The Eagle

The poem is a lyric poem, since it’s short and represents a personal perspective on an eagle. It’s also something of a dramatic poem, as the presentation of the eagle is quite cinematic. The eagle is, more or less, the star of the poem, but they’re not the speaker. They’re separate entities, and the speaker functions as a narrator; they tell about the eagle, where he is, and what he does. The speaker doesn’t have a specific identity. It’s as if the speaker wants anonymity or to rid themselves of any identity. In the context of Imagism, the speaker is less of a person and more of a lens. They’re like a camera capturing the eagle in the mountains. The speaker is a medium that brings the eagle to the reader.

To match the power and force of the eagle, the speaker uses an urgent and sharp tone. Their voice is swift and cutting, and the speaker doesn’t wait to get to the action. The poem begins with the eagle in motion: “He clasps the crag with crooked hands” (Line 1).