Hawk Roosting questions and answers

In this article, we have provided you with some of the best questions and answers from Hawk Roosting by English poet Ted Hughes

Table of Contents

• Q1) WHAT DOES THE “HAWK” SYMBOLISE IN THE POEM “HAWK ROOSTING”?   (2 marks)
• Q2) CAN WE SAY “HAWK ROOSTING” BY TED HUGHES IS A MONOLOGUE?             (2 marks)
• Q3) CAN WE CALL “HAWK ROOSTING” BY TED HUGHES AS A METAPHORICAL POEM?   (2 marks)
• Q4) “MY EYES HAVE PERMITTED NO CHANGE”
• Q5) “THERE IS NO SOPHISTRY IN MY BODY” – EXPLAIN.      (2 marks)
•  Q6) “THE ALLOTMENT OF DEAD” – EXPLAIN.  (2 marks)  
• Q7) WHAT DOES THE PHRASE ‘NO FALSIFYING DREAM’ INDICATES?   (2 marks)
• Q8) “NOW I HOLD CREATION IN MY FOOT” – EXPLAIN. (2 marks)
• Q9) “ARE OF ADVANTAGES TO ME;” – WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES? EXPLAIN. (2 marks)

Q1) WHAT DOES THE “HAWK” SYMBOLISE IN THE POEM “HAWK ROOSTING”? (2 marks)

ANS) The poem “HAWK ROOSTING” was written by Ted Hughes in the year 1960 from the collection called “LUPERCAL”.Here in the poem, Ted symbolised “The Hawk” as a creature full of selfishness, intolerant, pride and arrogance. The Hawk, in the poem, had been described as the top of the food chain, who had all the authority to hunt and kill any other creature to feed itself without showing any sophistry to anyone. Also, the Hawk shows human qualities such as thinking, planning, plotting and augmenting, so we can say that poet had given the Hawk, a position superior to humans

Q2) CAN WE SAY “HAWK ROOSTING” BY TED HUGHES IS A MONOLOGUE? (2 marks)

ANS)The poem “HAWK ROOSTING” was written by Ted Hughes in the collection called ‘LUPERCAL’. We have seen in the poem that; the Hawk is the single speaker and dictates the whole story and its thoughts to us (here the readers are the silent listeners). So, we can say that ‘Hawk Roosting’ is a monologue, as it contains a single speaker with silent listeners.

Q3) CAN WE CALL “HAWK ROOSTING” BY TED HUGHES AS A METAPHORICAL POEM? (2 marks)

ANS) The poem ‘HAWK ROOSTING’ by Ted Hughes is a metaphorical poem, as it had personified the Hawk and had given it various characteristics. The Hawk was self-esteem and self-obsessed as he only thinks about himself before anyone else and shows no sophistry to anyone while hunting. And also, he was prideful and arrogant.

Q4) “MY EYES HAVE PERMITTED NO CHANGE”

  I AM GOING TO KEEP THINGS LIKE THIS” – EXPLAIN.   (2 marks)

ANS) The question’s quoted lines are taken from the poem, ‘HAWK ROOSTING’ written by Ted Hughes. Through these lines poet wanted us to understand that, since the Hawk was born, he had seen no changes in the world till now. He had seen everything under his control and everything that nature had made was for his benefit. Here also satirically we may say that the Hawk who has personified in the poem and given human qualities indicates the corrupted people of the society who have been doing crimes and want to do it forever and never want to change it.

Q5) “THERE IS NO SOPHISTRY IN MY BODY” – EXPLAIN. (2 marks)

ANS) The quoted question is taken from the poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ by Ted Hughes. Through this line, we can understand the character or the nature of the Hawk, that is he shows no sophistry(sympathy) to anyone who he wants to hunt and tears off the head of his prey ruthlessly without any grudges or guilty feelings.

Q6) “THE ALLOTMENT OF DEAD” – EXPLAIN. (2 marks)

ANS) The question’s quoted lines are taken from the poem ‘HAWK ROOSTING’ by Ted Hughes. This line indicates that, if the Hawk has decided or allotted to hunt his prey, then for sure the dead or the end of his prey is confirmed and no one can ever change its fate.

Q7) WHAT DOES THE PHRASE ‘NO FALSIFYING DREAM’ INDICATES? (2 marks)

ANS) The phrase ‘No Falsifying Dream’ is taken from the poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ written by Ted Hughes. Through this phrase, we came to know that, even if the Hawk was asleep, he was not watching any falsifying dream in his dreams, that is, he was in his dreams too practising/rehearsing his perfect kill and hunt.

Q8) “NOW I HOLD CREATION IN MY FOOT” – EXPLAIN. (2 marks)

ANS) The question quoted line is taken from the poem “HAWK ROOSTING” by TED HUGHES. Through this line, Ted wanted to make us understand that, the foot which took the help of all the creation to make its feathers and produce it, is now the same foot that is taking off lives of the same creature to tear it off and hunt to down to its dead with no sophistry. We also find a political satire here, that is, political leaders too take the help of the people to get their vote to win, but after being elected they are the ones who betray the same people with all their promises, same as the Hawk do.

Q9) “ARE OF ADVANTAGES TO ME;” – WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES? EXPLAIN. (2 marks)

ANS) The question quoted line is taken from the poem “HAWK ROOSTING” by TED HUGHES. Here, Ted is talking about the advantages that nature had created for the Hawk.

• ‘The convenience of the high tree’ – nature had created the high trees so that the Hawk can rule its prey.
• ‘The air’s buoyancy’ – nature had created the air buoyancy so that the Hawk can fly as fastly and smoothly as it can to hunt its prey with no time.
• ‘The sun’s rays’- nature had created sun rays so that the Hawk can see its prey properly and hunt during the day.
• ‘The earth faces upwards for my inspection’ – the earth also faces upwards towards the Hawk so that the Hawk can inspect the nature.