From the very outset of the poem, it is clear that the hawk is in control. The poem begins assertively with the pronoun 'I'. The hawk is so secure in his position that he is able to announce the fact that he is resting, with the action of his eyes being closed. The swallow in ‘Work and Play’ however flies around to make his position secure. Both birds are written with a sense of superiority over anything else in the poem. There is ‘no falsifying dream’, he has nothing to hide. This is portrayed in a different way but with the same meanings the swallow shows the he has nothing to hide because it flies around with spread wings. The repetition of hooked puts the reader on guard, it sounds slightly sinister. In ‘Work and Play’ the sinister does not come from the bird but from the cars with their serpent like qualities. This idea is confirmed when the hawk goes on to say that his dreams are single-minded that he rehearses the perfect kill. He is portrayed almost like a military dictator.
The irony in the statement my manners are tearing off heads is intentional. The hawk actually seems proud of the fact that he does not worry about the way he eats, about how violently he rips up his victims before consuming them. He is so proud that 'manners' have ceased to matter. Someone in his unassailable position does not need to consider whom he might be offending. The statement simply emphasises his sense of absolute superiority.
The queue of holiday traffic is likened to a serpent, which effectively produces an image of a long, slow creature that crawls but it carried more sinister overtones too. A serpent is poisonous and this serpent is polluting the countryside with the fumes from the exhaust pipes of the cars. We also associate the serpent with the Fall of Man, because it was the serpent that tempted Eve to eat the apple, and as a result Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. In ‘Work and Play’, the holiday people are creating their own 'hell', roasting on the beach. It is as though they are being punished for despoiling nature with their cars.
While the swallow effortlessly swims, flings herself, sews and cartwheels through summer, the people crawl, are disgorged and seem wounded by the whole experience. This contrast in the poet's choice of verbs illustrates the gulf between the graceful, colourful swallow, full of energy and at one with her surroundings, and the ugly people on the beach who seem to be at war with their surroundings. They are unable to appreciate what summer really has to offer.
Hughes portrays both birds as the most superior thing in the poem. The hawk is shown as being the ruler of the wood. The swallow is shown to be higher than the humans by flying over them and almost laughing at them. Both birds are seen observing humans at work or at play.
In ‘Hawk Roosting’ there is a sense of danger expressed by the hooked feet being referred to and also the hawk thinking bout his perfect kill. In ‘Work and Play’ there are slight hints of danger an example is ‘whiplash swimmer’ this gives a sense of danger even with the swallows gracious movements through the air.
The Hawk being lazy bird is shown just sitting on top of a tree whereas the swallow is portrayed flying in the air and being a lot more energetic.
