H is for Hawk (Edexcel IGCSE English Language)
H is for Hawk Analysis
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Students studying the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A qualification must study all ten of the non-fiction texts in Part 1 of the Edexcel International GCSE English Language Anthology in preparation for Paper 1. You will be given one of the ten readings in your exam, along with another unseen text, which are thematically linked. Section A, Question 4 will specifically be about the anthology text, and Question 5 will ask you to compare the anthology text with the unseen text.
The following guide to H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald contains:
- H is for Hawk overview - H is for Hawk summary
- Themes, ideas and perspectives in H is for Hawk
- How does Macdonald present her ideas and perspectives?
H is for Hawk overview
Helen Macdonald, an English writer and naturalist, wrote the non-fiction book H is for Hawk in 2014, following the unexpected death of her father. In it, she describes the year after the death of her father training a Northern goshawk she named Mabel. The extract used for the anthology is taken from the part of the book in which Macdonald meets her hawk for the first time, and she feels a deep connection to the bird.
H is for Hawk summary
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The extract begins in medias res with the goshawk breeder checking his paperwork and carefully unhinging the box containing the bird. There are actually two birds: Macdonald’s goshawk and someone else’s, so to complete the sale, they must check the numbers on the bird’s ankle tag against the paperwork.
Macdonald sees the bird for the first time as it emerges from the crate and describes its reaction to being let out, as well as her impressions of it. The hawk’s hood has come off, causing her to panic, and Macdonald appreciates the concern of the breeder who had reared her since she hatched in an incubator. Macdonald helps by putting the hood back on the hawk, but then they realise that this was the wrong bird: she was meant to take home the second one. The other hawk is taken out, but Macdonald does not feel the same sense of connection she felt to the first. She asks if it would be possible for her to take the first hawk instead, as she sensed a close bond with it.
Themes, ideas and perspectives in H is for Hawk
Paper 1, Question 4 will ask you to explore how the writer has used language and structure to present a theme or idea within their text. Paper 1, Question 5 will ask you to compare how the writer presents their ideas and perspectives with the unseen text.
What are the key themes in H is for Hawk?
| Theme | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Connection with nature | - Macdonald experiences an emotional reaction and connection to the first bird, and a strong, negative reaction to the second hawk, originally meant for her: - “A great flood of sunlight drenches us and everything is brilliance and fury” versus “This isn’t my hawk” - The writer knows in her heart that the second hawk is not meant for her as she saw “something blank and crazy in her stare” |
| - The writer feels protective of the first hawk, and appreciative of the care the breeder has taken with her: - “All at once I loved this man, and fiercely.” | |
| - When she realises that the second bird is the one meant for her, she experiences “slow panic”: - Her connection to the first bird is conveyed by her telling the man that she “really liked the first one” and in her “desperate, crazy barrage of incoherent appeals” | |
| - The way Macdonald describes the bird’s reaction to the outside world is as though she is experiencing it as well: - “…and she can see everything” - Her connection to the bird means that she can see the world through its eyes | |
| Grief | - The connection Macdonald feels to the bird is a metaphor for human connection; in this case, the connection she felt to her father: - The second paragraph is written in a more detached manner, perhaps to suggest the detachment one feels when experiencing grief |
| - The implication is that Macdonald was so desperate to have the first bird because she felt a connection which could tether *her to her father, like a hawk is tethered to its falconer: - She feels the need to cling to something and to nurture it | |
| - Her need for the first bird is conveyed by her “appeals” and her “exhausted eyes” that were “pleading with him”: - The breeder understands that her unorthodox request to swap the birds is not “a simple one” and that there was something deeper behind it |
How does Macdonald present her ideas and perspectives?
Macdonald uses a variety of language and structural techniques to present her ideas and perspectives.
| Technique | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Short sentences | - The writer uses short sentences to create tension in the build up to Macdonald meeting the first bird: - “Another hinge untied. Concentration. Infinite caution.” - This also suggests the power and force of these animals should not be taken lightly |
| Repetition | - The writer uses the repetition of “thump” and “enormous, enormous” to suggest that something dangerous and possibly monstrous is emerging from the box: - This image of the hawk as a kind of mythical creature is continued in the metaphor “A griffon from the pages of an illuminated bestiary.” |
| Metaphors and similes | - Macdonald uses a series of metaphors to describe the birds: - As well as a griffon, the first bird is also described as a “broken marionette”, a “turkey in a butcher’s shop”, a “conjuring trick”, a “reptile” and “a fallen angel” - This suggests that Macdonald is trying to find adequate words to describe what she is seeing, which seems to be something between a real creature and something not of this world - Likewise, the second bird is described as something from a “Victorian melodrama” and a “madwoman in the attack” - This was not something that the writer could recognise or connect with - The hawk’s world is also described using metaphor, as “her world was an aviary no larger than a living room” and “a box”: - This conveys the sense of shock the bird feels when exposed to the outside world - Macdonald describes herself as Medea: - This simile linking the author to a notorious figure in Greek mythology emphasises her apparent madness |
| Polysyndeton | - The writer uses multiple repetitions of “and” to join together the overwhelming barrage of thoughts, feelings and reactions she experiences when the first hawk is lifted from the box: - “And amidst a whirring, chaotic clatter of wings and feet and talons and a high-pitched twittering and it’s all happening at once” - This also conveys the sense of chaos and the panic the hawk feels |
| Internal dialogue | - Macdonald expresses her inner thoughts in the present tense in the singular, definitive “Oh.” and “This is my hawk” and “This isn’t my hawk”: - This reflects her dilemma trying to reconcile the fact that the second hawk is the one she is meant to have, when in fact she knows deep down that it should be the first |
For more guidance on how to get top marks in your exam, check out our comprehensive revision notes on the English Language paper:
How to Answer Question 4 Question 4 Skills: Language and Structure Analysis Question 4: Model Answer
And see our guides for the other International GCSE English Language Anthology texts here:
| The Danger of a Single Story |
|---|
| A Passage to Africa |
| The Explorer's Daughter |
| Explorers or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill |
| From 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place |
| Young and Dyslexic? You've got it going on |
| A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat |
| Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan |
| Chinese Cinderella |
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