Bate Analysis in H is for Hawk

Bating is when a bird attempts—but is unable—to take flight. Usually, they are prevented because they are attached to a perch or via a creance or because the falconer holds the bird’s jesses firmly in hand.

Bate Quotes in H is for Hawk

The H is for Hawk quotes below are all either spoken by Bate or refer to Bate. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

She runs her beak through one feather after another in quick succession: the sound is of paper being scored, or a pack of cards being shuffled. Then she stretches one broad wing behind her, drags it slowly back over her sunlit tail, and rouses, squeaking happily through her nose. I watch all this with a ravenous, gulping-down-champagne sense of joy. Look how happy she is, I think. This room is not a dungeon and I am not a torturer. I am a beneficent figure, one who crouches and stoops in anxious genuflection, bearing delicious treats of steak in my hand.

Related Characters: Helen Macdonald (speaker), T. H. White , Mabel (Macdonald’s Goshawk), Gos

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

Bate Term Timeline in H is for Hawk

The timeline below shows where the term Bate appears in H is for Hawk. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...glove on her left hand, she lifts the bird from her perch. Instantly, the bird bates or tries to fly away in fear. She doesn’t get far; Macdonald holds the jesses... (full context)

...couch. Later, when Macdonald next unhoods the bird, things have shifted incrementally. The hawk only bates once. And she relaxes enough to forget Macdonald’s presence for a second, curious about her... (full context)

...the floor with the meat on her hand. The first time she approaches, the bird bates. But soon, she’s gobbling bites of steak from Macdonald’s gloved hand. It’s at this moment... (full context)

...recording his failures with Gos in his log. On this day, White punished Gos for bating by letting him dangle upside down from his jesses. He feels ashamed. And he suspects... (full context)

...realizes with some part of her mind—pass by. Mabel begins to watch them cautiously. She bates at the sound of bicycles hissing past, and when a runner startles her. Macdonald feels... (full context)

...the mother catches sight of the hawk, she freaks out. Macdonald clings desperately to a bating Mabel while Christina chases the other birds away. When they finally begin the calling-off work,... (full context)

...beats the bushes, flushing out something, and before Macdonald can see what it is, Mabel bates, and Macdonald releases her jesses. Mabel misses the quarry and wheels high into the air.... (full context)

...a pheasant. Momentarily stunned, Macdonald doesn’t realize the extent of her injuries until Mabel starts bating at her face, excited by the sight of blood running from a deep talon slash... (full context)

Bate Term Analysis

Bate Quotes in H is for Hawk

Bate Term Timeline in H is for Hawk