Hawk Roosting Flashcards
introduction
- The poem is written as a dramatic monologue from the viewpoint of a hawk.
- The poem explores the hawk’s ruthless nature and its indifference to the passing of time.
- Through the hawk’s perspective, the poem explores both its primal instincts and the natural order.
form
- dramatic monologue
- free verse
- six quatrains - perfect - hawk’s power over poetry
- no regular rhyme scheme
- first person = hawk controls the poem
structure
- enjambment + caesurae - hawk is not caged by lines
- present tense - adds power and intensity to hawk’s voice
- end-stopped lines
- repetition
stanza one
The first-person persona, an anthropomorphised hawk, describes its position at the top of the wood, eyes closed
stanza two
The hawk appreciates its advantageous position in the high trees and views the earth below; the tone is arrogant as if nature is its own domain
stanza three
It reflects on its creation with a self-reverential tone and claims to hold all of “Creation” in its feet; the biblical allusion here suggests its sense of God-like authority and dominance
stanza four
The hawk asserts its dominance with a remorseless description of its right to kill
stanza five
The hawk describes its role in the “allotment of death” with ominous precision
stanza six
The hawk asserts its right to a seemingly timeless domination
finish the quote: ‘‘between my..
…hooked head and hooked feet’
‘hooked head and hooked feet’
- repetition of ‘hooked’ - emphasises the hawk’s potential for violence
‘locked’
‘bark’
- consonance
- emphasises hawk’s firm, almost harsh grip
end-stopped lines at the end of each stanza and in the last stanza, at the end of each line
- matter-of-fact tone
finish the quote: ‘top of…
..the wood’
‘top of the wood’
- hawk’s physical position could indicate its power
finish the quote: ‘the sun..
..is behind me’
‘the sun is behind me’
- the sun supports the hawk
- implying it is right that the hawk has so much power
finish the quote: ‘earth’s face..
…upward’
‘earth’s face upward’
- personification of the earth
- by looking ‘upward’, it suggests the hawk is above it both literally and heirarchally
finish the quote: ‘my feet..
..are locked upon’
‘my feet are locked upon’
- hawk appears sturdy
- locks are symbols of security
finish the quote: ‘tearing..
..off heads’
‘tearing off heads’
- violence does not phase the hawk
- he likes the power
- brutality of the food chain
- nature has a self-destructive side
finish the quote: ‘bones..
..of the living’
‘bones of the living’
- hawk kills without mercy and believes it has power over life and death
title
- ‘hawk roosting’
- emphasises bird’s importance to the poem
- resting = hawk seems comfortable, safe and in control
finish the quote: ‘falsifying..
..dream’
‘falsifying dream’
- fake/misleading
- hawk doesn’t need fake dreams as its reality is perfect
finish the quote: ‘the convenience..
..of the high trees!’
‘the convenience of the high trees!’
‘advantage’
- hawk seems to think that the natural world has been designed just to suit it, showing its arrogance
finish the quote: ‘or in sleep..
…rehearse perfect kills’
‘or in sleep rehearse perfect kills’
- ‘perfect’ implies it takes great pleasure from killing
- hawk thinks about killing, even in its sleep
‘inspection’
- inspectors have the power over the things they inspect
- they cast judgement and can punish
finish the quote; ‘whole of..
…Creation’
finish the quote: ‘now I hold..
..Creation in my foot’
‘whole of Creation’
‘now I hold Creation in my foot’
- reference to God
- the hawk thinks that it is a masterpiece as it took all of God’s effort to create it
- hawk is arrogant
- ‘now I hold Creation in my foot’
- A REVERSAL - the hawk thinks that it is more powerful than God
finish the quote: ‘revolve…
…it all slowly’
‘revolve it all slowly’
- highlights the hawk’s arrogance
- thinks it can force ‘Creation’ to do what it wants
finish the quote: ‘my manners..
..are tearing off heads’
‘my manners are tearing off heads’
- juxtaposition between politeness and violence presents hawk as a dictator-like figure
finish the quote: ‘I kill where I please..
…because it is all mine’
‘I kill where I please because it is all mine’
- suggests the hawk is confident
- monosyllabic
finish the quote: ‘the allotment..
..of death’
‘the allotment of death’
- double meaning
- hawk gives out death which emphasises its power and arrogance
- hawk ‘grows’ death as in an ‘allotment’ - juxtaposition is ironic and shows the hawk’s preoccupation with murder
‘Nothing has changed’
‘permitted’
‘keep things’
indicative of the hawk’s power
mood and tone
- matter-of-fact tone, arrogant and egotistical
- violent - emotionally detached - hawk seems like pyschopath
what does the poem begin and end with?
- references to inaction, creating a circular structure which reinforces the hawk’s desire for control
key quotations for nature
“I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.”
“The convenience of the high trees!”
“The allotment of death./For the one path of my flight is direct/Through the bones of the living”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR NATURE
“I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.”
“The convenience of the high trees!”
“The allotment of death./For the one path of my flight is direct/Through the bones of the living”
Hughes anthropomorphises the hawk and the use of first-person creates an immediacy and places the reader in the hawk’s position. The opening line establishes the hawk as part of nature yet separate from it. Its closed eyes convey its supreme confidence
The exclamatory sentence conveys the hawk’s appreciation of its natural surroundings. This portrays nature as a system that the hawk instinctively understands and exploits, reinforcing the theme of nature and survival
The metaphor of death as an “allotment” suggests that it is a natural and necessary part of the cycle of life and death. The stark imagery of “bones of the living” conveys its predatory behaviour. It portrays nature as brutal and unsentimental, challenging a romanticised view of the natural world
key quotations for power and arrogance
It took the whole of Creation
/ To produce my foot, my each feather:”
“I kill where I please because it is all mine.”
“I am going to keep things like this.”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR POWER AND ARROGANCE
It took the whole of Creation
/ To produce my foot, my each feather:”
“I kill where I please because it is all mine.”
“I am going to keep things like this.”
The use of hyperbole illustrates the hawk’s arrogance and self-importance, seeing itself as the pinnacle of creation. The reference to “Creation” gives the hawk a god-like status and reinforces the hawk’s perceived supremacy in nature
The poem contains numerous simple, declarative statements which reflect the hawk’s direct and unambiguous perception. The first person conveys the hawk’s self-centredness and the phrase “because it is all mine” is unapologetic and suggests complete dominance and autonomy. The hawk’s attitude reflects the brutal reality of survival in nature
The use of the future tense in this declarative sentence and monosyllabic words allude to the hawk’s arrogance and confidence, conveying an inevitability and determination that reinforces its belief in its own power. The tone is resolute
key quotations for death
“My manners are tearing off heads”
“rehearse perfect kills and eat.”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR DEATH
Hughes presents violent imagery in this graphic description of killing. The juxtaposition of “manners” appears to normalise it
The use of the verb “rehearse” implies practice and preparation, suggesting that killing is a skill that the hawk strives to master. It also suggests pride and satisfaction.
