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A hawk sits atop a tree in a forest, meditating his place in creation. He sees himself as the pinnacle of
the universe, around whom everything revolves.
He is a deadly killing machine, born to kill, born to rule the world. Or is this man we are talking about?
ABOUT THE POET
Ted Hughes was born in 1930 in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire. His early years were lived in a rural
setting where he learnt the love of nature and its creatures.
He would later study at Cambridge University where he and some fellow students produced a poetry
journal. It was at the launch of this journal that he met the American poet, Sylvia Plath, whom he soon
married.
Hughes believed that poetry and magic were intertwined. Each is a healer. Each is the means to
transport the human spirit from the dark, subconscious side of human nature into the world of light and
well-being.
Poetry therefore lies in the realm of creation, in the world of everyday miracles. It is the pathway into the
domain of the imagination, the journey into the inner universe and exploration of the genuine self.
The modern world, said Hughes, overvalues the rational, objective side of human nature. Such beliefs
cause fear and pain. Healing and renewal, on the other hand, are the true purpose of poetry and magic.
The poet is therefore a shaman -- a magical medicine man who makes journeys to the underworld of
the subconscious to bring back lost souls.
His wife, Sylvia Plath, committed suicide in February 1963 and her death affected Hughes profoundly.
It would take four years before he published again -- and this collection contained some truly bleak
poems.
Hughes died of a heart attack in October 1998 while undergoing treatment for colon cancer. He was 68
years of age.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.
Inaction, no falsifying dream
Between my hooked head and hooked feet:
Or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.
- The hawk claims that he has "no falsifying dream". What does he mean by this? Is he referring
to his own dreams or to the dreams of other creatures? (4)
[Need help?]
The hawk probably means a bit of both. He does not dream false dreams, like you and I do, but only
dreams of killing.
On the other hand, he says there will be no falsifying dream between his hooked head and hooked feet.
What is between his hooked head and his hooked feet? The creature that he has just killed!
So the creature had a dream that it could scurry around and forage for food but it was a falsifying dream
because that creature was immediately grabbed by the talons of the hawk and had his head ripped off!
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- What do the words "in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat" tell you about the hawks
existence? (4)
[Need help?]
The hawk sees himself as living a peculiarly singular existence, doesn't he? He has only one purpose in
life: to kill and eat.
Even when he is asleep, therefore, he dreams of killing and eating, rehearsing this action over and over
in his dreams so that he reaches perfection in his art.
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The convenience of the high trees!
The air's buoyancy and the sun's ray
Are of advantage to me;
And the earth's face upward for my inspection.
- Explain the meaning of "And the earth's face upward for my inspection". What does this tell
you of the hawk's attitude to life? (4)
[Need help?]
There is a very militaristic philosophy about the hawk, isn't there? Military generals inspect their troops.
Kings inspect their subjects. Tyrants inspect their people.
The words of the hawk also denote a form of ownership. The earth's face is upwards for "his"
inspection.
He owns the universe. The universe was created solely for his purposes and he will inspect it regularly.
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It took the whole of Creation
To produce my foot, my each feather:
Now I hold Creation in my foot
- What do these words tell you about the ATTITUDE of the hawk? (4)
[Need help?]
The hawk sees himself as the end point of evolution, as the pinnacle of creation, as the centre of the
universe.
Creation has now been given to him to control, and he rules it with his talons, killing whatever attempts
to bring about change by moving.
It shows an amazing degree of arrogance, doesn't it?
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- How can the hawk hold Creation in his foot? (2)
[Need help?]
The word "creation" probably refers to "living creation", i.e. creatures upon which the hawk
preys.
Since the hawk uses his foot to prey, he therefore can be said to hold creation in his foot.
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Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly --
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
There is no sophistry in my body:
My manners are tearing off heads --
- Explain how the hawk can "fly up, and revolve [Creation] slowly". (2)
[Need help?]
It's not creation that's revolving, is it? It's the hawk that is actually doing the turning!
But, as Einstein would have said, it's all relative. From the earth, it looks as if the hawk is revolving but
from the hawk's vantage point, it looks as if the earth is turning beneath him.
Of course, if the hawk believes he controls the earth, then it is indeed the earth that is turning at his
command because everything obeys the hawk!
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The hawk says that there is "no sophistry" in his body. His manners are tearing off heads.
- What do we mean by "manners"? Is it possible even to use the word "manners" to
describe the hawk? (4)
[Need help?]
"Manners" refer to a sophistication in society! Manners are like the suspension in a car: they make
life go by that much more comfortably.
The hawk, however, says there is no sophistry in his body. Therefore he has no manners! Can one really
call "tearing off heads" as "manners"?
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For the one path of my flight is direct
Through the bones of the living.
No arguments assert my right.
- What does the hawk mean when he says that the path of his flight is "direct through the bones of
the living"? (4)
[Need help?]
One could interpret "the path of his flight" as meaning "his purpose in life".
The way the hawk sees it, his purpose is to kill. He does not scavenge like the vultures. He eats only
living flesh. His path is therefore through the bones of the living.
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GENERAL QUESTIONS:
What word BEST describes the attitude of the hawk? Explain your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
The hawk is certainly conceited but is that the BEST word? On the other hand, the hawk himself says that
there is no sophistry in his body. He is therefore not in any way sophisticated.
The hawk is in no way humble but, on the contrary, is all arrogance! He is also not awkward but is very
much in control !
The hawk is indeed all arrogance, believing that he is the centre of the universe, the pinnacle of creation,
the ultimate of all creatures.
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Is this poem in any way satirical? If so, what is the poet satirizing? Explain your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
Think of it this way: who else believes himself to be the centre of creation? Humans, of course!
Indeed, many claim they own the universe and can destroy it at will. There are many who might argue
that Americans think they own the universe and can bomb the hell out of anyone who thinks differently.
On the other hand, many a woman would claim that men think they own all creation. The list is endless.
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