Hawk Roosting Flashcards
who wrote Hawk Roosting?
Ted Hughes
context and meaning of Hawk Roosting?
-poem isn’t about cruelty, but instead he wanted to show the Hawks way of thinking
-presents power as a lack of caring and cruel dominance
-Hawk describes how it likes to kill its prey in a particularly violent way
-people have interpreted the poem in different ways- it could bee an allegory for the behaviour of political leaders or people in general, or it could be showing the brutality of natures
describe the form of Hawk Roosting and analyse it
-its a dramatic monologue from the point of the Hawk.
-in a dramatic monologue, an individual character addresses a silent audience- in this poem, the audience could be mankind.
-The first-person narrative voice gives the hawk authority over the poem’s ideas, while the use of end-stopping gives several lines a decisive feel, reflecting the hawks complete control
describe the structure of hawk Roosting and analyse it
-hawk begins in an almost meditative state
-hawk then talks about God and nature, asserting that it has superiority over both of them.
-the monologue ends with a confident statement about the future- emphasises the hawk’s sense of power and control
-6 regular stanzas- give the impression of stable power and control
how is violent imagery used in hawk Roosting and analyse it.
-poem contains powerful images of violence and death- emphasises how efficiently the hawk kills its prey
-“through the bones of the living”- the hawk almost seems to take delight in its ability to kill. it rejects subtlety and deception in favour of violent tactics
how is the language of power used in hawk roosting and analyse it?
first-person pronouns appear in each stanza, establishing the hawk’s dominance and control.
-“I kill where I please”- refers to himself 3 times in one line emphasising how much the hawk focuses on himself
finish the quotation, “I sit in the top tree of the wood….
my eyes closed”
analyse the quote, “I sit in the top of the tree of the wood, my eyes closed”
The Hawk is high- symbolising his powerful position over the rest of nature
-first person- hawk is controlling the poem, just as he controls nature
closed- hawk is at peace because it knows it is so powerful that it doesn’t have to fear anything- meditative state
finish the quote, “now I hold…
creation in my foot”
analyse the quote, “now I hold creation in my foot”
use of pride- shows the hawks arrogance- suggests that God had to work hard to create the hawk =, but now nature and God are presented as tiny prey at the hawks mercy
-the hawk has the ability to control life and death
-encourages the reader to watch what the hawk is able to do
finish the quote, “I kill where…
I please because its all mine”
analyse the quote, “I kill where I please because its all mine”
-simple, mainly monosyllabic language creates sense of control
-first person pronouns- creates authority
finish the quote, “the sun is..
behind me”
analyse the quote, “the sun is behind me”
-double meaning of behind me- the hawks thinks the sun works with it, reinforcing its self-importance
-arrogant tone
-also the sun surrounds him as a halo, making him seem divine
finish the quote, “my eye has permitted..
no change”
analyse the quote, “my eye has permitted no change.”
-parts of the hawk’s body are addressed one by one throughout the poem- its perfectly adapted to be powerful
-use of full stops-emphasises the hawks control- suggests it has had absolute power throughout its whole existence
-end-stopping in final stanza’s gives statements a matter-of-fact tone
