Evening Hawk Analysis

In the poem “Evening Hawk” by Robert Penn Warren portrays a theme of how fragile one’s life could be. The author emphasizes theme through language which sets the scene, mood and meaning of the poem. Warren first starts off his poem with imagery of what is bound to come. He uses the image of “riding the last tumultuous avalanche of light” (Warren) to depict a sense of authority from the hawk because the reader realizes that it could represent immortality. This is significant because the author uses a simile to shows dominance on how the hawk could easily take away a human’s life. The poem later conveys its mood with the darkening of the scene. Warren describes the hawks mission that leaves an eerie feeling to readers such as “the world, unforgiving, swings into shadow” (Warren). Unforgiving automatically leads to resentment and shadow usually means something is ignored. Putting those together can make the reader understand that the

Its decision on when one has to go is never wrong. Time does not exist for the hawk, so one has to waste their time wisely. Humans take advantage of their lives and often forget the tragic ending to their story. Death, also known as the hawk, “cruises in his sharp hieroglyphics” (Warren). Disrespecting elders is shunned upon in most cultures. Due to the fact that it has been around for a long time, the reader cannot help but perceive a respectful manner towards the bird. One cannot challenge those who have more wisdom than others. The last sentence of the poem describes that after death, everyone will only erode away “ [dripping] in darkness like a leaking pipe in the cellar” (Warren). Everyone expects the afterlife to continue on as life on Earth only with external peace. However, the poem portrays that death literally gives one nowhere to turn but stay in