UP Board Class 11 English (15. Hawk Roosting - (Poetry)) solution PDF

Q1. Comment on the physical features of the hawk highlighted in the poem and their significance.

Answer: In the poem, the hawk's physical features are central to its identity and power. It describes its "hooked head" and "hooked feet", which are perfect tools for grasping and killing. Its eyes are always open, even in sleep, showing constant vigilance. These features are not just biological; they symbolize the hawk's raw, untamed power and its self-proclaimed role as the supreme predator. The poet uses these features to portray the hawk as a creature of absolute efficiency and control, for whom the entire creation exists to serve its needs.

Q2. How does the poem emphasize the physical prowess of the hawk?

Answer: The poem emphasizes the hawk's physical prowess through its confident and arrogant monologue. The hawk boasts about its "perfect kills and eats", highlighting its skill and efficiency as a hunter. It claims that even the sun and air are behind it, aiding its flight. The assertion that it can hold "Creation" in its foot shows a belief in its physical dominance over all of existence. Its body is presented as a direct, uncomplicated instrument of death—"There is no sophistry in my body"—meaning its actions are brutally honest and driven by pure instinct.

Q3. ‘There is no sophistry in my body’—this statement expresses the brutal frankness of the hawk. Does the poet suggest something through this statement?

Answer: Yes, through this statement, the poet suggests a powerful critique. "Sophistry" means using clever but false arguments to deceive. The hawk claims it has none of this—its actions are pure, direct, and without moral justification or hidden motive. It kills because that is its nature. The poet, Ted Hughes, might be using this to contrast the hawk's brutal honesty with the hypocrisy often found in human behavior. Humans often disguise their selfish or violent acts with complex reasoning and morality, while the hawk represents a terrifying, unadorned truth about power and survival.

Q4. ‘Now I hold Creation in my foot’—explain the centrality of this assertion in the poem. What makes the hawk’s assertion of its invincibility so categorical?

Answer: This line is the core of the hawk's philosophy. It believes it is not just a part of creation but its master and center. To "hold Creation in my foot" means it controls the fate of everything below it. Its assertion is so categorical because it sees the world as perfectly arranged for its benefit: the tall trees for its perch, the air for its flight, and the sun's rays for its convenience. It believes it was created perfect and that no force can challenge its right to rule. This absolute, unquestioning self-belief is what makes its claim of invincibility so powerful and chilling.

Q5. Why is the poem entitled ‘Hawk Roosting’?

Answer: The title "Hawk Roosting" is significant because it describes the hawk's physical state—perched high and motionless—which mirrors its mental state of supreme confidence and control. "Roosting" implies rest, but this hawk is never truly at rest; it is constantly planning and asserting its dominance even while still. The title focuses on this moment of poised power, from which the hawk surveys its kingdom. It symbolizes a position of ultimate authority, where one can look down upon the world and believe it exists solely for one's own use.

Q6. Bring out the parallel suggested between the predatory instincts of the bird and human behaviour.

Answer: Ted Hughes draws a sharp parallel between the hawk and humans, particularly those in positions of absolute power. Like the hawk, humans can develop an arrogant sense of entitlement, believing the world and its resources exist for their benefit alone. The hawk's "I kill where I please" attitude mirrors the behavior of dictators, tyrants, or any individual who uses power without morality or empathy. The poem suggests that beneath the veneer of civilization, humans can possess the same raw, predatory instincts—the desire to control, dominate, and eliminate others to maintain their own superiority. The hawk thus becomes a symbol of unchecked human ambition and tyranny.