Download Robert Penn Warren uses figurative language in “Evening Hawk” to

Robert Penn Warren uses figurative language in “Evening Hawk” to portray the scene, mood
and meaning.
Throughout the poem the use of geographic figures arise, “plane of light to plane”, “Geometries
and orchids that the sunset builds” (2), “avalanche” (4), “gorge” (5), “and peak’s” (3) relate to
the structural appearance of nature through the geographical diction. The juxtaposition of the
structured words gives flight to the contracting on of the freedom of the “hawk” (6). The
universal symbol of birds relates to freedom displayed by the focus on the hawk’s wing,
“scythes down another day, his motion” (8). The dream to be free from the consistency of
“down another day” (8) relating to it being a habit to be able to go anywhere because of the
use of flight. Time is also portrayed as “the crashless fall of stalks of Time” (10) to resemble
time is of nature due to the use of stalks, being a usual product of man for societies benefit,
relates to man attempting to control time and therefor nature is unsuccessful. The “crashless
fall” (8) portrays a more elegant movement just as the flight of the bird; conveying time is not
supposed to be harvested by anything; it is to be enjoyed through elegance. The diction places
the setting in a productive environment due to “light” (1) and “stalks” (8) positive diction. The
personification of “The head of each stalk is heavy with the gold of our error.” (10) symbolizes
how mistakes make individuals who they are because of the connection of stalks and time.
Also, figurative language gives flight to the mood of the poem. “Whose eye unforgiving, the
world, unforgiving, swings into shadow.” (13-14) portrays that nature is unapproving of man
due to the connotation of “unforgiving”, and the connection of the almighty eye of God
becomes appear because of the eye in the poem that judges man or society. The unforgiving is
hidden suggested by “unforgiving, swings into shadow” (13-14) because the diction of shadow
has a connotation of darkness and hidden making the unforgiving hidden from the eye. The
owner of the eye goes unknown but is made clear that power is held through the questioning of
“whose eye” (13) and “who knows” (12). The world and the eye do not forgive and what is not
forgiven goes to the shadows in “unforgiving, swings into shadow” (14). The hawk symbolizes
wisdom through age due to the “sharp hieroglyphics” and “wisdom” (16), and the comparison,
simile, to Plato, a Greek philosopher. The diction relates to history and as seen, history repeats
itself if mistakes are not learned from. The questioning of the speaker “we think” includes
society and includes his/her-self displays a universal unawareness to the earth. “history drip in
darkness like a leaking pipe in the cellar” (20-21) the simile is society’s relation to “the earth
grind on its axis”, a natural relation due to the natural diction of earth and axis and the
connotation of man through history, darkness, pipe, and cellar.
Overall, the poem conveys man can never control nature because man and nature need each
other to survive. This is supported by lines 20-21 and the view of nature versus the view of
man. Nature is a progressive, productive unit with the existence of the consistency of nature
and its reoccurrence, but grinds, having a little trouble; although, with man the wing is broken
because of the “brokenness” of man’s creation of the “pipe in the cellar” (21). Life however
continues even though nature and man do not operate swiftly together, they still need each
other to fly.