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Hawk Roosting Analysis of Hawk Roosting
I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed. The hawk serves as the speaker of this poem;
Inaction, no falsifying dream his tone is confident and almost haughty at
Between my hooked head and hooked feet: times, although his belief in his superiority
Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat. appears to be more steeped in honesty than it
does in false bravado. The hawk continuously
The convenience of the high trees! uses the pronoun “I” throughout the course of
The air's buoyancy and the sun's ray the work. Another interesting fact to note
Are of advantage to me; about the poem is that Hughes has written it
And the earth's face upward for my inspection. entirely in the present tense, which adds to the
sense that the hawk has always been, and will
My feet are locked upon the rough bark. always be, at the top of the food chain.
It took the whole of Creation
‘Hawk Roosting’ consists of six stanzas, each
To produce my foot, my each feather:
containing four lines. There is no set rhyme
Now I hold Creation in my foot
scheme to the poem, and Hughes relies on free
verse in order to convey his themes to his
Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly ‐
readers.
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
There is no sophistry in my body:
My manners are tearing off heads ‐
Stanza One
The allotment of death. I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.
For the one path of my flight is direct
Through the bones of the living. (…)
No arguments assert my right: Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.
The sun is behind me. In the first stanza, the hawk seems to be deep
Nothing has changed since I began. in meditation. He does not feel threatened by
My eye has permitted no change. anything in the wild, and therefore, he can
I am going to keep things like this. easily close his eyes and not worry about his
surroundings. He is perched in a tree where he
can easily look down on the forest he inhabits.
‘Hawk Roosting’ is written as a dramatic Hughes uses interesting diction in this stanza in
monologue and is told from the point of view of order to create imagery. He writes, “Between
a hawk. The hawk details all the things in nature my hooked head and hooked feet…” which
that are available to him. He perches in the tall emphasizes the dangerous and sharp beak and
trees, sleeping and looking for his prey. He claws of the bird. In line four, the hawk tells the
believes all that is around him exists for him and reader that he is able to perform the perfect kill
only him. He revels in his predatory nature, even in his sleep.
fearing nothing and staking his claim on
everything. He sees himself as almost god‐like;
all that is around him is the way it is because he
deems it to be that way.
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Stanza Two
The convenience of the high trees!
(…) Stanza Four
And the earth’s face upward for my inspection. Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly –
In the second stanza, the hawk conveys to his (…)
reader how easy and convenient his life is.
My manners are tearing off heads –
Everything in nature, it seems, has been made
for the sake of his pleasure and ease. In line The hawk is essentially saying that he can do
five, the hawk seems to be marveling at how whatever he pleases. He can fly slowly through
much nature has given him; he is so emphatic the air, taking in all of the sights beneath him.
that he even uses an exclamation point to He can kill wherever he pleases because all of
convey his feelings. The trees are high for him; the world belongs to him. There is no need to
the air is buoyant, making it easy for him to lie or pretend otherwise because the hawk can
glide; the sun’s ray gives him warmth. He claims prove his power by tearing off the heads of his
that all of these aspects of nature make his life victims.
more convenient. Hughes also creates a parallel
between up and down. All is below the hawk; The fourth stanza does not end neatly; again,
the earth sits below him so that he can inspect Hughes carries the thoughts of the hawk into
it from his perch. This dichotomy reflects the the fifth stanza.
superiority of the hawk.
Stanza Five
Stanza Three The allotment of death.
My feet are locked upon the rough bark. (…)
(…) No arguments assert my right:
Now I hold Creation in my foot The hawk is so god‐like in this stanza that he
In this stanza, the hawk is announcing his says he chooses who lives and dies. The one
perfection to his reader. Again, he draws flight he makes is the one he takes to kill his
attention to his sharp claws, stabbing into the prey. There are no arguments necessary
tree limb as he perches. He explains that it took because he is all‐powerful.
Creation—probably capitalized here in order to
represent God—everything He possessed in
order to produce just one of the hawk’s feet, Stanza Six
and each and every feather on his body. This The sun is behind me.
stanza gives an image of a higher power hard at
work, slaving over how to create such a great (…)
and powerful being. Now, the hawk proclaims,
I am going to keep things like this.
he, himself, is God, more powerful than any
being on both Earth and in Heaven. The sixth and final stanza closes ‘Hawk
Roosting’ in an absolute way. The hawk claims
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that the world has not changed since he was n the title of the poem ‘,” roosting” suggests the
created. Since then, it has been perfect and hawk is still, not a swooping bird of prey as we
permanent. He says it has not changed because may imagine. This gives a sense of the hawk
he has not allowed it to do so. meditating on his powers of destruction
Historical Context The tone is haughty. The hawk is focused and
not distracted – “no falsifying
Particularly in Ted Hughes’ earlier poetry, he
dream”
liked to use nature to symbolize the plight of
man. In ‘Hawk Roosting’, one can easily The language creates an arrogance to the hawk
compare the hawk to a human, unarguably the – “I hold Creation in my foot”, “it
most powerful and resourceful being on the is all mine”
planet.
There is a sense of control and that the hawk is
Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes playing God throughout the poem – “allotment
of death”
Ted Hughes (193O‐1998) served as the British
Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death, for Final words – “I am going to keep things like
which he was awarded the Order of Merit by this” shows the power that the hawk has. It is a
Queen Elizabeth II. Born in West Yorkshire, he statement suggesting he is king of the animal
studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and kingdom and untouchable
then spent much of his time in Devon. This is
The poem is about the hawk bragging of his
one of the many poems he wrote on nature and
power. The hawk assumes he’s the one with the
the natural world. At the time of writing Hughes
most significant and strong creature in the
was living in America with his wife, Sylvia Plath.
universe, manipulating the universe. The hawk
Key points explains how he wants to kill his victims in an,
especially aggressive manner. It may be a
The poem Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes is an
symbol for the actions of politicians or citizens
animal poem. The speaker of this poem is a
in general.
hawk. The hawk is looking down on the earth
beneath him. He starts the poem perched on
the top of a tree, preparing to swoop on his
Thus, the hawk is portrayed by the poet as
next pray. His actions and tone are exceedingly
powerful and damaging. He’s proud of his own
arrogant, and he compares himself to God. He is
perfection and quality. The hawk’s attitude is
very proud of his position in the food chain and
vain and arrogant. It’s all‐powerful in its own
his right to choose who survives and who dies.
eyes. However, Hughes said the poem was not
He doesn’t want to mess with the normal order
about cruelty – he only tried to reveal the
of life.
hawks a ‘natural way of thinking’
Ted Hughes writes this poem in which he places
himself in the hawk’s body and mind. The hawk
is depicted as an arrogant megalomaniac, and
Hughes is very good at demonstrating how the
hawks’ mind functions in several different
scenarios and locations.
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Theme of Hawk Roosting As it says, “Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and
eat,” the poet seems to suggest that the Hawk
The themes of the poem revolve around power,
is not being hypocritical or making any false
arrogance, and self‐indulgence. The hawk
claims. “Inaction, no falsifying dream” projects
reflects dominance and arrogance at the same
the fact that the Hawk achieves what it stands
time because he believes he’s the most
for and claims to be its own. It does not need to
powerful animal in the woods and he’s unaware
indulge in any falsification.
of the fact that he can’t have it all, the Hughes
poem illustrates this very well by using a lot of STANZA TWO
emotive languages and a summary of how the
The second stanza strikes a note of self‐
hawk believes.
satisfaction and attainment; “The convenience
SUMMARY OF Hawk Roosting of the high trees!” marked by the sign of
exclamation connotes how the Hawk takes the
STANZA ONE
entire nature to be at its service. The “air’s
‘Hawk roosting’ is a significant example of Ted buoyancy and the sun’s ray” are all “of
Hughes’ love for nature and his special bonding advantage” to the Hawk. The tone of pride and
with the natural world, which leads him to place arrogance signifies the hawk’s confidence in its
the Hawk at a special pedestal. own superior vision; the earth seems to be at
an inferior position as it ‘faces upward’ for the
The title of the poem ‘Hawk roosting’ upholds hawk’s “inspection”; so, the Hawk thinks.
the position of The Hawk as the protagonist and
the speaker in the poem. Written in the first STANZA THREE
person, The Hawk has been personified as it
The third stanza follows the process of creation
proclaims its superiority over the human world.
as the word “Creation” is repeated and
All through its length, the poem follows a
personified which takes the Hawk once again to
consistent structure, each stanza being a
contemplate upon its position. As the Hawk sits
quartet, which suggests the indisputable
perched up upon the tree with its feet “locked
supremacy of the Hawk. The Hawk becomes a
upon the rough bark,” the Hawk considers the
metaphor for power.
entire Creation to have been involved to
The opening line “I sit in the top of the wood, produce ‘its foot’, its, “each feather”. The tone
my eyes closed,” signifies the exalted position of arrogance is highlighted in the words, “Now I
of the Hawk. The poem strikes a meditative and hold Creation in my foot.” The personification
ruminating mood as the Hawk seems to take a of the Hawk through the entire length of the
pause and justify its superiority. The use of poem brings the bird of prey into a unique
caesura that holds the pace right at the outset significance.
in the opening line signifies the tone of quiet
contemplation, also suggested by the ‘closed
eyes’. The repetition of the word “hooked”, STANZA FOUR
“Between my hooked head and hooked feet”,
The enjambment in the lines at the start of
suggests how the Hawk takes pride in its special
stanza four, continuing with the concluding line
ability as a bird of prey and whether in sleep or
of the preceding stanza, “Now I hold Creation in
action the Hawk is aware of its special talent.
my foot/ Or fly, and revolve it all slowly”
Suggest the superiority of The Hawk in all
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circumstances whether sitting with its feet behind me.” The use of the negative, “Nothing
“locked upon the rough bark” or encircling in has changed since I began” supports the hawk’s
the sky to sight its prey. “I kill where I please unprecedented position. “My eye has permitted
because it’s all mine” reinforces the truth that no change. I am going to keep things like this.”
the Hawk does not deviate from its claim of leads the concluding stanza to justify the hawk’s
being a killer and states it honestly and bluntly might, power and authority. The concluding
that it kills where ‘it pleases’ and it seems that lines assert the Hawk’s might and position that
the entire world and Creation is under the the Hawk maintains to be all of its own. It is not
Hawk’s control. It proclaims it’s godlike position willing to exchange it with anyone else. Even
as it announces how it holds creation in its foot the mighty sun is seen to play a secondary role
considering itself to be no example of and supports its presence. The poem acquires
“sophistry” as suggested by the use of the symbolic and metaphysical interpretation as the
negative, “There is no sophistry in my body:” poem links to the circle of life, suggesting that
The Hawk is brutally honest and the use of the the superior position of the Hawk and its reign
language of aggression supports its brutal (Rule) will never end.
honesty and its brutality. “My manners are
The poem “Hawk Roosting” deals with the
tearing off heads” The Hawk takes a brutal
character of a hawk, a bird of prey, which is
pride in its brutal strength. As an undertone,
resting on a tree. The poem contains the first‐
the poet seems to suggest the difference
person narrator (I, my, me, mine), and it
between the Hawk and human cruelty as they
represents the thoughts, in a kind of internal
do so under the garb of the facade (cover) and
monologue, through the mind of the hawk. The
the veil of hypocrisy. The blatant truth spoken
poem conveys to us an unmistakable picture of
by the Hawk symbolizes its honesty and bare
the hawk through a few characteristic details —
reality in contrast with the duplicity exercised in
‘hooked head … hooked feet’, but it goes
the human world.
further than this and gives us a vivid impression
STANZA FIVE of the spirit, or character of the hawk — of the
particular manifestation of the life‐force that is
The 5th stanza opens with the simple
seen in it, – and which is similar to human
declarative statement, “The allotment of
character and life‐force.
death.” The Hawk’s words resound the
command of the ruthless dictators as it is seen
to define its role as a creator and a destroyer
who decides who lives and who dies. The
absence of caesura accompanies the hawk’s
projection of the uninterrupted headlong ‘path
of its flight’ through “the bones of the living”.
“No arguments assert my right:” make use of
the negative to reinforce the hawk’s authority
and domination which does not accept any
arguments, confrontation or negation.
STANZA SIX
The concluding stanza once again makes a
simple declarative statement: “The Sun is
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Ted Hughes (related to ‘resting’): the taking up of a position
on a tree or other high object by a bird during
Hughes quotes ―
the night, or when not otherwise engaged.
The words of the poem represent the thoughts,
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
in a kind of internal monologue, which the
There is no sophistry in my body:
writer supposes to be running through the mind
My manners are tearing off heads‐
of the hawk. We are reminded by the poem
― Ted Hughes |Hawk Roos ng that the hawk always gives an impression of
being a fierce, cruel, arrogant creature.
Summary / Paraphrase
In the background of our mind now arise all the
I sit on the top of the wood. My eyes are closed. animal fables we have come across in our lives
I am in inaction, having no false dream, in which animals are given individual characters,
between my hooked head and hooked feet are able to speak like human beings, and which
(position of sleeping). Or I am in sleep are often used to convey some kind of moral
rehearsing perfect kills and feeding myself. lesson. But, in this poem, there is no narrative
There is much convenience on the high tree. introduction — indeed not even a ‘story of any
The air is pleasant and there is enough sunlight. kind. Our attention is concentrated on the hawk
Air and sunlight are advantageous to me. From itself, characteristically perched on the highest
the top of the trees I can observe the earth. I tree in the wood, or forest; and we are asked to
catch hold of the bark with my feet. It took the follow a sequence of thoughts and opinions
whole of creation to produce my foot and each which, according to the writer’s imagination,
of my feathers. Now I hold creation in my foot. are passing through its mind. This is not just an
Or I fly up, and revolve it all slowly. I kill where I ‘animal poem’. We rather get an impression
please because it is all mine. There is no that there is more to the poem than that. As
sophistry (falsehood) in my body. My manners ‘we begin to investigate the development, and
are tearing off heads (cutting the heads off). It is to glimpse the intention, we begin to see that
simply allotment of death‐the dealing out of here too, as in other traditional animal fables,
death (his existence flourishes upon “the bones there is an underlying meaning. The poem
of the living”). One path of my flight is direct certainly begins with the perceptive
through the bones of the living. No arguments presentation of just a ‘hawk roosting’, but it
can be given or accepted against my right. The goes much beyond that, and we soon
sun is behind me. Nothing has changed since I understand that the hawk is offered as a
began (since my origin). My eye has permitted symbol. The writer abstains from ever stating
no change. I am going to keep things like this. what the bird stands for, for nowhere has the
Analysis writer stated his intention openly. He has
affixed no obvious moral or proverb from which
The poem “Hawk Roosting” leaves us with a we can grasp his intention without the need for
slight sense of bewilderment, in the sense that any real thought. He has obviously been ‘writing
it presents us with something not immediately for fairly sophisticated readers, and the
and completely coherent, something different significance gradually grows as we read the
from anything we have me before. The tale poem over thoughtfully, until it becomes
guides us a little at first. ‘Hawk Roosting’ – something of a certainty by the final line.
hawk, a bird of prey, we think: ‘roosting’
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Along with the development of the poem, we produce him — that he is the final culmination,
see that its language is also remarkable. From or triumph, of the whole of existence. Now that
the very first line we have an impression of the Creation has evolved him, he in his turn has
economical, sparing nature of the language asserted his power, and assumed control of the
used: “I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes processes which have produced him. The
closed.” This is followed bluntly by the single passing attention given to the details — ‘my
word “Inaction” which starkly, without the aid foot, my each feather’ — conveys the vivid
of a completed sentence, tells us of the intensity with which the hawk seems conscious
absolute immobility of the hawk, as though of every single element in its make up. If he
deeply involved in inward thoughts. Then we chooses to ‘fly up’, he goes on to think, the
follow the hawk’s reflection that, although it is whole world seems to revolve according to his
motionless, it is certainly not ‘dreaming’: no own movements.
fantasies, visions, speculations or ideals occur in
As he flies along, he remembers how he looks
its mind to interrupt the complete coordination
for a chance to kill wherever he sees a suitable
between its ‘hooked head’ and its ‘hooked
opportunity; and this, in his self‐centred mind,
feet’, between the brain which thinks and the
makes him feel like a tyrant with unrestricted
feet which act. If anything takes place at all, it is
power over his subjects! who can act as he
the ‘rehearsal’, the mental repetition of ‘perfect
pleases without permission, remorse or pity
kills’. This suggests, rather gloatingly, the swift,
‘because it is all mine’. His nature is entirely
sudden, unerring way in which a hawk will
physical and natural; in his body, he thinks,
swoop down on its prey and carry it off to eat
there is ‘no sophistry’, no discussion, no
on its lofty perch.
deliberation, no ‘dispute of what is fit and not’,
The hawk’s pride seems to expand in the no questioning of the truth or the justice of any
second stanza: it is obviously pleased with itself, action. His ‘manners’ and his habits go no
unafflicted by doubts, hesitation or fears, and further than the ruthless ‘tearing off heads’, the
expresses itself in an almost arrogant way. The ‘allotment’ – the dealing out – of death. His
high trees (on which it depends) seem to be existence flourishes upon ‘the bones of the
there for its own, exclusive convenience; the living’. His ‘right’ – to do as he pleases – is not
air, with its supporting buoyancy, on which it based on any argument, or any form of legality,
rides and soars, the warmth and light of the which could be discussed and therefore perhaps
sun, similarly seem to exist solely for its challenged – it is absolute. ‘L’etat c’est moi’
‘advantage’. The whole earth spread out below, (The State is myself) in the words of Louis XIV,
as the hawk flies or sits on his lofty perch, “Le roi soleil”, ‘the sun king’, the absolute
seems to him to be offering itself submissively monarch of pre‐revolutionary France in the
for ‘inspection’, as a slave or soldier might early eighteenth century.
submit to inspection by his master or
Symbols
commander. His hooked feet, which are tightly
‘locked’ upon the branch, seem in his thoughts On a careful reading, our minds easily make the
to signify the complete power, the absolute transition from bird life to human life, upon
power, he feels over the whole Creation — as which the poem depends, and which unlocks its
he understands it. And in his mind arises the symbolism. While we continue to recognize that
idea that the whole Creation, the whole each of the statements or sentiments attributed
universe, with its long painstaking process of to the hawk do match its physical, hawk‐like
evolution, has had no other purpose than to qualities, the real topic of the poem has
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broadened our, and what we are considering is conceited; he is surely a king who thinks of
the extension of the hawk into human affairs, himself of a God, a divinely and naturally
whether in history or in the contemporary justified tyrant, a ruler who rules not because
world. We find we are thinking about the he is wanted or respected, but one who says
phenomenon of powerful, ruthless, deadly that even if he is wrong, “still I must rule”.
physical force, unsupported by any kind of
‘Hawk Roosting’ is a poem in which ‘meaning’
legality or morality, and devoid of any mercy,
and ‘technique’ are so closely interwoven that
humanity, or humility. Of such power the hawk
they can hardly be separated, and many of the
is a perfect symbol – and we recall how many of
more usual matters for commentary and
the mighty rulers, the great tyrants of history,
‘appreciation’ hardly seem to arise. If we search
have adopted birds of prey (the eagle, the
the poem for more formal, recognizable aspects
falcon) or beasts of prey (the lion, the leopard,
of technique, we observe that it has no regular
the wolf) as their personal emblems. As we read
metre, no rhyming pattern (apart from
through to the end of the poem, each additional
‘feet’/’eat’); few unusual words suggesting a
detail confirms this interpretation. The sun is
resourceful vocabulary: no ingenious simile or
‘behind’ the hawk, both literally as he searches
metaphors. Yet the poem certainly gives us a
the earth for prey, and also in his mind
great impression of compactness, organization
symbolically, in the sense that the sun, the
and force. The poem has an irregular line‐by‐
great source and preserver of life, helps to
line structure: the lines are of unequal length,
maintain and guarantee his power. His eye,
with no regular stresses apart from those given
severe, unflinching – the imperious all‐seeing
by the normal speech stresses, but each one
eye of the bird of prey – ‘permits’, as he
seems to contain a significant new slab of
supposes, ‘no change’: no evolution of
meaning to add to what has gone before, and
institutions, no reforms, no improvement, no
the mental effort needed to – assimilate each
challenge to his authority. The final line of the
line to what has gone before gives the poem a
poem proclaims, without any doubt, his
slow, weighty movement.
satisfaction with the status quo, with the
existing system, and his determination to ‘keep The grouping of four lines at a time into a very
things like this’. plain stanza form again contributes to the
steady, measured growth of the ideas of the
Themes and Meanings
poem, and one may sense a remorseless
Many terms and expressions make the rhythmic effect in the poem as a whole, which is
expressions only humanly significant rather the dramatic counterpart of the heavy, resistant
than plausibly spoken of a real or mythical bird. mind of the hawk, and of what the hawk
For instance, the hawk’s “feet are locked upon symbolizes.
the rough bark” suggesting that his status is
Forms and Devices
firm, and he must needs not fear any
overthrow. And when he says that there can be The choice of words is also interesting. While no
“no arguments to assert my rights”, we see the single word or expression is unusual or far‐
unmistakably human terms signifying that the fetched, the poem is not ‘easy’ to read: it just
poem’s subject is absolutely human. If we are cannot be read quickly or lightly. Partly this is
critical at this point, we see that he is saying because the writer seems deliberately to have
that there can be no argument not to “oppose” avoided any of the usual ‘word‐grease’, the
his rights but to “assert” them! How vainly familiar collocations, the quickly recognized
9 | P a g e H a w k R o o s t i n g
word groups which help us smoothly to enter coasts “high into the sky”, thereby solidifying its
into a situation (e.g. Ladies and Gentlemen!, role at the top of the ecosystem.
Once upon a time!, This is the story of…). Every
The hawk is described as a highly intelligent but
single ‘word needs careful evaluation in its
dangerous creature, that can “polite[ly].. kill
context, just as much by a native English
when and where I want.” It answers to no one
speaker as by a second‐language student. It is
and refuses to let any other creature take over
also due to the fact that so many of the
its title as a key predator.
expressions from which the writer has built up
the poem have a strong ironic element in them, Speaker
i.e. they invite us to interpret them at two levels
of significance. The apparently simple, “Hawk Roosting” is a dramatic monologue
colloquial phrases which aptly fit the rather narrative in the first person by a speaker that is
unsophisticated mind of the hawk: “the the hawk itself. The predatory bird makes no
convenience of the high trees… of advantage to attempt to soften its image and instead seems
me… it is all mine… the sun is behind me… I am to be almost boastful about its single‐minded
going to keep things like this.” Such expressions devotion to being a flying eating machine.
also expresses its colossal, self‐centered Personification is the driving force in this work
impertinence; and the process of following up of verse as the poet has endowed the bird of
the two layers of meaning again prevents us prey with characteristics that takes its delight in
from rushing through the poem in a superficial killing beyond the instinctual.
way. Over the course of the narrative the hawk
Much would be missed by a reader who did not displays traits commonly associated with
respond to the ironical double meaning of the narcissistic grandeur in the world of human
poem: it would seem a rather rough, ugly, psychology. Within that distinctive display of an
ineffective piece of writing. In fact, this seems avian sense of entitlement and superiority, the
to be a subtle and yet a most powerful poem. hawk also briefly but affirmatively manifests an
The apparent simplicity and the actual ethical code that explicitly rejects Judeo‐
complexity is a characteristic feature of modern Christian morality in favor of a more
poems like this. evolutionary set of values conforming to the
laws of nature.
Hawk Roosting Themes
The poem describes the Speaker as a hawk,
quietly resting in the forest. The hawk is Nature
thinking about killing its prey and does not The entire setting is based upon nature – the
seem to shed any remorse or guilt at the violent hawk is a physical embodiment of the strength
thoughts plaguing its mind. and power that nature can elicit. Indeed, the
However, the animalistic and violent nature of hawk is a highly powerful and vicious creature
the hawk is not something to be afraid of, that sits at the higher rankings of the
rather something to appreciate as it is a part of ecosystem. It acts with great tact and is driven
nature. The hawk is well in‐tune with nature, as by “logic.” Despite the apparent viciousness of
it “floats” in the air and “faces the sky.” Hughes its act, the hawk is simply a part of nature,
describes the hawk as a fearsome creature that suggesting that it is neither cruel nor evil, but
simply a part of life.
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Violence Speaker
Violence is mainly portrayed through the The lines allude to both the theory of evolution
thoughts of the hawk as it hunts for its prey. It and the religious concept of creation and
gruesomely describes “tearing off creator. The hawk identifies the natural order of
heads” and “dream[s] about killing [its] prey the universe by referring to the circle of life in
perfectly.” Despite the cruel and harshness of the wild. It evolved as a means of survival and
the tone, the hawk is simply stating that became a killing machine that feeds on prey
violence is a part of nature and therefore is a which is part of creation too. Each creature
part of life. serves its purpose in nature and the hawk views
itself as a dominant component in the balance.
Death
Moreover, the quotation denotes the hawk as a
In some way, the hawk can be deemed an supreme being similar to God with power over
executioner of death. it uses “logic” and tact to other creatures. Accordingly, Hughes captures
ensure the “perfect” catch. The hawk states the mindset of a bird of prey by its ability to
that “death gets dished out” however it wants, have a higher vantage point and attacking its
suggesting that there are many ways one can target.
endure death.
Nothing has changed since I began.
My eye has permitted no change.
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
I am going to keep things like this.
There is no sophistry in my body:
Speaker
My manners are tearing off heads ‐
The hawk brazenly declares its true nature
Speaker which involves attacking and killing preys
without remorse. It rationalizes the instinctual
The hawk exemplifies the part of nature that drives as part of nature’s law of balance that
exists beyond the restrictions of human ensures the natural order of things. Since its
morality. As the speaker, the hawk motivations are not calculated or fallacious its
acknowledges its nature which involves mauling actions go beyond moral judgments. The hawk
and killing to fulfill its impulses. The bird is has and will not change its perspective because
unapologetic in its tone because it is driven by it only knows to abide by its true nature. It is a
forces of nature that surpass any moral formidable creature with the capability to instill
judgment. It takes pleasure in hunting and fear and swiftly attack its target victims or prey.
killing not from a place of malice or wickedness Thus, it accomplishes its purpose in the
but because of its inherent desires. The hawk predator‐prey interactions that maintain the
affirms its superiority over the prey and the ecological balance.
only etiquette it can show is mangling and
slaying it.
It took the whole of Creation The poem personifies the hawk, giving him
human thoughts, and it opens up with the
To produce my foot, my each feather: image of the hawk sitting on top of a tree with
Now I hold Creation in my foot eyes closed. He is not dreaming, only resting
11 | P a g e H a w k R o o s t i n g
from his hunts and thinking about the next The natural order
ones.
There is a suggestion in this poem that certain
Me, my, I: the hawk is very self‐absorbed, features of the hawk symbolize its predatory
thinking the entire world is his hunting ground nature. For example, the hawk has a "hooked
made for his convenience. The third stanza head" and "hooked feet," features that paint
shows more of the hawk’s narcissistic, self‐ the hawk as violent and predatory. This is
absorbed, thoughts. He sees himself as the significant symbolically, as it suggests that the
perfect specimen of creation, and now he holds hawk was designed to act this way, and
Creation in his claws. therefore is not necessarily acting of its own
free will.
The poem continues with the self‐absorbed
possessive pronouns: the hawk comments on Manners
the entire world being his (“mine”) created for
The hawk's "manners" symbolize its cruel and
him to kill wherever he wants. He is a killing
cold nature. Hughes describes this in the
machine, his purpose and his right is to bring
following passage:
death, to tear of heads, to kill.
"I kill where I please because it is all mine.
The Final stanza closes the poem with the hawk
There is no sophistry in my body:
commenting that things were always like this
My manners are tearing off heads."
for him, and that he will never permit
otherwise. The personified hawk that is given The Hawk
very human thoughts is reminiscent of a very
certain type of humans: narcissistic, self‐ The hawk can be seen as a symbol of nature's
absorbed, lacking empathy and consideration cruelty. The hawk has a very cold attitude about
for anyone else. his prey, believing that they belong to him as it
is his "right."
Hawk Roosting Symbols, Allegory and Motifs
Allegory for society
This poem might be seen as an allegory about
society. The hawk has been born into an Hawk Roosting Literary Elements
advantaged position in nature's hierarchy, but Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
he doesn't feel any responsibility for those
beneath him, instead believing that it is his The speaker of this poem is a hawk, who is
natural right to hunt his prey. Here, Hughes may personified in this poem to give us an insight
be saying something about the attitude that into how a predatory animal might think.
more advantaged people often have in society. Form and Meter
"Top of the wood" This poem is written in free verse.
The fact that the hawk sits "in the top of the Metaphors and Similes
wood," represents his place at the top of the
food chain. The hawk is a predator and believes Hughes uses a metaphor to describe how the
that the wildlife of the wood belongs to him hawk feels about his surroundings: "And the
due to this position. earth's face upward for my inspection."
12 | P a g e H a w k R o o s t i n g
Alliteration and Assonance Personification
"To produce my foot, my each feather." Hughes personifies the hawk in this poem.
Irony
Ironically, the Hawk's intentions of "tearing off Hyperbole
heads" are described as being "manners"
The hawk uses hyperbole to describe its
Genre position at the top of the hierarchy. For
example, the hawk says:
Nature poetry
"It took the whole of Creation
Setting
To produce my foot, my each feather."
This poem is set in a forest, where the hawk
Why does Hughes write from the perspective
lives.
of an animal in this poem?
Tone
Many of Hughes' poems are about the
The tone of the poem is quite morbid. experiences of animals, as this was one of his
key interests. His poem "Hawk Roosting" is
Protagonist and Antagonist written from the perspective of a hawk, giving
The hawk is arguably both the protagonist and the reader an insight into the mind of an
antagonist animal, and what it might be concerned with
within its daily life. As such, he chose to write
Major Conflict from the perspective of an animal as it provides
The major conflict of this poem is the hawk's a more interesting viewpoint for the reader.
feelings about his position in the ecosystem. How is the Hawk different from a human
Climax speaker?
The climax of the poem is when the hawk says One way in which the hawk is different from a
"I am going to keep things like this." human speaker is his lack of emotions and
sentimentality. The hawk is a predator and does
Foreshadowing not care about its prey. Here, Hughes is
suggesting something about the brutality and
Hughes indicates the cruelty of the hawk in the
cruelty of nature, as it does not have a human
following line:
capacity for emotion.
"Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat."
What is the attitude of the hawk?
Understatement
The hawk is positioned at the top of nature's
Hughes suggests that people often understate
hierarchy, as it is a predator. However, the
the cruelty of the natural world.
hawk does not have any sympathy for those
Allusions below him, instead believing that he is entitled
to this position. For example, the hawk states "I
By referring to "Creation," Hughes alludes to a
kill where I please because it is all mine."
religious way of thinking.