hawk roosting Flashcards
who was it written by and some brief life info?
Ted Hughes
Hughes was Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.
As a child he gained an interest in nature and the violence required to survive in it.
what is the form and structure like?
A dramatic monologue from the perspective of the hawk.
It has a regular structure representing strength and control, power and balance, or continuity.
The punctuation is tight, with many sentences contained within the line, which gives an abrupt, sharp, controlled feel.
Some enjambement which mirrors the idea the hawk can disregard the rules, creating a flowing effect as he lists his powers.
what are the key themes?
the Hawk is a symbol of inhumanity.
The poem is an implicit satire on the tyrant that the bird symbolises
He subverts traditional nature poems and was aware of the violent forces of nature.
what is the historical and literary context like?
Historical Context: A Yorkshireman, he began writing poems about nature in his adolescence. As Nye argues, he wanted to “capture the aliveness of animals in their natural state.”
Interpretations of the hawk as a symbol of the cruel tyrants of the world could reflect post war appraisal of the atrocities perpetrated by dictators like Hitler and Mussolini. In the same way, interpretations of the hawk as a symbol of the hubris of man could reflect the horrors of the atomic age (man’s scientific advancement has gone too far).
Literary Context: A Movement poet (embracing Englishness with realism and honesty), Hughes uncovered a kind of autochthonous (indigenous, almost primitive) yet literary language. He is (in)famous for his “poetry of violence”.
quote 1: ‘I sit in the top of the wood’ what could you say about this?
present tense creates a sense of immediacy and along with the first person perspective, allows the reader to identify with the hawk. Reminiscent of being ‘on top of the world’ which indicates his power.
quote 2: ‘The air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray/ are of advantage to me’ what could you say about this?
Believes these natural elements exist only for him which conveys his arrogance.
Possessive pronoun shows how self-centred the hawk is and he imagines himself to be the only important being. Juxtaposition of something so huge and biblical against .foot shows how magnificent the bird thinks he is.
quote 3: ‘Now I hold Creation in my foot’ what could you say about this?
The repeated capital ‘C’ indicates that it refers to a religious event. Reference to holding an animal in its foot and metaphorically in its power.
quote 4: ‘Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly -/ I kill where I please because it is all mine’ what could you say about this?
Implies that the hawk controls the earth turning. Monosyllabic so is direct but also creates a child-like tone.
quote 5: ‘For the one path of my flight is direct/ through the bones of the living’ what could you say about this?
A violent metaphorical image of how the hawk kills. ‘The living’ is a generalised noun phrase that suggests the hawk can kill anything. = reemphasises his power
quote 6: ‘Nothing has changed since I began’ what could you say about this?
Implies the hawk is a product of its environment and that it is one dimensional.
