Hawk Roosting

Ted Hughes

1. Find three observations the hawk makes about its world that a human would probably
not make. What do these remarks tell us about the bird’s character?

No Falsifying Dream
I think hawk is more likely preserved his thought rather than used it to fantasized
his own dream. Human just like me would probably spend their resting time
overthinking all the things that they wanted to do or the things that they haven’t
done.

There is no sophistry in my body

Hawk mean what he really meant to do or to think. Human on the other hand,
overusing sophistry as he covers up his reason for doing such things—human
used his philosophical skills to encourage someone to agree for his belief.

The sun is behind me.

Nothing has changed since I began.
My eye has permitted no change.
I am going to keep things like this.

Hawk never change his mind and way of life. Human changes his mind based on
the situation and experiences that he might encounter along his life.
 2. In what ways does Ted Hughes create an unrealistic portrayal of the hawk’s
true mental powers? What statements in the poem would an actual hawk be
unlikely to make? Do these passages add anything to the poem’s impact?
What would be lost if they were omitted?

Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly-

I kill where I please because it is all mine.
There is no sophistry in my body:
My manners are tearing off heads-

The allotment of death.

For the one path of my flight is direct
Through the bones of the living.
No arguments assert my right:

Ted Hughes’ Hawk Roosting relies on personification. It focusses on the bird who is speaking to
itself, like a human - describing violent scenes, claiming domination, which means that the
reader has to wrestle with ideas that go beyond the animal kingdom and into the realm of the
human and associated psychological and political issues.

Maybe some readers see in the ruthless behavior of the hawk for instance, a despot or dictator, a
figure that cares only about power, a symbol of the fascist. Ted Hughes never intended this to be
the case but the way the poem is worded, detailing explicit violence and arrogant god-like
thoughts, the reader can't help but entertain the idea.

The hawk, roosting in the top of a tree in a wood, is given a voice that is human and the ensuing
monologue is an attempt to get right into the soul of the raptor and understand just what hawk
essence is.
Using single sentences, lots of end stops, some enjambment and repetition, the stanzas are tightly
controlled but given a sense of freedom by lack of rhyme and plodding beats.

Reference:
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Poem-Hawk-Roosting-by-Ted-Hughes