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Hawk Roosting Aniela Baseley 13 FO The poem is written by poet Ted Hughes. In his life time Hughes has published many poems about nature and animals. The poem has six stanzas, all written in the first person, with no discernable rhyming scheme. The poem represents a hawk, as it roosts on a tree top, watching over the world and contemplating life. This hawk sees itself, as the centre of the world and the best of creation. He believes he controls the world, bringing death to anything below him that dares to question his authority. The poem shows the reader that nature isn't always beautiful, and the hawk is a metaphor of humans, because humans dominate the world, as does this hawk. ...read more.


The high trees, which he roosts on, are convenient to give him a good view of the world. The air allows him to float while searching, and the sun allows him to lock on to the prey, the earth is facing upwards for his inspection. The attitude here makes the hawk appear to be royal or God like. For example, he is like a king inspecting his subjects; the rodents he hunts have no other purpose but to serve him a feed. He rules as a dictator, by force. The hawk in the third stanza sees himself as the centre of creation, " It took the whole of creation, to produce my foot, my each feather." ...read more.


The fifth stanza restates that the hawk's sole purpose in life is merely to kill. His fulfilment in life is through death, " Through bones of the living." The hawk has no need for arguments, because nothing will get in his way. Finally the hawk points out that nothing changes in his life, and he will not allow for change, "my eye has permitted no change." The hawk is happy with life as it is, and supports this with a status quo, "I am going to keep things like this." The poem is not about a creator but about ones power and control, the study of a natural world and the power with in it. Arrogance embraces everything the hawk says, he kills all who dare to challenge his authority; and this is similar to how man rules to world today. ...read more.

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Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

There are attempts to analyse the poem and the writer shows some level of understanding. However, the absence of a title means that the essay lacks a focus and as a result, the analysis takes a chronological approach, often leading to a narrative summary of the poem. A focused question with a clearly planned answer would have led to a more developed analysis. Increased exploration of poetic devices (present tense, language style, structural choices to name a few) and their effects would have improved the content of the essay. It is also important to recognise that any reading of the poem, for example how it might be a metaphorical comment on power, is only one interpretation.


Marked by teacher Lucy Snell 06/04/2012

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