A poet writes a poem while
readers interpret, and they may
extract a new kind of interpretation that can be different from the generally
accepted, but it should consist of a clear explanation.
The poem Hawk Roosting may also have different interpretations. Hughes uses biological determinism in which Animals are biologically determined to stay on their natural habits, unable to change themselves. Carnivores cannot become omnivores or vice versa. A hawk is also biologically determined to be on his natural habits of killing his prey and eating it. He has claws and stunning feathers. He can recognize the freedom and strength that he uses against his victim. Due to these natural habits, he is considered a dictator in the poem. This interpretation is common, but the poem may also have another meaning in which the hawk can also be a journalist, doctor, researcher, scientist etc.
The poem is a dramatic monologue, and it shows the first-person point of view. It consists of six stanzas, each containing four lines, has a free verse and has no set rhyme scheme, and a large part of the poem is in the present tense.
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 poet shows that the hawk is
resting at a higher position, not a commanding height that is merely a symbol
of supremacy. But it is a manifestation of loftier intellect. The hawk is not
drowsing nor in the pleasure of superiority. He
takes no drug to drown himself into the false imagination. He is
meditating. He is free from hoaxes and deception. He
is trying to find the perfect answer to the question that his mind keeps
producing, just like a teacher, researcher, doctor, journalist, priest, and
student. When they have difficulties, they seek the solution in serenity and
find elucidation through their calm thinking.
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.
Nature supports the hawk; air
helps him to fly above. The sun helps him to see the thing. And earth is one of
the sources of inspection for him. Nature always stands along with observers. It
assists them to understand reasons. When they use their minds optimistically,
nothing remains concealed from them. All come under their acute observation; they
discover resources, find hidden laws of nature that become their assistances
and know the value of their intellect.
My feet are locked upon the rough
bark.
It took the whole of Creation
To produce my foot, my each feather:
Now I hold Creation in my foot
The hawk is like an honest
journalist, scientist and leader who are always curious about knowledge and try
to meet perfection in their work. They need no soft and comfortable couches; they
need no luxuries because they are the sources of idleness and distraction. They
pursue truth and reality, and their attitude is consistent. They are acute
observers, so they are superior creatures. They can lead the world.
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 –
Scientists are free to be parts
of any discipline; medical science, engineering, social sciences etc. They
closely examine God's creations. They are always pleased to own the earth. They
know no hypocrisy, have no dual nature but are straightforward. They merely
focus on their objectives. They never leave their motives but always try to
reach the very core of the facts.
The allotment of death.
For the one path of my flight is direct
Through the bones of the living.
No arguments assert my right:
When researchers start their
work, they try to prevail over the object which looks inferior before them. It
can hardly resist but helps them to provide facts. They can produce less when
they merely touch the surface of it. They receive much when they reach the very
structure of it. Every natural thing has a skeleton. And bones provide the
identification, shape and classification of creations.
The sun is behind me.
Nothing has changed since I began.
My eye has permitted no change.
I am going to keep things like this.
The natural process never changes; the sun sets and rises again,
the seasons go and come again, creatures are born and gone. Humans have been
observing this cycle since they came into the world. They have extracted new
things, but they are not new at all. They discover them. It is the duty of
everyone. Men are superior creatures of God, so they should be keen observers
of His creations.
An interpretation cannot wholly be right and
wrong. It may extract expected or unexpected themes and messages from literary
work. It depends upon an interpreter how he has experienced the world and how
he read a piece of literature. But the interpretation should be reasonable and
enlightening.
