his position in animal society
- Stanza 3 + 4 reveal his power of nature, about how he holds the power of life and death in his claws
- Final two stanzas act as a justification of his actions
- Ends on an assured statement of complete future control
Describe the language of the poem and its effect
Extended metaphor: ‘i sit on top of the woods’ } metaphor of power and authority created and referred to throughout the poem
First person view makes the hawk seem incredibly arrogant and self obsessed
How is the Hawk’s power explored through the language?
- Brutal and violent imagery - conveys destructive power of the hawk
→ rejects subtlety or duplicity and favours direct and violent tactics emphasising the darkly predatorial side of nature/ humankind - Language of power emphasised through first person POV again conveying hawk’s ego
→ end stopped lines contribute to its uncompromising nature
→ language is formal and complex, presenting it as coldly intelligent and defiant of society’s morals
What is the context surrounding the poet?
Sylvia Plath’s husband
Hughes wrote the poem putting himself into the body of the hawk
Studied anthropology and archaeology @ cambridge university
Influenced by the themes of the countryside, human history and mythology
Hughes denied the interpretation that the hawk represents facism and some dictators in recent human history
→ he said he just wanted to show a hawk’s natural way of thinking
What does the Hawk represent?
Represents power and ignorance because he thinks he is the most important animal in the woods
He is ignorant to the fact that he can’t have everything
How is the Hawk portrayed?
→ arrogant
→ Megalomaniac
→ destructive
→ egotistical
→ powerful
Complete the quote
‘Hawk…
…Roosting’
Analyse the quote
‘Hawk Roosting
→ ‘hawk’ } connotations of a predator, dictator, violence
→ unnerving because you do not know what the bird will do at any moment, or where it is looking
→ ‘roosting’ } contrasts this violent imagery, connotes rest and comfort
→ sets a nervous tone to the poem and creates an uneasy feel to the natural world
→ roosting could imply that the hawk feels comfortable perching on his branch on his tree
→ or it could imply that he is meditating on his violence
Complete the quote
‘I sit on…
…top of the wood’
Analyse the quote
‘I sit on top of the wood’
→ ‘top’: he is on top of the food chain
→ extended metaphor of power and authority is established that will be referred to throughout the rest of the poem
→ the ‘wood’ in a way is the hawk’s world, therefore implying that he is on top of his world: he holds the highest position there is
