New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding 'Hawk Roosting'

I can explain how Hughes presents the power of nature.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Understanding 'Hawk Roosting'

I can explain how Hughes presents the power of nature.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The poem is written from the perspective of a drowsy hawk, who muses on his life as a predator.
  2. The hawk’s voice is characterised as egotistical and conceited; he revels in the power that nature has allowed him.
  3. The poem explores the instinctive savagery and violence of nature; the hawk is therefore amoral.
  4. The poem was published in 1960, and many people thought that the hawk may be a metaphor for fascist dictators.
  5. Hughes stated that he wanted to explore the power and complexity of nature through this poem.

Common misconception

Students think that Hughes wrote this poem about fascist dictators like Hitler.

Hughes stated that this was not his intention. Though the poem can be interpreted in this way, this was not what Hughes set out to convey - he wanted to convey the power of nature.

Keywords

  • Conceited - extremely arrogant and self-absorbed

  • Egotistical - self-centred and self-absorbed

  • To revel - to take immense pleasure and satisfaction in something

  • Hierarchy - a system of ranking people or things based on how much power they have

  • Instinct - a pattern or style of behaviour that we are born with - it is programmed into us

At the beginning of the lesson, you could show students a clip of a hawk hunting and ask them about the ways in which it is powerful and what gives a person or thing power as a 'hook' into the lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A copy of the Eduqas anthology is required for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What do we mean by perspective?
Correct answer: a point of view
a tone of voice
a feeling created
Q2.
What do we associate with the word predator?
Correct answer: strong
slow
Correct answer: powerful
Q3.
If something is controversial that means it's ...
Correct answer: likely to cause disagreement or upset.
likely to be widely supported.
likely to be easily ignored.
Q4.
What is a dictator?
someone who rules with kindness and compassion
someone elected to rule against their will
Correct answer: someone who rules with force and oppression
Q5.
The word 'instinctual' means ...
Correct answer: a fixed pattern of behaviour programmed into us.
an unpredictable pattern of behaviour programmed into us.
a new pattern of behaviour programmed into us.
Q6.
A is a system of ranking people or things based on how much power they have.
Correct Answer: hierarchy

6 Questions

Q1.
Who is the speaker in 'Hawk Roosting'?
the poet
Correct answer: the hawk
the prey
Q2.
What is the tone of the speaker in 'Hawk Roosting'?
Correct answer: arrogant
confident
aggressive
Q3.
Starting with the first, put the order of events from 'Hawk Roosting' in to chronological order.
1 - We learn the hawk can "rehearse" his kills in his sleep.
2 - We learn that nature gives the hawk an advantage.
3 - The speaker tells us the hawk was created by God.
4 - The hawk is presented as doing what he "please[s]"
5 - The hawk feels almost god-like.
6 - The world for the hawk is going to remain the same.
Q4.
Which word from 'Hawk Roosting' shows the hawk is a perfect predator?
Correct answer: "hooked"
"sophistry"
"advantage"
Q5.
Hawk Roosting' explores the instincts and violence of ...
Correct Answer: nature
Q6.
When the poem was originally published in 1960, many people through the hawk may be a metaphor for ...
Correct answer: nature
facist dictators
industrialisation