The Eagle is a short poem with two stanzas, each with three lines. It is ordered and symmetrical. Hawk Roosting is a long poem with six stanzas. Hawk roosting uses enjambment, this is a run over line where one sentence runs onto the next line. This creates dramatic monologue. The Eagle is a series of short sentences in order. This reflects the time it was written. It creates an impact as the sentences are short and catchy. Overall I think Hawk Roosting flows better with the use of enjambment and the poem builds up from the beginning through to the end.
The two poems use different types of language. The Eagle uses archaic language as it was written in the 19th Century. It also uses romantic language such as “lonely lands” and “azure world.” But the poem is quite plain compared to Hawk Roosting as it uses small common words. It is also gentle, “The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls.” Hawk Roosting is a more modern poem written in the 20th Century and so the language is more recognisable compared to The Eagle. It uses brutal, violent and fierce language, “kills…tearing off heads…the allotment of death.” This creates a scary atmosphere and describes the brutal hawk’s actions for food. The language is also flowery compared to that of The Eagle, “falsifying dream…the air’s buoyancy and the sun’s rays.” This lightens the mood as there are many brutal, violent words in the poem. I think Hawk Roosting uses a wider range of language which helps in describing the hawk.
Different tone has been used in each poem. Lord Tennyson has used admiration in The Eagle, he admires it. He gives the eagle human qualities, “hooked hands…he stands.” This shows that Lord Tennyson thinks that the bird is superior. He also describes it as majestic, he is alone, above “HIS mountain walls.” The eagle is dominant and remote. The Eagle is optimistic, in that all the good qualities of the eagle are described. The Hawk Roosting is more realistic. It describes the hawk’s instinct to kill and destroy, “my manners are tearing off heads.” The poem is in first person, “I…my…me.” This indicates that the hawk thinks everything revolves around him. Hawk Roosting also contains some irony, “the sun is behind me.” This is ironic because the sun is always behind him, when he goes to attack his prey they are blinded by the brightness. It also means that the hawk thinks the sun is behind him in the pecking order, he is superior to the sun, which is ironic because the sun is the giver of life. It supports the framework which upon the natural order is based. The Hawk thinks he is god.
The Eagle contains rhyme and Hawk Roosting doesn’t. This is a reflection on the periods these poems were written. The Eagle was written in the 19th Century. This was a period in history where the British society was ordered and secure. Britain was dominant. The poem reflects this as it is ordered and it rhymes. Hawk Roosting however was written in the 20th Century. Things had changed dramatically in 100 years. There had been two world wars. Life was much more brutal and chaotic. Hawk Roosting reflects this as it is not ordered and it has no rhyme. It is chaotic. The poem is also in the first person which reflects the period it was written in as society was becoming much more selfish and self centred similar to the Hawk.
The rhyme in The Eagle also helps to put emphasis on certain words, “hooked hands…lonely lands…he stands.” It helps the contrast between the eagle waiting still and then falling, “he stands…he falls.” This is good as it brings this contrast to the reader’s attention.
The Eagle also contains rhythm. This creates order, which also reflects the period of the 19th Century. This helps the poem to flow better and describes the flight of the eagle, as a fluid motion. Hawk Roosting doesn’t contain rhythm but this actually describes the movement of the hawk, sudden sharp movements.
The Eagle also contains alliteration which again helps the poem to flow. In the first line it says, “He clasps the crag with hooked hands,” and in the second line it says, “close to the sun in lonely lands.” Hawk Roosting doesn’t contain any alliteration but this is just the style the poem is written in. The Eagle also contains onomatopoeia. It says, “clasps…wrinkled.” The product of this is an expansion of the visual image created in the mind.
The two poems have different moods. The Eagle is romantic and peaceful whereas Hawk Roosting is complicated and violent. The Eagle is undemanding and easy to read, whereas Hawk Roosting takes a lot more effort and time to understand it. At first this may seem an advantage that The Eagle is easily understood but as Hawk Roosting is more complicated a lot more can be taken out of it.
Each of the poems were written in different eras. The Eagle was written in the 19th Century and Hawk Roosting was written in the 20th Century. This reflects the content of the poems, which I have already commented on. The comparison between the two poems shows how much society does influence poets in their writing.
My reactions to the two poems are mixed. I like The Eagle because of its order and rhyme making it easy to read but as it is undemanding it does not leave a lasting impression. Hawk Roosting is harder to read as it isn’t ordered but I like it because after reflection there is a lot in it. Therefore I think Hawk Roosting is my favourite of the two poems.
