Poem Structure of "God's Grandeur" by Hopkins "God's Grandeur" is one of the few poems written by Hopkins during his service as a Roman Catholic priest. The poem shows Hopkins' love towards God and his love of sound. "God's Grandeur" is a sonnet that contains three quatrains and a couplet. This sonnet is reminiscent of the Italian sonnet in that it contains one octave and one sestet. In "God's Grandeur", the octet describes the way in which humans are destroying the world by not attending to the greatness that surrounds them. The sestet is more optimistic in that in reveals Hopkins' personal belief that God's grandeur will remain because of the working of the Holy Ghost. The title, "God's Grandeur" is a title that is self-explanatory in that Hopkins wants to convey the magnificence and power of God. In the first line, "The world is charged with the grandeur of God" Hopkins utilizes the word "charged" to imply a sense of power and dynamics to communicate the vast expanse of God's reach. Lines 2-3 remind us that God's presence will be seen without being oppressed or controlled and that his presence will continue to grow as he says, "It will flame out, like shining from shook foil" and "It gathers to greatness like the ooze of oil." Hopkins uses "flame" and "foil" to illustrate the intensity and consciousness that will be realized when God unexpectedly makes us aware of his existence. Hopkins then uses a simile to compare the greatness of God to the "ooze of oil crushed" which represents the concentration of God's power just as the concentration of oil makes it more powerful. The line that follows questions man's loyalty and faith in God as it reads, "Why do men then now not reck his rod?", perhaps he employs the... ... middle of paper ... ...within. Lines 11-12 refers to the coming of night and the dawn that follows or "springs" up in the east. The couplet attributes the beginning of a new day to the Holy Ghost as it says, "Because the Holy Ghost over the bent world broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings." In these last two lines of the poem, the word "brood" might suggest that Hopkins is comparing the Holy Ghost to a nurturer, much like that of a hen protecting her nest. In addition, the Holy Ghost protects his children with love as he uses the words "warm breast." The couplet reminds the reader that the Holy Ghost serves as the guardian and protector of the earth. Hopkins' "God's Grandeur" is a poem that reflects his Christian beliefs and thoughts about humanity's negligence in tending to the word of the lord and realizing the extent of his love and compassion for his children.
The poem “Always Something More Beautiful” by Stephen Dunn is certainly about running a race, but the speaker is also arguing that pursuing something beautiful can help guide us through life. Through the title, we can see that we should constantly look for more beautiful things in life. The poem begins with the speaker describing his experience before a race. He uses words like “best” and “love.” The tone is extremely enthusiastic. In the first line, he talks about coming to the starting place. This can be a metaphor for beginning our lifelong journey. The speaker also implies that we need to approach it with a positive attitude. In the next few lines, the speaker indicates being tested in excellence
Dickenson makes it very apparent that the narrator in this poem believes in God. Using the quotes, “Between the Heaves of Storm—” (Line 4) and “when the King Be witnessed— in the room—” (Line 7-8), Dickenson lets the reader know that she and the narrator have religious knowledge to say the least.
Christensen, Bryce J. "The Mystery of Godliness." Major Literary Characters: Gatsby. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991.
A Divine Image gives human characteristics to the feelings of cruelty, jealousy, terror, and secrecy. The poem begins, "Cruelty has a human heart...
Amazing Grace is a legendary song” published in 1779”(www.princeton.edu/-achaney/tmve/wiki100/docs/Amazing-Grace.html) that is also a poem where there are verses in this poem that suggest that the composer John Newton (1725-1807) was going through a pivotal point in his life and he felt that by writing these harmonic verses in rhythmic metaphors could captivate and inspire not only those that read “Amazing Grace” but especially everyone that listened to its meaning. Conviction can come at a time when it seems you are most likely going to die from an act of God, and all the wrong that someone has done becomes a consciously enormous burden when they start to consider what the after life may have as punishment or reward. There are many different responses to this poem. Most of the responses are positive, but when you look at the author John Newton’s life you will start begin to understand the gist of what he is saying and the meaning behind them. The point of view, tone, and content are some elements that prompt some very interesting responses that may alter ...
I believe this poem shows her love for God and her love for religion. In the first six lines I believe she gives God the credit for her leaving Africa and going to America. In the fifth line,
As the first poem in the book it sums up the primary focus of the works in its exploration of loss, grieving, and recovery. The questions posed about the nature of God become recurring themes in the following sections, especially One and Four. The symbolism includes the image of earthly possessions sprawled out like gangly dolls, a reference possibly meant to bring about a sense of nostalgia which this poem does quite well. The final lines cement the message that this is about loss and life, the idea that once something is lost, it can no longer belong to anyone anymore brings a sense...
Even if he grew up within nature, he didn’t really appreciate it until he became an adult. He is pantheistic; a belief that nature is divine, a God. Since he has religious aspect of nature, he believes that nature is everything and that it makes a person better. His tone in the poem is reproachful and intense. His poem purpose is to tell the readers and his loved ones that if he feels some kind of way about nature, then we should have the same feeling toward it as well.
When the missionaries appear it says, “they were all sons of God. And [they] told them about this new God” (Achebe 126). It is interesting to note that Achebe capitalizes the “g” in God, which is proper, especially if one claims to be a Christian. Another allusion could be interpreted as when the locusts cover the land. It is phrased, “then quite suddenly a shadow fell on the world, and the sun seemed hidden behind a thick cloud” (49).
Edward Taylor’s Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children and Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold are similar in their approach with the illustration of how beautiful and magnificent God’s creations are to humankind. However, each poem presents tragic misfortune, such as the death of his own children in Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children and the cold, enigmatic nature of human soul in Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold. Taylor’s poems create an element of how cruel reality can be, as well as manifest an errant correlation between earthly life and spiritual salvation, which is how you react to the problems you face on earth determines the salvation that God has in store for you.
Despite Dylan Thomas’ often obscure images, he expresses a clear message of religious devotion in many of his poems. He creates images that reflect God’s connection with the earth and body. In “And death shall have no dominion,'; Thomas portrays the redemption of the soul in death, and the soul’s liberation into harmony with nature and God. Thomas best depicts his beliefs, though abstract and complicated, to the reader with the use of analogies and images of God’s presence in nature. Appreciating the virtue of humility in “Shall gods be said to thump the clouds,'; Thomas associates God with thunder, rainbows, and night only to remind us that He is even more present in a simple stone as He is in other great entities. In “The force that through the green fuse drives the flower,'; Thomas again makes the connection of body and earth, implying that there is only one holy force that has created all motion and life on this planet. This force, because it is so pure and boundless, is present in the shadows and poverty of our world, as depicted in “Light breaks where no sun shines.'; God’s sacred presence in the body and earth is the ultimate theme within these chosen poems.
“God’s Grandeur” is a poem that embraces the grace and glory of God in everything, and is certainly an example of his strong faith in God. Imagery is found from the very beginning of the poem. “The world is charged with the grandeur of God,” and “charged” here is very significant because it is a metaphor symbolizing the world being engulfed with God’s electricity (ll. 1). Electricity is a primary source for us as humans, which makes this an image of light associated with faith found in a single word in the first line alone. The second says that the electricity “will flame out, like shining from shook foil” (ll. 2). Line 2’s simile now connects with line 1’s metaphor as it further describes the metaphor. Moreover, if one has ever seen how light hits shook foil, then it becomes easy to understand the imagery because it glimmers so much. This enhances the relationship Hopkins establishes between images of light and his strong Christian faith.
...giving paradox of salvation history. The apostle Paul chose to explain this essential principle through the science of exposition. Hopkins, however, decided to express the hidden heart of the gospel through the art of poetry. Both men were master communicators:
Wordsworth and Hopkins both present the reader with a poem conveying the theme of nature. Nature in its variety be it from something as simple as streaked or multicolored skies, long fields and valleys, to things more complex like animals, are all gifts we take for granted. Some never realize the truth of what they are missing by keeping themselves indoors fixating on the loneliness and vacancy of their lives and not on what beauty currently surrounds them. Others tend to relate themselves more to the fact that these lovely gifts are from God and should be praised because of the way his gifts have uplifted our human spirit. Each writer gives us their own ideals as how to find and appreciate nature’s true gifts.
George Herbert’s struggle to be humble enough to fully accept God’s undying love can be located within each of his poems. The way in which Herbert conveys this conflict is by utilizing structure as well as metaphysical techniques. This combination of literary devices creates a physical reality that allows Herbert, or the poetic speaker, to “make his feelings immediately present” (245). These devices, at first, appear to be artificial and contradictory to the poet’s goal of making God’s word visible. Instead, literary techniques, for Herbert, help to emphasize how God controls everything from daily life to literature. Therefore, Herbert believes he is not the sole author of his writing; rather, he is an instrument of God chosen to write down poetry praising Him. Herbert battles with this idea as he must refuse the pride that comes with being the author of such beautiful devotional and metaphysical poetry. If Herbert were to give into this “temptation of success” (243), he would be giving himself up to sin and thus rejecting God’s love. This process of rejecting and accepting, or of “conflict and resolution” (243), is done throughout “The Temple,” which leads Herbert to an ultimate acceptance of God and to an “achieved character of humility, tenderness, moral sensitiveness” (249).