‘God’s Grandeur’ – Part 2 T
HIS WEEK we return to our examination of God’s Grandeur. What a powerful expression of the persona’s belief that God in nature always triumphs over man’s failure to appreciate what has been given to him!
The octave of this Petrarchan sonnet sets out, after the first three lines and the word ‘Crushed’ in the fourth [paints], a displeasing scenario. We are presented with a world in which human beings ignore God’s supremacy and His authority that holds us responsible for our wanton abuse of the earth. As humans, we are so bent on accumulating material wealth that we fail to take care of the natural wealth that we have been given, using it in such a way that it is despoiled.
Here the speaker makes it clear that the abuse of nature is not a new thing, but something that has been going on for a long time. If you were to speak to a teacher of history, you would learn what coal mining in England during the Industrial Revolution did to nature and humans alike. These latter five lines set up a situation or problem which will be resolved or turned about in the sestet, as is usual in sonnets. And for all this, nature is never spent;
Here is the turn, volta, from negative and from destructive developments in the octave to something positive in the sestet. It tells us that no matter what man throws at the world, the world will bounce back. There is a never-ending reserve to cover up what has been tarnished and begin again and again. The proof of this is shared in lines 11 and 12. And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs.
Each day the sun goes down in the western sky, the world gets dark but the next morning, the sun is back with light and life. The word ‘springs’ introduces the idea of the vibrancy which characterises the continuing greatness of what God has put, and persists in putting, into the world from “the dearest freshness
deep down things”. Finally comes the declaration that it is God’s care for mankind, like a bird guarding her young ones, that brings constant rebirth.
Have you noticed how much has been said in this sonnet? In 14 lines we get a wealth of information. When we think of line five with its seven words, we hear not just the heavy beat of workers but the clear disregard of nature and the monotonous, continuing pressure to achieve money. You know that one meaning of the word trod is to press down or crush with the feet, so the impression created by this line is that man cruelly, unfeelingly plunders the world for gain. (You have in this poem, as in others, an example of how to precis or summarise ideas.) By the way, has it struck you that this sonnet, while it does have the expected 14 lines, does not stick to the usual iambic pentameter.
Let us now ‘talk’ about the poet’s style, and the first thing we will be dealing with is an innovation of his, known as sprung rhythm. He has the reputation of trying and introducing new techniques in his writing, and I believe that you have heard of sprung rhythm before. Take a moment to recall what you know about it. We are all, or most of us are, familiar with the rhythm of the iambic pentameter. Hopkins used this too, but made changes/ additions as suited his needs. Stylistically, this is a rich poem. From the beginning, he uses images of light and heat in our world as if it were plugged into an electrical circuit, receiving ‘charge’. The poet who wrote from his Christian perspective says that God’s infusion of splendour could not be contained, like oil oozing from pressed fruit, and fits with this idea of grandeur always being replenished. I would like you now to do the following: 1. Identify the rhyme scheme. 2. Find and write down all the literary devices employed. 3. Explain the placement of ‘Crushed’. 4. What do you consider is the significance of “ah! bright wings”? Join with me next week and God bless!