Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guides for Ted Hughes’ poem (Chapter 1) Hawk Roosting: WBCHSE Class 12 English Literature textbook A Realm of English (B) Selection, which is part of the Semester IV syllabus for students studying under WBBSE (West Bengal Board-Uccha Madhyamik). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
The poem is spoken by a hawk. It sits high in a forest with its eyes closed. The hawk is completely still. It thinks about its sharp, curved head and feet. Even in sleep, it imagines perfect ways to kill and eat.
The hawk feels that nature exists to serve it. The tall trees give it a convenient place to rest. The air helps it fly, and the sun’s light is an advantage. It looks down upon the earth as if the world is waiting for its inspection.
Its feet are locked tightly onto a tree branch. The hawk believes that all of creation was needed to make its body perfect, from its foot to each feather. When the poem says, ‘Now I hold Creation in my foot,’ it is a metaphor. It means the hawk feels it has complete power and control over the world, just by gripping the branch.
The hawk can fly up and see everything below. It kills wherever it wants because it believes the world belongs to it. The hawk is not complicated or deceptive. Its behavior is direct and violent, described as “tearing off heads.”
It sees its life’s work as giving out death. Its flight path is a straight line through the bodies of living things. The hawk feels it does not need to justify its actions or prove its right to kill.
The sun is behind the hawk, as if it supports the bird. The hawk says nothing has changed since it first appeared. It has not allowed any change to happen. The hawk intends to keep things as they are forever.
Line-by-Line Explanation
I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.
The poem opens with the hawk, the speaker, describing its location and state. It is perched at the very highest point of the forest, a position that gives it a clear view and a sense of superiority. Its eyes are closed, which suggests not sleepiness or vulnerability, but a deep, meditative calm and complete confidence in its own safety and power.
Inaction, no falsifying dream
The hawk is perfectly still (“inaction”), but its mind is not idle or filled with untrue fantasies (“falsifying dream”). Instead, its thoughts are grounded in reality and its own nature. This stillness is one of focus and readiness, not laziness.
Between my hooked head and hooked feet:
This line draws attention to the hawk’s physical form, which is perfectly designed for hunting. The repetition of the word “hooked” describes its sharp beak and deadly talons, framing the hawk as a weapon, a creature defined by its ability to kill.
Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.
Even when it is asleep, the hawk’s mind is dedicated to its primary purpose. It mentally practices (“rehearse”) the act of hunting and killing with precision, showing that violence is an inseparable and instinctual part of its being.
The convenience of the high trees!
The hawk sees its environment as being perfectly suited to its needs. The tall trees are not just a part of nature; they are a useful tool, a “convenience” that provides it with a strategic advantage for spotting prey and launching attacks.
The air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray / Are of advantage to me;
The hawk views the elements of nature as being there to serve it. The lightness of the air (“buoyancy,” meaning the ability to float) makes flying easy, and the light from the sun helps it see. It believes these natural forces exist for its personal benefit.
And the earth’s face upward for my inspection.
From its high perch, the hawk looks down on the world as if it is an object presented specifically for its examination (“inspection”). This shows the hawk’s feeling of complete dominance and ownership over the land below.
My feet are locked upon the rough bark.
This line describes the hawk’s incredibly strong and secure grip on the tree branch. The word “locked” suggests that its hold is absolute and cannot be broken, symbolizing its firm control over its position and, by extension, its world.
It took the whole of Creation / To produce my foot, my each feather:
Here, the hawk expresses extreme self-importance. It believes that the entire history of the universe (“the whole of Creation”) has worked solely towards the goal of making it the perfect predator it is, from its powerful foot to every single one of its feathers.
Now I hold Creation in my foot
This powerful statement has a double meaning. Literally, by gripping the branch, the hawk is holding a part of the created world. Metaphorically, the hawk feels that it has the power of the entire universe and all of its life under its control, concentrated in its own foot.
Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly –
The hawk describes how it surveys its territory from the sky. It circles (“revolve”) slowly and deliberately, looking down upon the world. This action is like that of a king or a god calmly observing his kingdom, deciding what to do next.
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
This line is a clear and brutal declaration of the hawk’s worldview. It believes it has the absolute right to kill any creature it chooses, simply because it considers the entire world to belong to it. Its actions are guided by its own will, not by necessity.
There is no sophistry in my body:
The hawk claims that it is completely honest and direct. “Sophistry” is the use of clever but misleading arguments. The hawk is stating that it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is—a pure, killing machine. There is no hypocrisy in its nature.
My manners are tearing off heads –
The hawk redefines social behavior (“manners”) according to its own violent nature. For the hawk, the correct and natural way to behave is to be a predator, and this includes brutally “tearing off heads.” It is a blunt expression of its natural function.
The allotment of death.
The hawk sees itself as the decider of life and death. It believes it has the power and the duty to distribute (“allotment”) death to other creatures. This elevates its role to that of a divine or controlling force in nature.
For the one path of my flight is direct / Through the bones of the living.
The hawk’s purpose in life is single-minded and deadly. Its flight path is not just through the air but metaphorically “through the bones of the living,” meaning its existence is defined by the death and destruction of other animals.
No arguments assert my right:
The hawk feels no need to justify its power or its actions. Its right to kill and rule is, in its mind, a simple fact of nature that requires no logical reasoning or “arguments” to support it. Its own existence is all the justification it needs.
The sun is behind me.
This line can be read literally: with the sun at its back, the hawk can more easily see its prey without being seen. Metaphorically, it suggests that the greatest power in the sky, the sun, is aligned with it, supporting its dominance.
Nothing has changed since I began.
The hawk sees itself as a timeless and constant force. It believes that the world order, with it at the top, has been the same since the beginning of time and will not change.
My eye has permitted no change.
This is an even stronger claim of power. The hawk suggests that its will, expressed through its watchful “eye,” has actively prevented any change from occurring. It imposes its own static order on the world.
I am going to keep things like this.
The poem closes with a simple, firm, and chilling statement of intent. The hawk declares its determination to maintain its control and ensure that the world remains exactly as it is, with itself as the supreme ruler.
Textbook Solutions
1. Comment on the physical features and prowess of the hawk. Discuss their significance. (6 marks)
Answer: The poem describes the hawk as a perfectly designed creature of prey, highlighting its physical features and the prowess that stems from them. It has a hooked head and hooked feet, which are ideal for tearing its victims. Its feet are so strong that they can lock upon the rough bark of a tree. The poem also mentions its feathers and a powerful, unblinking eye. The hawk’s prowess is absolute; it rehearses perfect kills even in its sleep, and its primary behaviour involves tearing off the heads of its prey. It possesses a direct, unstoppable flight path that goes straight through the bones of the living, and it kills whenever and wherever it pleases, believing that everything is its own.
These physical features and skills are significant because they establish the hawk as an embodiment of pure, instinctual power and brutal efficiency. The hooked features symbolise its role as a lethal predator, designed for violence. Its ability to contemplate killing even at rest signifies that predation is its entire existence. The hawk’s mastery of its environment, using the high trees and the sun to its advantage while inspecting the earth below, signifies its supreme, god-like dominance over the natural world. Its direct flight and merciless killing, which it states require no arguments for justification, represent an amoral force of nature that operates beyond human concepts of right and wrong. The unblinking eye that permits no change signifies its arrogant and unwavering control over its domain, asserting a timeless, unchanging order with itself at the apex.
2. Discuss the significance of the title of the poem. (2 marks)
Answer: The title, ‘Hawk Roosting,’ is significant because it frames the hawk’s powerful monologue from a position of rest and stillness. Roosting is an act of settling down, yet the poem reveals a mind that is intensely active with thoughts of power, control, and violence. This contrast is key; it shows that the hawk’s dominance is not just in its actions, like hunting, but is inherent to its very being. The roost, located at the top of the wood, acts as a throne from which the hawk surveys its kingdom. The title, therefore, emphasizes that the hawk’s supreme power is constant, effortless, and a fundamental part of its nature, asserted even in moments of complete inaction.
3. What does the poet means by ‘Now I hold the creation in my foot’? (2 marks)
Answer: This statement reveals the hawk’s immense arrogance and god-like self-perception. The hawk first claims that the whole of Creation was required to produce its perfect form, specifically its foot and feathers. The line that follows, stating that it now holds Creation in its foot, signifies a reversal of roles. The hawk believes it is no longer just a product of Creation but has surpassed it and now controls it. By gripping the branch with its foot, it metaphorically holds the entire world, or Creation, in its grasp. It is a powerful declaration of absolute dominion, suggesting that the created has become more powerful than the creator and that the whole of nature is now subject to its will.
Additional Questions and Answers
1. How does the hawk describe its state of “Inaction”?
Answer: The hawk describes its state of inaction as sitting at the top of the wood with its eyes closed. This is a state without any falsifying dreams, existing purely between its hooked head and hooked feet. It is a moment of perfect, thoughtless composure and stillness before action.
2. What does the hawk rehearse in its sleep?
Answer: Even in its sleep, the hawk does not rest from its predatory nature. It rehearses perfect kills and the act of eating. This suggests that its entire existence, whether awake or asleep, is dedicated to the instinctual and brutal efficiency of its life as a hunter, with no other purpose.
3. What aspects of nature are an “advantage” to the hawk?
Answer: The aspects of nature that are an advantage to the hawk are:
- The convenience of the high trees, which provide a perfect roosting and vantage point.
- The buoyancy of the air, which aids its flight.
- The sun’s ray, which is also beneficial to its dominance.
4. How does the hawk perceive the earth from its perch?
Answer: From its high perch, the hawk perceives the earth’s face as being turned upward specifically for its inspection. This viewpoint illustrates its immense arrogance and sense of superiority, suggesting that the entire world exists for its scrutiny and judgment, like a king surveying his domain.
5. What did it take to produce the hawk’s foot and feathers?
Answer: The hawk believes that it took the whole of Creation to produce its physical form. It specifically mentions that the entirety of the creative process was required to fashion its foot and each of its feathers, highlighting its view of itself as the pinnacle and ultimate purpose of creation.
6. Why does the hawk believe it can kill wherever it pleases?
Answer: The hawk believes it has the absolute right to kill wherever it pleases simply because it considers everything to be its own. This sense of total ownership over the world means there are no moral or physical boundaries to its actions; its will is the only law that matters.
7. What does the hawk mean by “There is no sophistry in my body”?
Answer: When the hawk states there is no sophistry in its body, it means there is no deception or false reasoning in its nature. Its actions are direct, honest, and purely instinctual, without any need for complex justification or moral pretence. It is simply what it is, a perfect killing machine.
8. How does the hawk describe its “manners”? What is its “allotment”?
Answer: The hawk describes its manners in brutal, direct terms as the act of tearing off heads. This is its natural, instinctual way of interacting with the world around it.
Its specific role or “allotment” in the world is the distribution of death, a task it carries out with instinctual efficiency and without remorse or question.
9. Describe the “one path” of the hawk’s flight.
Answer: The hawk describes its flight path as being singular and direct. This one path goes straight through the bones of the living. This imagery emphasizes its lethal purpose and the unswerving, destructive nature of its journey through life, which cuts a deadly swathe through other creatures without deviation.
10. How does the hawk assert its right to act as it does?
Answer: The hawk asserts its right to act as it does by stating that no arguments are needed. Its right is self-evident and absolute, not based on logic, reason, or permission from any other authority. Its very existence and power are the only justification required for its dominance and actions.
30. Trace the development of the hawk’s argument for its own perfection and unchanging dominance.
Answer: The hawk’s argument for its perfection and dominance develops systematically throughout the poem. It begins with a statement of physical and mental composure, sitting at the top of the wood in a state of “inaction” but mentally rehearsing “perfect kills.” This establishes its nature as a creature of perfect, predatory thought.
It then establishes its symbiotic relationship with the universe, claiming the high trees, the air, and the sun are all to its advantage. The argument escalates as the hawk claims divine endorsement, stating the whole of Creation was needed to produce it, and now it “holds Creation in its foot,” signifying mastery.
Having established its physical and cosmic supremacy, it asserts its absolute right to act, declaring its manners are “tearing off heads” and its right needs “no arguments.” The argument culminates in a statement of eternal, unchanging control: “Nothing has changed since I began,” and its final, resolute promise, “I am going to keep things like this,” cementing its self-perception as a timeless, omnipotent ruler.
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