Hawk Roosting& Golden Retrievals Analysis

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In the poems "Hawk Roosting" written by Ted Hughes and "Golden Retrievals" written by Mark Doty, both poets compose their poems as speakers "talking" (thinking) through animals' point of views. Although both poems are written through an animal's eyes, both take on the world from very different views through their complex characterization of an egotistical hawk to a lighthearted golden retriever. Hughes and Doty portray their animals in a way that makes it seem like they feel that they're superior to humans (although in different manners) through the usages of alienated alliteration, inventive imagery, straightforward syntax, melodramatic metaphor, and perplex personification. Alliteration is present in "Hawk Roosting" through the repetition of the callous sound of the letter "K" the first and third stanza. The hawk speaks of slaying of his prey in their sleeps when he catches a glimpse of "hooked head[s] and hooked feet" (Line 3) which to him are signs of a "perfect kill" (4); thus, showing how ruthless he is by showing no mercy for the prey to even attempt to fight back. He then moves on to state, "My feet are locked upon the rough bark" (9), with the K sounding in locked and bark portraying how powerful he thinks he is by being able to perch up against something that God created (nature, trees). Although, alienated in different lines of the poem, the alliteration of this consonant presents that the haw-K is self absorbed and full of confident due to the effect the letter K makes; therefore, showing how the hawk views the world - which the world revolves around him. However, in "Golden Retrievals" the repetition lies in the letter Another technique used by both poets to characterize their animals is imagery. In "Hawk Ro... ... middle of paper ... ... happier humans may feel. Hughes' Hawk views the world in a way that he is the center of all creations and that he is the one that would prevail through all troubles. Doty's Dog views the world in the present, never looking toward the past or future living in the moment. Both poets convey their speakers in different scenarios and different viewpoints, but in general both hawk and dog sees the world through their eyes as if they're both of better-quality than humans. The techniques both poets presents helps shape these speakers as egocentric (hawk) and carefree (dog) showing the perspectives each holds dearly to the Earth. In my analysis, [H]ughes' [H]awk in "Hawk Roosting" and [D]oty's [D]og in "Golden Retrievals" were really written in their point of views of the world and conveying their own personalities within a poem only to be swathed under stanzas and a title.

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