Hawk Roosting vs. Grass: Nature, Power, and Humanity
This paper offers a comparative reading of Ted Hughes' "Hawk Roosting" and Carl Sandburg's "Grass," two poems narrated by non-human voices from the natural world. Through close textual analysis, the paper examines how both poets use personification to comment on human egotism, mortality, and the indifference of nature. Hughes' hawk voices a deluded sense of omnipotence that mirrors human narcissism and the Judeo-Christian self-image, while Sandburg's grass addresses the reader directly to render all human causes — including the sacrifices of war — equally insignificant. Together, the poems offer a humbling perspective on humanity's place within the larger natural order.
- Introduction: Two Non-Human Narrators: Overview of shared personification device and thesis
- The Hawk's Delusion of Omnipotence: Hughes' hawk as egocentric, godlike predator
- The Grass and the Indifference of Nature: Sandburg's grass erases human causes and sacrifices
- Egotism in Both Human and Animal Voices: Parallel narcissism in hawk, grass, and humanity
- Conclusion: Nature as a Humbling Force: Both poems humble readers about human centrality
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper opens with a clear thesis that applies to both poems simultaneously, allowing the comparison to feel unified rather than a pair of separate summaries.
- It uses well-chosen direct quotations from each poem to ground its interpretive claims, letting the language of the texts do real analytical work.
- The concluding paragraph draws the two poems into a single, synthesized reflection, reinforcing the thematic argument rather than simply restating it.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper models parallel comparative analysis: rather than discussing one poem fully before turning to the other, it consistently pairs observations — the hawk's godlike self-image alongside humanity's Judeo-Christian self-conception, the grass's indifference alongside the meaninglessness of wartime causes. This technique keeps the comparison active and prevents the essay from reading as two separate book reports.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with an introductory paragraph establishing the shared device (personification) and shared theme (human insignificance in nature). Two body paragraphs treat each poem in turn with textual evidence, followed by a synthesizing paragraph that brings both poems into dialogue around the theme of egotism. A brief conclusion affirms the shared emotional effect — humility — and the poems' combined impact on the reader.
Introduction: Two Non-Human Narrators
Both Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes and Grass by Carl Sandburg are narrated in the voices of silent, living objects in the natural world. Hughes' poem is told in the first person of a hawk, while Sandburg's poem is narrated by the grass. Through personification, both poets examine the place of humanity in a larger context, highlighting the extent to which what people consider important seems small when seen in relation to the broader picture of nature. Hughes' poem achieves this by showing how, in the eyes of an ordinary hawk, the bird is all-powerful because of its predatory capacity. The grass of Sandburg's poem is similarly powerful as it blankets the dead, without any apparent concern for the heroism the soldiers might have shown in battle or in any other facet of their lives.
References
Hughes, T. (1960). Hawk roosting. All Poetry. Retrieved from http://allpoetry.com/Hawk-Roosting
Sandburg, C. (1918). Grass. Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174301
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.