Hawk Roosting Flashcards
Overview
Hughes uses the poem as a vehicle to expose the ways in which power is often abused and exploited, yet always temporary. He chooses to right from the perspective of an egocentric hawk, possibly to symbolise the corruption of the 20th century dictators. This allows the reader to gain an insight into the flawed ideologies the hawk possesses. Demonstrates the corruptive nature of power and emphasises the danger of allowing a single individual absolute authority.
Context
Fascination with Nature & Animals – Hughes was deeply interested in the natural world and often explored its raw, violent instincts in his poetry. He rejected sentimental views of nature, instead presenting it as powerful, ruthless, and primal.
Symbolism of the Hawk – The hawk is associated with dominance, hunting, and control. Historically, hawks were trained by nobility, reinforcing ideas of status and power. Additionally, the term “hawkish” is used to describe aggressive political leaders, linking the poem to tyranny and dictatorship.
Fascism & Dictatorship – The poem was controversial because many interpreted the hawk’s arrogance and control over life and death as a metaphor for tyrannical leaders like Hitler. The Nazi party used the hawk as a symbol, strengthening this interpretation. However, Hughes denied this reading, claiming the poem simply captures the hawk’s natural mindset.
The Movement (British Poetry) – Hughes was associated with The Movement, a literary group that rejected Romanticism in favor of a more direct and unsentimental approach to poetry. This aligns with the hawk’s blunt, unapologetic voice, which presents power as a matter-of-fact reality.
Personal Life & Morality – Hughes served in the RAF, potentially shaping his themes of power, violence, and death. His personal life was also marked by tragedy, including his troubled relationship with Sylvia Plath, leading some to speculate about themes of control and dominance in his work
Whys
· Hughes encourages his readers to draw parallels between the callous and vicious nature of the hawk and twentieth century dictators.
· Hughes condemns the exploitation of power, where rulers commit acts of depravity and despotism for personal gain.
· Hughes exposes how absolute power often results in narcissism and delusions of grandeur, with leaders developing a misguided sense of invincibility.
· Hughes criticises how power often strips people of their moral compass and sense of conscience, resulting in them behaving in an animalistic, barbaric manner.
Title Hawk Roosting
The hawk symbolises power, with the word “roosting” suggesting it feels comfortable and at home on its perch, above other animals. This contrasts with the typical image of a swooping bird of prey, instead portraying the hawk as calmly meditating on its power and destruction. The noun “hawk” carries connotations of predation, sharp vision, and danger, making its presence unsettling. Meanwhile, “roosting” implies rest and safety, creating a sense of tension and unease within the natural world.
I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.
The opening line establishes the hawk as part of nature yet separate from it. The hawk exudes confidence and superiority, reinforced by the personal pronoun “I”, which highlights its egocentric nature and the title makes it seem the hawk is overlooking the poem emphasising its dominant position over nature. Hughes anthropomorphises the hawk, using first-person narration to create immediacy and place the reader in its perspective. The hawk’s stillness and closed eyes suggest meditative arrogance, implying it feels no threat and is supremely confident in its power ( meditating on his success ).This could also hint at narrow-mindedness, as the hawk ignores any challenges or weaknesses. The preposition “top” reinforces its authoritative position, while the noun “wood” serves as an extended metaphor for the world, suggesting that power is always maintained. The verb phrase “eyes closed” is unsettling, possibly alluding to leaders who feign ignorance while maintaining control.
Inaction, no falsifying dream
Reality is better than dreaming for him. He doesn’t need to lie. “Inaction” implies stillness and dominance, reinforcing the hawk’s confidence in its power. Unlike humans, who may dream, doubt, or reflect, the hawk is instinct-driven and self-assured
Between my hooked head and hooked feet:g
Repetition of hooked suggests coupled with Alliteration of ‘h’ is reference to how strong the hawk is gripping the branch with his talons and potentially his authority
hook x2- emphasises sharpness of the hawks body, emphasises it’s violent nature
Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat
The juxtaposition in this section highlights how the hawk remains in control even at rest, constantly planning its kills. The verb “rehearse” suggests practice and preparation, implying that killing is a skill the hawk takes pride in mastering. This reinforces its arrogance and sense of perfection as a predator. The lack of punctuation creates a feeling of inevitability and unpredictability, emphasising how destruction is a natural, instinctive part of the hawk’s existence. The rhyming couplet “feet” and “eat” further reinforces this idea of perfection and dominance. The imagery of the hawk as a ruthless, awe-inspiring creature also serves as a critique of those corrupted by power, drawing comparisons to tyrannical leaders who view violence as routine. The verbs ‘sleep’, ‘rehearse’, ‘kills’ and ‘eat’ refer to the regular routine of
the powerful figure ; the juxtaposition of ‘kills’ with the more regular everyday verbs such as ‘eat’ and ‘sleep’ shows how natural death/killing is to the figure.
The convenience of the high trees!
Exclamatory sentence- hawk’s appreciation of its natural surroundings
Portrays nature as a system that the hawk instinctively understands and exploits, reinforcing the theme of nature and survival
-Notion is further developed as we see the hawk’s delusional beliefs that nature has been designed for the hawk -Emphasised by ‘!’
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 air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray
Are of advantage to me;
Sense of world designed for the hawk
Elements bend for the Hawk’s convenience
And the earth’s face upward for my inspection
Scrutinising earth
Possessive pronoun reinforces sense of the hawk’s ownership of all its environment
Proposition ‘upward’ creates the image of the population looking upwards at the powerful figure; they are positioned below him. The first person possessive ‘my’
highlights his authority as he is in control. The noun ‘inspection’ suggests the figures are looking for faults, thus abusing their power.
My feet are locked upon the rough bark
Not going to move, superior and in control
Dynamic verb- motionless
Sense of ownership, control and power
Tension and ownership accentuated by harsh plosives
-Hints at an insecurity as he desperately and stubbornly clings onto power -Harsh consonance emphasises tight grip -Indicative of an imprisoning force that his power, and the dictators’, exerted over people
It took the whole of Creation
To produce my foot, my each feather:
hyperbolic statement illustrates hawks arrogance seeing itself at the pinnacle of creation hawks perceived supremacy
Hyperbole illustrates the hawk’s arrogance and self-importance, seeing itself as the pinnacle of creation
“Creation”- gives hawk a god-like status and reinforces the hawk’s perceived supremacy in nature
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
Now I hold Creation in my foot
Arrogance, compares himself to God
Rep of Creation and capitalization of it emphasizes his arrogance and God delusions
Feels he is in control and lays down the rules
Biblical allusion to claim that he, the hawk, is far more powerful than god. It further shows how power can take over and delude a mind.
Religious/spiritual/God-like origins- but shifts to hawk now exercising power brutally- holding prey in claws
Anticipation of the kill
-Arrogance is heightened -Implies he holds absolute power – even Godly – over the natural world -Presumption that he is greater than his creator is an attitude of extreme arrogance -Significance highlighted by capital ‘C’.
‘Now’ indicates a change of time, an awareness of how power has changed. The capitalisation of ‘Creation’ is religious and highlights the importance of people and nature. This is juxtaposed by the personification of the figure holding Creation ‘in my foot’. Despite creation being
important, the governments/powerful figures are in charge of it. The noun ‘foot’ is also disturbing – it is hard to secure
anything with your foot, so it shows they are well practiced and extremely powerful.
Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly -
Enjambment links the previous line to this one, mirroring the powerful flying ability of the bird. The verb ‘revolve’ means to circle or orbit, which is discomforting, as it creates an image of entrapment. The bird has all the power in nature. Adverb ‘slowly’ sounds sinister and makes the hawk even more intimidating.
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
first person declarative - shows unapologetic dominance, aggression and arrogance shows the brutality of survival in nature
Simple, declarative statement which reflect the hawk’s direct and unambiguous perception.
1st person- hawk’s self-centredness
“because it is all mine”- unapologetic, complete dominance and autonomy
Hawk’s attitude reflects the brutal reality of survival 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
Repetition of first person pronoun ‘I’ foregrounds the bird’s power in nature. The phrase ‘where I please’ suggests that the hawk does exactly what it wants there is
no other bird as powerful. The verb ‘kill’ is direct and heartless; the hawk has no sensitive side – it is a predator and that alone.
The quotation suggests that the powerful figure does exactly what they want, when they want. The verb ‘kill’ is repeated throughout the poem which gives a semantic field of death and creates a disturbing atmosphere, as death is ongoing in the power of this figure. ‘Where I please’ is selfish and shows no emotion at all.
There is no sophistry in my body:
My manners are tearing off heads -
violent imagery juxtaposed with the politeness of ‘manners’ shows the reader that this behaviour is normalised in nature
Presents violent imagery in this graphic description of killing
Juxtaposition of “manners” appears to normalise it
Intensity of experience is both shocking and unavoidable, sudden violence- God of death? very human instinct for destruction
Hughes presents violent imagery in this graphic description of killing. The juxtaposition of “manners” appears to normalise it
The allotment of death.
juxtaposition of new life allotment brings and him bringing death
shows his control and power over everything
Sense of control and that the hawk is playing God through the poem
Decides who lives and who dies
Hitler and fascism
Metaphor of death as an “allotment”- natural and necessary part of the cycle of life and death. Sark imagery of “bones of the living”- predatory behaviour Portrays nature as brutal and unsentimental, challenging a romanticised view of the natural world
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
Metaphor here juxtaposes life and death. The noun ‘allotment’ has connotations of life and growth, whereas the noun ‘death’ connotes violence and killing. This sets up
the idea in the poem that natural life is being killed under the power of such high profile figures. The metaphor creates the image of mass deaths, making up that of an
allotment/field.
For the one path of my flight is direct
Through the bones of the living.
imagery - supernaturally powerful conveys a predatory nature of the hawk it portrays nature as brutal and unsentimental challenging a romanticised view of the natural world
-Contrast between life and death depicts the hawk’s constant pursuit of killing -Preposition ‘through’ suggests that the hawk is willing to compromise the lives of others to benefit himself -Belief of superiority and arrogance
No arguments assert my right:
The sun is behind me.
Colon connects stanzas- emphasises idea that elements support hawk and hawk hunts with sun as cover
Innate authority to behave like this
Elemental force giving power to the Hawk to kill. Sun transferring power to Hawk and blinding prey
-Double meaning, suggests the hawk thinks the sun works with it – reinforcing his egocentric attitude -Image of sun setting could suggest the reign of the hawk is coming to an end – power is transcient.
Nothing has changed since I began
My eye has permitted no change.
Nothing has changed- links to circle of life - his reign will never end
permitted- he is in charge he decides the rules of nature
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
Assertion of absolute power ehich suddenly feels unrealistic and absurd/hyperbolic
Links to human arrogance- Ozymandias
I am going to keep things like this.
monosyllabic declarative sentence shows hawks arrogance the tone is resolute and shows the brutal nature of survival
-‘Am’ creates a sense of certainty – the hawk believes he can keep the world how he wants it to be -Ironic as the reader knows that he can’t control everything and eventually, time will consume him.
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
The declarative shows the speaker’s certainty in their actions and highlights that governments have their own final say. The sentence is direct and to the point; there is
no challenging it whatsoever
No regular rhyme scheme
shows the hawk will not be controlled by anyone and he controls everything
dramatic monologue
shows hawks perspective - reflects his arrogance and self obsession gives an insight to his inner consciousness
