gods grandeur gerald manley hopkins
DESCRIPTION
An Analysis of the PoemTRANSCRIPT
God’s Grandeur
Gerald Manley Hopkins
God’s Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man‘s smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There llives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the llast llights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Musicality…
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man‘s smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There llives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the llast llights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Musicality…
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man‘s smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There llives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the llast llights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
God’s Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
PETRARCHAN / ITALIAN SONNET
SHIFT IN THE ARGUMENT OF THE POEM
Describes a natural world through which God’s presence runs like an electric current….
Flash out – becomes
momentarily visible
Simile
i.e. God’s grandeur
Simile
Clear, strong proof of God’s presence in the world
?
Despite the proof of his existence, humans fail to heed His divine authority
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed.
Why do men then now not reck his rod? 9
stressed syllables
God’s grandeur is compared to an electric current – invisible – builds up pressure and then “bursts”
out like flashing foil; oozing oil
GOD AS ELECTRICITY
• links the secular and scientific to mystery, divinity & religion
• was area of much research and interest during poet’s time
• had always been seen as an indication of God’s power
• was being explained in rational and scientific terms
• Hopkins does not ignore the discoveries of science but takes them as further evidence of “God’s grandeur”
Pounding syllables suggest passage of time and the sound of plodding footsteps
Heavy weight of years of progressBlind, monotonous repetition of human labour
Describes the state of contemporary human life…
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
?The prioritization of industry, trade, commerce and economics over spirituality
We have lost our physical connection with the earth – ever increasing spiritual alienation from nature
“nor can foot feel, being shod”
And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the last lights off the black West went
Despite all this…Exhausted – despite man’s attitude,
nature continues to be generous
Continual renewing and rejuvenating power of God’s
creation
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
The light of morning always dispels the darkness of night
METAPHOR
God guards the potential of the world – continues with the power and promise of continual rebirth
! = awe and joy
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”It gathers to a greatness, like the
ooze of oil / Crushed. “
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