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Hawk Roosting

Key quotations from Hawk Roosting

The earths facing upwards for my inspection. This personifies the earth,
almost like the earth is obedient to the hawk.

Now I hold creation in my foot. This shows the hawk as being godlike and in
charge of creation

The allotment of death. The verb allotment shows the emotionlessness of


the hawk and how often it has to deal it out. This also highlights the brutal
nature of the hawk and how killing has become boring to it.

My eyes permit no change. This personifies the hawk like a dictator with
absolute power over everything.

Structure

The first two stanzasare about his physical superiority to everything else

Stanzas three and fourtalk about his power over nature, and how he has
control over everything

The final two stanzasare him justifying his actions.

The whole poem is made up completely of short sentences.

Each stanza is made up of 4 lines which adds to the theme of power and
perfect balance in the hawk.

Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes (1930-1998) grew up in the countryside, in Yorkshire growing up


in the countryside influenced Hawk Roosting and his ideas about the power of
nature.

Hawk Roosting and Ozymandias

The poems Hawk Roosting and Ozymandias explore a similar theme of pride
and arrogance. The Hawk is being portrayed with the mentality that he has
absolute power over all creation. This can be seen from the earths face
upward for my inspection. or 'I hold Creation in my foot.

With Ozymandias the power is only temporary and the empire will fade away.
It also presents that Ozymandias was arrogant and egotistical like the Hawk
although Hawk Roosting is set describing the present and Ozymandias is
describing the past, which can show how the balance of power can change.

Hawk roosting is mainly trying to say how highly humans can think of
themselves. And Ozymandias is trying to convey the idea that power will
disappear as time goes by.

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