hawk roosting
Analysis of hawk roosting - Ted Hughes
This is a dramatic monologue in the character of a hawk. Hughes dramatizes the hawk’s thoughts and attitudes to the majesty of creation, creating a character of self-focussed, god-like arrogance, of brutality and beauty.
STRUCTURE
The structure of the poem is regular, with verses of four lines each and similar length lines, which create a feeling of tight control, that adds to the theme of power and perfect balance in the hawk. The punctuation is equally tight, with many sentences contained within the line, which gives an abrupt, sharp, controlled feel. However, there is some enjambment, which breaks free of the stanza to run across the line break, as if the hawk can disregard the rules, creating a flowing effect as he lists his powers.
“I sit on the top of the wood, my eyes closed.” – this is the first line of the poem. The first word in the poem is a sign that Hughes is writing in first person, this is called a dramatic monologue. Next, we see the phrase “on top of the wood”. This means literally that the hawk is sat at the top of the tree. However, it also symbolizes that the hawk is at the top of the food chain and that it is in control. Also on the first line, we see the phrase “my eyes closed”. This also literally means that his eyes are closed, but it also means that he has self-confidence that no one will attack him and that he is secure. The second line of the first stanza says “inaction, no falsifying dream”. The phrase “no falsifying dream” means that the hawk doesn’t have any dreams or ambitions, it just wants to kill. This is not surprising because Hughes often wrote poems about animals and he was fascinated about animal instinct and this is a good example of animal instinct. “Between my hooked head and my hooked feet”. In this line we see Hughes use a well-known technique known as repetition on the word “hooked”. This is used in this example to show that it is a violent creature and that it is evolved
This is a dramatic monologue in the character of a hawk. Hughes dramatizes the hawk’s thoughts and attitudes to the majesty of creation, creating a character of self-focussed, god-like arrogance, of brutality and beauty.
STRUCTURE
The structure of the poem is regular, with verses of four lines each and similar length lines, which create a feeling of tight control, that adds to the theme of power and perfect balance in the hawk. The punctuation is equally tight, with many sentences contained within the line, which gives an abrupt, sharp, controlled feel. However, there is some enjambment, which breaks free of the stanza to run across the line break, as if the hawk can disregard the rules, creating a flowing effect as he lists his powers.
“I sit on the top of the wood, my eyes closed.” – this is the first line of the poem. The first word in the poem is a sign that Hughes is writing in first person, this is called a dramatic monologue. Next, we see the phrase “on top of the wood”. This means literally that the hawk is sat at the top of the tree. However, it also symbolizes that the hawk is at the top of the food chain and that it is in control. Also on the first line, we see the phrase “my eyes closed”. This also literally means that his eyes are closed, but it also means that he has self-confidence that no one will attack him and that he is secure. The second line of the first stanza says “inaction, no falsifying dream”. The phrase “no falsifying dream” means that the hawk doesn’t have any dreams or ambitions, it just wants to kill. This is not surprising because Hughes often wrote poems about animals and he was fascinated about animal instinct and this is a good example of animal instinct. “Between my hooked head and my hooked feet”. In this line we see Hughes use a well-known technique known as repetition on the word “hooked”. This is used in this example to show that it is a violent creature and that it is evolved