'Hawk Roosting,' by Ted Hughes (a modern poem)

Question 1

I sit in… my eyes…

Answer 1

I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.

Question 2

It took the whole…

Answer 2

It took the whole of Creation / To produce my foot

Question 3

Now I hold…

Answer 3

Now I hold Creation in my foot

Question 4

My manners…

Answer 4

My manners are tearing off heads

Question 5

I am going to…

Answer 5

I am going to keep things like this.

Question 6

What is the poem about?

Answer 6

Hughes takes the persona of an arrogant, brutal and controlling hawk as it rests between killing its prey.

Question 7

Where did Ted Hughes grow up?

Answer 7

Hughes grew up in rural Yorkshire; this influenced many of his poems.

Question 8

What aspect of nature did Ted Hughes often write about?

Answer 8

Hughes often wrote about the dark and violent side of nature.

Question 9

In which armed force did Ted Hughes serve (and who was he critical of)?

Answer 9

Hughes served in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was sometimes critical of those in power.

Question 10

What did Hughes say when people asked if the hawk symbolises corrupt human leaders?

Answer 10

Hughes insisted that the poem is just a poem about a hawk!