In Hawk Roosting, which line shows the hawk's claim to power?

• A. I sit in the top of the wood
• B. No arguments assert my right
• C. The convenience of the high trees!
• D. The earth's face upward for my inspection

Answer: (B)

In this poem, power is shown through the hawk’s speaker asserting authority over everything he surveys. The line “No arguments assert my right” makes that claim explicit and unchallengeable. It uses a blunt, matter-of-fact tone to deny any opposition and to declare that his rule is rightful by nature. The word “right” shows entitlement, while “no arguments” suggests that nothing can question or undermine him.

Context helps: the hawk sits high, surveying the world, turning the earth into something to inspect and control. Other images—perching high in the wood, viewing the earth from above—costly reinforce his dominion, but this line is the clearest, most direct declaration of his power as authority that cannot be contested.