"He clasps the crag with hooked hands;
  Close to the sun in lonely lands,
  Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

  The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; 
  He watches from his mountain walls,
  And like a thunderbolt he falls."

Review of "The Eagle’ by Lord Alfred Tennyson"             --by Brent M. Jones

The Eagle's use of hooked hands begins the poem, which uses symbolism, imagery, and metaphorical language to use the Eagle to learn about ourselves. 

The use of "clasps, crag, and crooked" in the first line sings to us. It draws our attention to the Eagle. The Eagle, "ringed with the azure world," seems above all creatures and represents men with power.

Alone and isolated, ruling in the lonely lands from the mountain tops. The Eagle falls, and men fall. 

The nobility and strength of the Eagle portray the majesty of nature and the earth. The dominance of the Eagle over its environment is powerfully illustrated.

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