Blog #14: Paired Poems Group Presentation

First Draft Essay:

2008B

In both poems "Golden Retrievals" and "Hawk Roosting" the authors, Mark Doty and Ted Hughes, view life from the perspective of an animal to contrast the differences between action and inaction. Each poem discusses the allures of either being content with the present or hurrying forward into the future. By using the unique animalistic perspectives and
juxtaposition of life and death, each poem argues why people should either live for consistency or strive for change.

In "Golden Retrievals", Mark Doty takes the perspective of a dog to contend that people need to move forward in life. The speaker– the dog–describes his owner as struggling to move forward in her life. It is likely that the owner has experienced a tragic event that has her "off in some fog concerning– tomorrow" (10). The dog, on the other hand, lives life carefree, not being dragged down by any negativity. The speaker even proclaims, "My work: to unsnare time's warp" (11). Although time tends to drag us all down, Doty argues we should not be disheartened by today's struggles. On the other hand, in "Hawk Roosting", Ted Hughes contends the opposite. In this poem, the speaker embodies a hawk, pleased with his life, content with living in the present. In the beginning of the poem, the speaker remarks of his life, "Inaction, no falsifying dream" (2). He views his simple life as perfection. The speaker sees no point in trying to move froward when he is satisfied with what he has. Put directly, "I am going to keep things like this" (24).

Both poems juxtapose the essence of life and death. In "Golden Retrievals", the speaker says, "muck, pond, ditch, residue of any thrillingly dead thing" (5,6). Specifically, Doty's imagery of "thrillingly" indicated that the speaker does not fear death, but rather sees it as a new adventure to undertake. This reinforces the general message of the poem to not fear the future but to anticipate it. In "Hawk Roosting" the speaker once again takes a different perspective, declaring, "I kill where I please because it is all mine" (14). In this poem, the hawk illustrates death as weak, a characteristic of prey. Ted Hughes contends that life should be sacred and lived out as fully as possible. These two poems use illustrations of life and death to make two different arguments about the correct approach to life.

Through these animal perspectives and the contrast between life and death, each of these poems makes an argument on how to live life to the fullest.