Hawk Roosting Tone

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Page 1 of 2 “Hawk Roosting” and “Golden Retrievals” AP Poetry AnalysisIndividuals are affected by their worlds in infinitely different ways, but the way that one seeks either to allow the world to have control over them or to master that world can define their experiences. In the poems “Hawk Roosting” and “Golden Retrievals” by Ted Hughes and Mark Doty respectively, the perspectives of differing animals on their worlds are characterized through the uses of point of view, structure, and tone, leading to the development of a theme of the contrasting concepts of control and delight.Both poems employ a first-person point of view, though the styles of narration contrast significantly. In “Hawk Roosting,” Ted Hughes uses the first person point …show more content…

The interjections and short phrases he uses, like “Fetch? “Catch?” or “oh joy” seem abrupt and distracted, much as the dog is distracted and taken away by the world around it. The control and power that the hawk feels and seeks over its world is in stark contrast with the dog’s fascinations and distracted thinking.The tones of the two poems, developed through diction and imagery, vary greatly from one another and contribute to further contrast among the perspectives of a hawk and a dog. The tone of “Hawk Roosting” can be described as concise. Clear and straightforward choices of diction like “I kill,” “assert my right,” and “eyes closed” are unmistakable and show the hawk’s clarity. The images that Hughes shows from the perspective of the hawk include those of nature, comparatively small from the bird’s high point of view: “rough bark,” “revolve it all slowly,” “the sun is behind me.” The clear and controlled diction and the images from nature that Hughes employs contribute to a concise tone from the hawk’s point of view, which shows the control that the animal has over its own actions and the way that it feels that same power over the larger world. The tone of the passage “Golden Retrievals” is dissimilarly very

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