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

Summary

The persona is praising the extraordinary power of God. He not that God is present in all things. However, the persona questions the actions of mankind in their limitless search for self-gain and exploitation of the natural world. He wonders why mankind does not take the warning of and defer to the enormous power of the Lord, but rather leaves a permanent destructive mark on the world. He questions the appalling acts of humanity against the world and accepts that the nature continues to replenish itself because God continues to nurture the world without failing.

Theme

Glorification of God

Nature

God’s work

Man vs nature

Man’s destruction of nature.

Tone

Reverent

Disgust and

Hope.

Analysis

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

The persona states that the world is ‘charged’ with God’s grandeur. ‘Charged’ speaks to God’s work as one that is as powerful as electromotive forces. This means that the beauty of God’s works is driven by a single force and this force is God’s power. The word also suggests that one person is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the glory of God’s work.

“It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;”

There is an extended metaphor in this line that compares the beauty of God’s work to that of electricity. The persona speaks to the charge infused by the grandeur of God. He believes that this will reach an intensity that flames out in a flash. The comparison alludes to the reflection of multiple facets of a sheet of foil when shook. This vivid visual imagery presents an impression of a surge of awe-inspiring intense light. The line also uses alliteration with “shining… shook” which allows the reader to identify the texture to the language as it compares to the sound of foil when shaken.

“It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil”

The grandeur of God is now given a oil-like quality, gathering ‘to a greatness.’ The simile used here compares the presence of God to how the real essence and greatness of the seed of a fruit materializes when it is crushed for its oil or essence.

“Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?”

This line is a continuation of the previous line where the phrase is broken with the last word to create the vivid impression that there is an urgency. The abrupt pause using a single syllable shows the reader the striking and puzzling nature of the question that the poet is about ask. The persona asks why mankind does not ‘reck his rod.’  Reck means that one does not pay attention to something. The use of the work “reck” and “rod” stands as a metonym for God and his authority. Hence, the question of why humanity does not give way or comply to the divine authority of God. The beauty of God’s work is omnipresent and inherent within the word, and therefore, the persona wonders why mankind would seek to degrade the natural world rather than listening to the unshakeable power that God holds (rod). There are two instances of alliteration in this line: the repetition of the ‘n’ sound in “now not” and the ‘r’ sound in “reck his rod.”

“Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;”

This line shows that mankind has had control over the land for generations. They have trampled the earth constantly and have led to the destruction of natural resources. The poet uses repetition to give the impression of how generations of humans have walked upon the earth with blatant disregard for God’s authority. In addition, lines 4 and 6 reiterates the former question of why man ignores God’s grandeur, and the latter presenting the destructive effects of man’s obsession with commerce and self-gain.

“And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;”

Here the persona shows how the profit-centered, industrialist actions of mankind and the negative effect this has on nature. The poet uses internal rhyme here, repeating that ‘-eared’ syllable throughout the line. The earth and nature have been damaged by the selfish toil of mankind.

“And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel,/ being shod.”

The tone in this line is of disgust as the persona comments on the way that the world has smudged and stained God’s work. It also alludes to the fact that mankind cannot help but leave their own smell and damage the natural world with their industrial and economic pursuits. According to the persona, the soil is now devoid of natural life. Still, mankind cannot feel the connection to the earth because their feet are covered by shoes.

“And for all this, nature is never spent;”

This is the turning point of the poem. The persona notes that despite mankind’s egotistic pursuits and their path of constant destruction of nature, there is the reality that nature is never depleted completely or ‘spent’ or destroyed because it always replenishes itself. There is an alliteration used here, with “nature is never” and which suggests the negative effects on nature.

“There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;”

The persona continues to be hopeful. He notes the ‘dearest freshness’ that lives within all things and that even though mankind continues to trample nature for self-gain, there is that reinvigorating, refreshing and even inspiriting influence that stays within nature. This is opposite to the influence of humanity. The poet uses alliteration again with “deep down” things.

“And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —”

The persona here continues to highlight the replenishing quality of nature. He notes that even though the sun fades into darkness, setting in the west upon the completion of one day, morning springs forward again as the sun rises in the east and begins a new day. He praises the constant cycle of that comes with regeneration because despite mankind’s actions, nature holds firm to its ability to regenerate and maintain its longevity and infinite ability to continue the cycle of life.

“Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.”

The persona contrasts the Holy Ghost to a bird who is brooding while nurturing her egg. Hence, the Holy Ghost is a bird-like protector who guards this ‘bent world’ in its protective care.

Literary Devices

Assonance:

Assonance refers to the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. “Generations have trod, have trod, have trod” has the repetition of the “o” and /ea/ sound in “And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil”.

Parallelism:

Parallelism reflects the use of elements in a sentence that is the same grammatically or is similar in their construction, sound, meanings, or meter. “And all is seared with trade” is paralleling “bleared, smeared with toil” and “And wears man’s smudge” parallels “and shares man’s smell”.

Consonance:

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. “World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings”.

Metaphor:

Metaphors are figures of speech where there is implied comparison between the objects that are different in nature. God’s power in his creation in the poem is compared to an enormous electric charge in the second line of the poem: “It will flame out, like shining from shook foil”.

Simile:

Simile is used when comparing an object with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. For example: “It will flame out, like shining from shook foil” and “It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil”.

Alliteration:

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example:  /g/ in “It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil” and /d/ sound in “There lives the dearest freshness deep down things”.

Anaphora:

This is the repetition of any word or expression in the poem. “Have trod” in the fifth line highlights the destruction caused by men on earth.

Hopkins uses these devices to express his gratitude toward God.

MOOD

Contemplative or Reflective

TONE

Reflective

THEMES

Nature