Both Hawk Roosting and Flag have a central theme of power. Hawk Roosting is a condemnation of tyranny, while Flag is anti-war and is about the power of patriotism.
Symbolism is used in both poems. In Hawk Roosting, the hawk symbolises a dictator. While flying he notes that - “the earth’s face [is] upward for my inspection”. This shows how the hawk believes everything belongs to him and is there solely for his pleasure. The hawk is described as having a “hooked head” and “hooked feet” word hooked has connotations of sharpness and evil like withes and pirates.
On the other hand in Flag, the flag symbolises patriotism. The whole poem is written in a tone of irony. It is ironic that “just a piece of cloth” could wield so much power and cause so much harm. The power of patriotism is represented by a nation’s flag.
Repetition is also used in both poems. In Flag the line “its just a piece of cloth” underlines the poets message to the reader and underlines how just a piece of cloth can repeatedly cause so much trouble.
In Hawk Roosting the repeated use of first person, such as “I hold creation”, “I kill” and “I please”, underlines the hawk’s arrogance and selfishness. He lies only to lease himself.
This also contrasts with the use of second person in Flag. There the poet uses second person because he is sending a message to the reader – “outlive the blood you bleed”. The poet also uses rhetorical questions such as “What’s that fluttering in a breeze?” The questions appeal to the reader’s mind, challenging their thoughts.
Graphic images are present in both poems. In Hawk Roosting there is the line,” tearing off heads.” This is a violent and gruesome image and shows how brutal the hawk and dictators alike can be.
Similarly, in Flag the line “outlive the blood you bleed” is also very violent. The alliteration of the hard “b” adds to the aggressiveness of the image.