The broken pillar of the wing jags from the clotted shoulder / The wing trails like a banner in defeat
-- Speaker (Lines 1 – 2)

Importance: This quote opens the poem and highlights the hawk's pain and shame from his broken wing. He is a dignified bird that has been reduced to depending on a human for food and shelter, hence the use of the word "defeat."

The lame feet of salvation; at night he remembers freedom / And flies in a dream, the dawns ruin it
-- Speaker (Lines 7 – 8)

Importance: These two lines within the poem help readers to understand how devastating the hawk's injury is and what he has lost as a result. He was formerly like a king of the skies, self-sufficient and free to come and go according to his wants. Now, he can only fly at night when he is lucky enough to dream, and every day's dawn brings renewed devastation for what he has lost.

He...
-- Speaker (Line9)