Hawk roosting - Ted Hughes

• Where does the speaker sit in the poem?

  At the top of the wood
• What is the speaker's state of being at the beginning of the poem?

  They are inaction with eyes closed
• What does the phrase "hooked head and hooked feet" suggest about the speaker?

  It implies a predatory or bird-like nature
• What does the speaker rehearse in their sleep?

  Perfect kills
• What advantages does the speaker mention about being in the high trees?

  Buoyancy of air and sun's ray
• What does the speaker mean by "the earth's face upward for my inspection"?

  They can observe everything from above
• How are the speaker's feet described in relation to the tree?

  Locked upon the rough bark
• What does the speaker imply about the creation of their foot and feathers?

  It took the whole of Creation to produce them
• What does the speaker mean by "I kill where I please because it is all mine"?

  They feel a sense of ownership over their domain
• What does the phrase "There is no sophistry in my body" suggest about the speaker's nature?

  They are straightforward and honest
• What does the speaker's "manners" involve?

  Tearing off heads
• What does "the allotment of death" refer to in the poem?

  The speaker's control over life and death
• What does the speaker mean by "the one path of my flight is direct"?

  They have a clear and focused purpose
• What does the speaker imply about their right to kill?

  No arguments assert their right
• What is behind the speaker as they observe?

  The sun
• What does the speaker mean by "Nothing has changed since I began"?

  They feel a sense of permanence in their existence
• What does the phrase "My eye has permitted no change" suggest about the speaker's perspective?

  They are fixed in their viewpoint
• What is the speaker's intention at the end of the poem?

  To maintain the status quo