Hawk Roosting Flashcards
Six stanzas of four lines represent
No commas
strength and control of the hawk. There is not a sign of weakness throughout the poem’s structure at all, as even short lines express strength and confidence with the full stops.
No commas = certainty and direction
The hawk can be said to represent…
dictators who threaten people with violence in order to be able to control everything. The Nazi symbol was a hawk on a wreath, and the first line “I sit on top of the wood, my eyes closed” is a reference to this.
The allotment…
of death
Hitler used to place dead bodies in allotments so this could also be a reflection of the hawk acting as a dictator
The first and last lines both beginning with “I”
show selfishness and it seems that its only concern is itself
Hooked head and
hooked feet
“hooked” creates a sharp and violent sound - emphasis on his ‘weapons’ which have helped him to kill and get on top of the world
It took the whole
To produce my foot,…
of Creation
my every feather
The hawk makes out tat he is the most important because it did not just take part of Creation. This elevates his superiority.
Now I hold Creation in my foot
It is almost as if the hawk takes advantage of Creation (God) to get to the top of the world
He is in control even over what the reader would have thought is the most powerful force in the world
“foot” is usually regarded as a rather lowly part of the body - holding Creation in his foot makes him seem very superior to it - placing what created him below him he is God?
My manners are tearing off heads
Tearing off heads contradicts manners as “tearing” would be replaced with a gentler word. Shows brutality and the enjoyment of it.
My eyes have permitted no change.
The hawk is part of nature and acts as if he is the most powerful force in the world, possibly the universe as he seems to acts as though he is above Creation (capital C synonymous with God). There has not been any change and there will not be any.
