1. GOD'S GRANDEUR
L.O: To complete an in depth analysis of the literary
and lingustic features of the poem and write in depth
SEA paragraphs.

2. GOD'S GRANDEUR
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
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 oil
Crushed. 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 soil
Is 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.

3. THEMES AND IDEAS
God’s Grandeur is primarily about the greatness of God
and the impact of humans on earth. Written during the
time of the industrial revolution, Hopkins shows how the
world may be potentially ruined by man due to power and
selfishness. However Hopkins does not go on to condemn
man, but instead centres his work on God and his reaction
to man’s treatment of his environment. Like many of his
poems Hopkins explores man’s indifference to the
destruction of sacred natural and religious order. In the
second stanza Hopkins explains that the world is perhaps
more resilient than we imagine and even when thinks
seem bleak, God is always watching over us and therefore
there is always hope.

4. FORM
Statement Evidence Analysis
Petrarchan sonnet form,
being made up of an
octave and a sestet.
In the sestet he uses a
Volta to show a turn in
argument or a change in
tone.
However unlike the
traditional sonnet form
Hopkins has not stuck to
the traditional iambic
pentameter.
For example in the fourth
line of the poem he
follows stressed syllables
with another to create
sense of urgency in his
question. Why do men
then not reck his rod?”
In this way Hopkins
attempts to bring make
poetry more like natural
speech.
Likewise in the next line
we find a falling meter
‘have trod, have trod,’ which almost replicates a
foot like movement.

5. SYNTAX
Statement Evidence Analysis
It includes many
rhetorical devices,
usually associated with
the metaphysical poets.
The first four declarative
lines
Welcome the reader with an extreme
affirmation, that God is ever present
and powerful, though we may not
always see it.
The interrogative
statement in the next
line,
‘Why do men
then not reck his
rod’,
asks the question why do people
continue to ignore him.
When reading the poem aloud, it almost sounds like a political speech, almost
propaganda in style.

6. The rest of the poem is
made up of complex
sentences, with the use
of the semi colon to
dramatize and expand
upon his reasoning.
Hopkins clearly positions
his wording for
emphasis. For example
at the end of line three,
enjambment is used,
where ‘crushed’ is
foregrounded on the next
line to emphasis the
destruction of mankind..
The use of complex
sentences could be to
show the complexity of
man’s position and his
faith in God

7. LEXIS
Statement Evidence Analysis
In the first stanza a number
of dynamic verbs are used
such as ‘flame
out’, ‘gather’ and
‘crush’,
Could be representative of the
progressive action packed
age in which the poem was
written.
As the first stanza
continues these dynamic
verbs, which are generally
used to describe the
actions of man, become
increasingly more
destructive,
‘trod, seared,
bleared and
smeared’
Show how man, in the age of
the industrial revolution has
neglected the gift that God
has given them.
At the start of the second
stanza we witness a
change in tone.
Hopkins
surprising use of
the co-
ordinating
conjunction,
‘and’, to replace
the expected
contrastive
conjunction
shows that all hope is not
forgotten.

8. LEXIS
Statement Evidence Analysis
pre-modifier ‘dearest’ suggests that mankind can
rectify things.
noun phrase ‘deep down
things’
suggests that there is still
something spiritual at work in
relation to nature
adverbial phrases ‘West went’,
which indicates
the sun, and
potentially hope
setting is
juxtaposed by
‘eastward
springs’ on the
next line,
Reminds the reader that God
is always present to help and
forgive, a primary idea of the
catholic church.

9. IMAGERY
Statement Evidence Analysis
For example the
use of the verb
phrase
‘flame out’ suggests God’s forceful and all-powerful
nature
together with the
use of the noun
phrase
‘shook foil’ can be seen to refer somewhat to the
industrial age in which he was living,
with electricity being developed.
Likens God’s
greatness to the
‘ooze of oil’
The noun oil has connotations of purity
and also the most valued natural
resource on earth, which God himself
created.
Hopkins chose his imagery carefully, to gain the maximum meaning possible.

10. PHONOLOGY
Statement Evidence Analysis
fricative
alliteration
of the ‘flame out’
and shook foil’
makes the presence of God sound
forceful and almost explosive,
highlighting his power.
Plosive B
alliteration
‘black’, ‘brown’,
‘because’ and
‘Broods’
creates a woeful tone, in the second
stanza, which can be seen as
paradoxical due to the fact that he is
discussing the positive element of
God’s commitment to humankind.
assonance, in particular in his
description of man
and work being
‘seared’, ‘bleared’
and ‘smeared’
creating a critical tone, as well as
elongating the vowel sounds
A typical feature of Hopkins’ poetry is his use of typical Welsh born ‘consonant
chiming’, which involves elaborate use of alliteration and internal rhyme.

11. ANALYSIS
Each of you will be given one part of the analysis grid. You
will write S.E.A. paragraphs in your groups focusing on this
area.
You need to write at least two, detailed, paragraphs.
In your analysis:
 Talk about the effect of the quote you have picked out on the
reader and the poem as a whole? (Why has the poet included
it?)
 How does it link to the theme or meaning of the poem?
 Are there any other similar examples of this in the poem?

12. NOW…
Swap sheets. You are going to improve each other’s
paragraphs.
 Is it in S.E.A structure?
 Have they used terminology correctly?
 Have they analysed fully? For example, have they:
Fully explained the effect of a feature picked out? (to create a more
vivid image/to create rhythm/ to describe something more powerfully/to
emphasise its importance etc.)
Linked this to the theme or meaning of the poem?
Linked it to similar features in the poem?