1. The Eagle by Alfred Tennyson
An isolated, powerful figure,
ready to drop down and seize its prey.
Commentary on the poem

2. He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
The sound is important
Alliteration
with the ‘c’
Assonance
with the ‘a’
Adds nobility
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Hands make
him seem
human
An American eagle rather than a British one - no close-up photos available of the latter.
Try re-writing the line without the alliteration and assonance. Why is it less powerful?
In earlier versions of the poem Tennyson used “hooked” instead of “crooked.” Why do you think he made the change?
The
rock
To hold firmly
Suggests
he owns it
What’s the effect of “He?”

3. Consonance - repetition of the ‘l’ and ‘s’ consonants in line 2
lines in a
stanza rhyme
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
he doesn't
fear the
sun’s heat
he doesn’t
fear
solitude
Which other words stress the nobility of the eagle? Can animals and birds possess these human virtues?
If you had to choose an adverb to go with “he stands” which one would you choose? Why doesn’t Tennyson use an adverb?
‘azure’ is the
heraldic colour blue
Simple, direct statement
Surrounded by -
he’s at the centre
Makes him seem noble

4. The eagle strikes from the heavens While he watches from on high?
In servitude?
emphasis on
his superiority
The waves
Suggests
man-made
- his castle?
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
Direct
statement
- no adverb
What do these lines suggest about the eagle’s relationship with the world around him?
A weapon from
a god in
most mythology
Note the contrast
in speed with
the earlier”crawls.”
Used here
as a simile

5. Class discussion: Is the poem ”The Eagle” just a picture of the
bird or does it represent something else?