Golden Retrievals
In both “Hawk Roosting” by Ted Hughes and “Golden Retrievals” by Mark Doty, the power of perspective is revealed through two seemingly dichotomous animals: one of air and one of land. However, their power to control is inherently tied to each animal's own self-awareness and the awareness of others. While for the hawk there is absolute power in the ‘pause’ - control through inaction, the golden retriever finds power in literal ‘paws’ - control through intentional action. Both Hughes and Doty manipulate first person point of view and controlling diction to illuminate a dichotomy presented through contrast.
In Hawk Roosting, Hugh’s intentional use of only a few pronouns, I, me, and my, characterizes the speaker. This hawk, an arrogant, powerful …show more content…
The Hawk exemplifies active stillness. Almost as though he is a guard on watch, making no sound, but observing everything and preparing to attack if the opportunity presents. Examples of such “actively still” diction can be found on line 9 when the Hawk says, “my feet are locked upon the rough bark.” The image conjured with these words is one of a still creature holding an aggressive stance as he observes his “world” around him.
In Golden Retrievals, a similar observation about pronouns can be noted by the reader, however, instead of 1st person possessive pronouns, the dog in Retrievals is far more invested in those around him. In the 2nd stanza, 3 of the 4 lines contain a use of “you” or “you’re”. In this, the reader can gather that the speaker cares deeply for his owner, the “you” he is referring to. This is a stark contrast to the Hawk’s mentality that he is the center of all being in his domain.
Another contrast one can identify within Retrievals is the balance of power. Whilst the owner seemingly has power over his pet, the dog is actually responsible for balancing his mood after a hard day. Wherein the Hawk holds power in “active stillness,” the dog holds power in thoughtful passivity. This can be observed on lines 12-14 when the dog says, “This shining bark, a Zen master’s bronzy gong, calls you here, / entirely, now: bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.” In his seeming naivety, the dog, in fact, brings his human back to life from
In Hawk Roosting, Hugh’s intentional use of only a few pronouns, I, me, and my, characterizes the speaker. This hawk, an arrogant, powerful …show more content…
The Hawk exemplifies active stillness. Almost as though he is a guard on watch, making no sound, but observing everything and preparing to attack if the opportunity presents. Examples of such “actively still” diction can be found on line 9 when the Hawk says, “my feet are locked upon the rough bark.” The image conjured with these words is one of a still creature holding an aggressive stance as he observes his “world” around him.
In Golden Retrievals, a similar observation about pronouns can be noted by the reader, however, instead of 1st person possessive pronouns, the dog in Retrievals is far more invested in those around him. In the 2nd stanza, 3 of the 4 lines contain a use of “you” or “you’re”. In this, the reader can gather that the speaker cares deeply for his owner, the “you” he is referring to. This is a stark contrast to the Hawk’s mentality that he is the center of all being in his domain.
Another contrast one can identify within Retrievals is the balance of power. Whilst the owner seemingly has power over his pet, the dog is actually responsible for balancing his mood after a hard day. Wherein the Hawk holds power in “active stillness,” the dog holds power in thoughtful passivity. This can be observed on lines 12-14 when the dog says, “This shining bark, a Zen master’s bronzy gong, calls you here, / entirely, now: bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.” In his seeming naivety, the dog, in fact, brings his human back to life from