hawk- explanations

• "I sit in the top of the wood"

  • has all the time in the world
  • elevated status
  • his position in trees symbolises powerful position over rest of nature
  • his eloquence shows his mastery of language and emphasises his power
• "Between my hooked head and hooked feet"

  • conveys latent power of hawk
  • hawk has complete self confidence
  • weapon like
  • perfectly designed killing machine
  • repetition of "hooked" conveys power and control
• "Are of advantage to me"

  • all of nature was designed for his convenience
  • rules over all
  • emphasises his arrogance
  • thinks whole world was built for him
  • could be representative of arrogant, tyrannical leaders
• "It took the whole of Creation to produce my foot"

  • emphasises his arrogance
  • thinks he's more significant than God
  • emphasises his power
  • God had to work hard to create the hawk- nature and god presented as tiny prey at the hawks mercy
• "My manners are tearing off heads"

  • violent imagery
  • juxtaposes politeness with extreme violence in this oxymoron
  • hawk feels he has the right to do what he likes
  • no recourse of action
  • doing what he was designed to do and feels no emotion/remorse
  • he won't change as nature as working perfectly for him
• "My eye has permitted no change"

  • he chooses what changed and what stays same
  • not willing to lose power by changing things
  • Hughes reflects on simple life and desires of the bird