Hawk Roosting - Context Flashcards
1
Q
who wrote the poem?
A
ted hughes
2
Q
when was the poem published?
A
1960
3
Q
ted hughes
A
- highly celebrated English poet
- poet laureate from 1984-1998 (his death)
- completed his national service between 1949 and 1951 - relatively peaceful
- has done many jobs - including working at a zoo
4
Q
how was ted hughes’ childhood? what were his hobbies?
A
- spent most of his life living in rural areas and spent lots of his childhood outdoors
- enjoyed hunting, fishing and swimming
- fascinated by animals as a child
- collected and drew toy animals and helped his brother when he went shooting
- was aware of the harsh realities of living/growing up in the countryside
5
Q
what is the violent imagery in hughes’ writing influenced by?
A
- his father, a WW1 veteran
- the image of a bird sat atop a tree - a Nazi party symbol in WW2
6
Q
what is hughes also referred to as and why?
A
- ‘a war poet once removed’
- didn’t fight in WW1 but was part of the generation which felt the impact of war
7
Q
what is the poem about?
A
- the poem focuses on a hawk boasting about its power. the hawk thinks that it’s the most important and powerful creature in the world and that it controls the universe
- the hawk describes how it likes to kill its prey in a particularly violent way
- people have interpreted the poem in different ways - could be an allegory for the behaviour of political leaders of people in general, or it could be showing the brutality of nature
8
Q
which themes are present in the poem?
A
- nature
- faith and worship
- negative emotions
