hawk roosting Flashcards
What literary device is central to the poem, allowing the reader to enter the hawk’s mindset?
Personification
The hawk is given human thoughts and speech.
What type of imagery is used to convey the hawk’s brutal nature?
Violent imagery
Phrases like ‘tearing off heads’ and ‘through the bones of the living’ exemplify this.
How does the repetition of ‘I’ and ‘my’ affect the poem?
It reinforces the hawk’s dominance.
What is emphasized by the alliteration in the phrase ‘hooked head and hooked feet’?
The hawk’s predatory attributes.
What does the phrase ‘I hold Creation in my foot’ suggest about the hawk?
It suggests the hawk sees itself as god-like, controlling all of nature.
What type of language is used in the poem to reflect the hawk’s nature?
Blunt and monosyllabic language.
What effect does the present tense have on the hawk’s voice?
It adds power and intensity.
What does the final line of the poem convey?
The hawk’s resistance to change.
What type of sentences are used to convey the hawk’s confidence?
Short declarative sentences.
What does each stanza focus on in the poem?
A different aspect of the hawk’s existence and perception of its power.
What do end-stopped lines and enjambment create in the poem?
A balance between assertive statements and flowing thoughts.
What structural element reinforces the hawk’s desire for control?
A circular structure created by references to inaction at the beginning and end.
In what form is the poem written?
Free verse.
What does Hughes’ anthropomorphisation of the hawk create?
Immediacy and places the reader in the hawk’s position.
What does the opening line establish about the hawk?
It establishes the hawk as part of nature yet separate from it.
What does the metaphor of death as an ‘allotment’ suggest?
It is a natural and necessary part of the cycle of life and death.
What does the stark imagery of ‘bones of the living’ convey?
The hawk’s predatory behaviour.
What does the use of hyperbole illustrate about the hawk?
Its arrogance and self-importance.
What do the numerous simple, declarative statements reflect?
The hawk’s direct and unambiguous perception.
What does the phrase ‘because it is all mine’ suggest about the hawk?
Complete dominance and autonomy.
What does the future tense and monosyllabic words allude to?
The hawk’s arrogance and confidence.
What tone does the poem convey through the hawk’s statements?
Resolute tone.
What does the use of the verb ‘rehearse’ imply?
Killing is a skill that the hawk strives to master.
Who was Ted Hughes?
A significant English poet of the 20th century.
What position did Ted Hughes hold from 1984 until his death in 1998?
British Poet Laureate.
What literary group was Hughes a part of in the 1950s-60s?
The Movement in British poetry.
What does ‘Hawk Roosting’ exemplify in Hughes’ work?
His interest in nature and animals, particularly predators.
What is a common theme explored through animals in Hughes’ poetry?
Themes of violence, power, and survival.
What is one interpretation of the hawk in ‘Hawk Roosting’?
Symbolic of a fascist dictator.
Did Hughes intend for the hawk to symbolize a fascist dictator?
No, he denied this intention.
