The Hawk Harold Witt

The poem 'The Hawk' by Harold Witt is a poem written in the eyes of the poet describing a hawk, a deadly bird of prey. The poem describes how well equipped and dangerous the hawk is, only to tell of its failure in snatching its target. This poem evokes a feeling of dread and anticipation through the use imagery and tone. This mood is changed suddenly to feelings of both relief and disappointment in the very last stanza where it is revealed that the hawk has not succeeded in catching its prey. The structure of this poem also adds to the feeling of expectancy which is then eliminated in the final stanza. Overall, this poem is told in a linear fashion which prompts the reader to prematurely jump to conclusions. The poem, however, shows that even the weak have their own ways of besting the ones who are seemingly superior. 'The Hawk’ evokes a feeling of dread and

With the detailed description of the hawk and all its killing prowess, it is almost inevitable that this will be a tale of victory for the hawk and demise for the prey. However, this poem is not a panegyric because in the end, despite the hawk seemingly having all the advantages, does not succeed in capturing its prey. The poem has eight stanzas and each stanza has four lines. The poet uses enjambment to create the feeling of a flowing story which moves in a linear fashion and has a predetermined beginning and end. The poem even goes as far as to portray the hawk as a heavenly deity by describing it as a “feathered cross” which is “admired in skies”. The story, however, does not follow what the storyline is seemingly hinting at. Even nature itself was supposedly demonstrating “how meekness hasn’t a chance” against the hawk. The sentences at the very end of the poem are very powerful. They are short and to the blunt. The weak prey had blended into its surroundings and fooled the seemingly all powerful