Gerard Manley Hopkins writes with such appreciation and vitality. Through his works I can feel his passion and devotion. As a Jesuit priest, Hopkins was very devoted to God, which is evident in his writings. It is said that he wrote solely for God and even burned some of his work because he felt as though it wasn't praising God enough.
I was particularly drawn to "God's Grandeur" because of it's unusual rhythm. At first glance, his meter looks almost messed up or thrown together. However, after further observation it seems as though Hopkins planned this unconventional meter. I think this is one thing that sets him apart from some of his Victorian counterparts.
From the first stanza, we can see that Hopkins seeks God in all earth and nature. He sees God as this great being who controls everything. This seems to bring him great comfort and assurance. I also get a feeling of great gratitude from just how Hopkins describes how the world is "charged" God's greatness in the following lines:
"The world is charged with the grandeur of God/ It will flame our, like shining from shook foil;/ It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
In the next two stanzas, Hopkins generations go on, people go on with their work, they work hard, they experience hardships, yet nature still remains. He describes people as jaded and "bleared, smeared with toil". Here, I think Hopkins is showing us that no matter how ugly the world may get, God and his grand nature will always be there. Nature is never spent. Though we will always have to experience physically hardships that life brings, there is a freshness deep down that can be renewed because of God and his creation:
"Because the Holy Ghost over the bent/ World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings."
This poem really gave me a great feeling. Because Hopkins writes with such passion and vigor, I feel like I can understand how he feels as he experiences what he calls "God's Grandeur". While with several of the Romantic authors I was able to visualize the nature of which they wrote, with Hopkins I feel as though I can sense more than just images.
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7 comments:
I'm glad you managed to find some happiness reading Hopkins. His life, as I understand it, was bleak and hard, but I'd bet he'd be happy to learn one of his poems managed to bring happiness to someone. I liked your insights into Hopkins's views towards God and nature.
Kelly,
I enjoyed your enthusiastic appreciation of Hoopkins's poem--that is not the feeling many first-time readers of this poet get! Good job of discussing the passages you quoted.
Kelly,
You have found the heartbeat of Hopkins, I think. Hopkins was so consumed by his understanding of and quest for God that you rightly included the story of him throwing some of his works into the fire. He is super charged with fervor and the quote you provide give example to that. "The world is charged with the grandeur of God/ It will flame our, like shining from shook foil;/ It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil." Well done. Another fantastic post.
-kyle
Kelly,
I am glad to find someone else who truly enjoyed this poem by Hopkins. He seemed to have a difficult life so it impressed me to how he could find something to satisfy him.
Kelly,
I really enjoyed reading your blog posting on Gerard Manley Hopkins. I too found the rhyme scheme to be a little strange. I really liked the ideas that you had regarding this poem and Hopkins's views of God. Great job!
I admire Hopkins for being such a deeply spirtual man. Not many would destroy poetic works that they put their all into, just because it didn't praise God enough.
I too felt that I could really sense Hopkins's images. I liked your excitement in the poem about Hopkins. That made reading your post fun to read. I liked where you said, "no matter how ugly the world may get, God and his grand nature will always be there. Nature is never spent." This is a great idea by Hopkins that I really enjoyed. Good post and use of quotes from the poem.
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