Hawk Roosting

Chapter Summary

Ted Hughes created a monologue of a hawk in his poem ‘Hawk Roosting’. The hawk in this poem mentioned itself as the supreme creator and it could kill and eat anything even in its dreams. It sat in the highest branches of the trees to scrutinise its prey from the top. No animal could hide from its gaze and it felt pride about that fact as it mentioned its hooked eyes and feet. It could fly high in the air and face the earth for its inspection.

The buoyancy of air and sun ray worked to its advantage while it was flying. It could fly high or revolve around its prey slowly. It claims that its entire prowess is not false and it is even superior to God. All the creatures and God have created this creature with their utmost effort. Now, it ruled every creature and could kill anyone anywhere as per its pleasure. The hawk could fly in one direction without beating its wings. This shows how right he was about the direction it took. It had even left the sun behind. The whole poem is written in past tense that shows how the hawk's claims are and will remain true.

Physical features and Prowess of the Hawk Highlighted in the Poem

The hawk in the poem Hawk Roosting had sharp eyes with what it could kill even in its sleep. It had cutting claws to balance perfectly in the rough bark and to hold the whole world under it. It had long wings to cut through the wind and revolve around the whole world slowly to inspect its prey. The hawk is superior in every way and there is no fake bravery in it. It was a savage creature as every physical feature of the hawk could tear off heads.

Emphasis on the Physical Prowess of the Hawk

The hawk himself has emphasised its physical prowess, in this poem. It sat at the top branch in the woods as it saw itself at the top of the food chain. It appeared superior and violent to the rest of the creatures. The poem talked about how the hawk could kill and eat perfectly even in dreams. It believed that the whole world gathered and made its wings, claws and eyes with utmost perfection. It revolved around the world with its wings slowly as it minutely observed its prey. It does not kill only for hunger but also for mere pleasure and it can kill anywhere it pleases.

‘‘There is no sophistry in my body’’—this statement expresses the brutal frankness of the hawk. Does the poet suggest something through this statement?

The poet here spoke through the monologue of the hawk to express the authority of the hawk. The poet with the above line wanted to suggest that even the almighty God is nothing in comparison to the hawk. God and all the other creatures of the world gathered with unity to create that creature and now the hawk is ruling the other creatures and Gods. All of these claims are not false as he can kill anyone in his sleep too. Its narcissism towards its physical prowess represents the hawk as the ultimate brutal creature.

‘‘Now I hold Creation in my foot’’—Explain the centrality of this assertion in the poem.

The hawk, in this poem, sat at the topper branch in the woods. The position of its sitting was above every other creature and it could see all the other creatures from the top. The size of the other creatures looked small from the top view. This expresses the fact that how big was in terms of all the other creatures in the world. It thought that the creatures of the whole world and God had delicately created the hawk and now it was holding the whole creation in its feet. It could look upon its prey and kill it whenever it wanted, which shows how supreme it was from others.

Why is the poem entitled ‘Hawk Roosting’?

Hawk Roosting is a dramatic monologue of the poem's main character, the hawk. The term roosting suggests the resting or sleeping of a bird. In the above-mentioned poem, the hawk sits at the top of a tree and talks about its physical qualities. The hawk talked about how supremely powerful it is and will remain forever while resting in that branch. It spoke about all the power and prowess it has during its roosting. That's why the poem is entitled Hawk Roosting.

The Parallel Suggested Between the Predatory Instincts of the Bird and Human Behaviour

The poet Ted Hughes is famous for his poems where he portrays violent images of animals or birds or fishes. It is a deliberate attempt made by the poet to create a comparison of animal instincts with human behaviour. In this poem too, the poet creates a personification of humans with the hawk. The hawk here is a narcissistic creature and it says that its supremacy claims are not false.

Similarly, human beings are sometimes self-absorbed and hungry for power. They do not think about other people sometimes and would go to the extreme to gain what they want just like the hawk. Every human being feels or wants to feel supreme just like the hawk in this poem.

FAQs

Q1. What does Creation mean in this poem?

Ans. The poet meant all living beings by the word Creation. However, in the next line, he also included God among the Creation and said that the hawk possesses the power that is higher than God.

Q2. What suggests the pride of the hawk?

Ans. The hawk, in this poem, has kept repeating the word hooked by saying hooked head or hooked feet. This suggests the special ability of the hawk to catch its prey. It is very efficient in its task and therefore it takes pride in its abilities.

Q3. What does the hawk do in its sleep?

Ans. The hawk practices killing and eating in its sleep and he kills whenever he wants to kill. This shows how superior it feels about itself even in its sleep.