Analysis of God's Grandeur: A Detailed Literary Examination

This assignment is a detailed analysis of Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, 'God's Grandeur'. It begins by identifying the poem's structure as an Italian sonnet and its rhyme scheme. The analysis then explores the physical and social context of the poem, focusing on the impact of industrialization and human actions on the Earth. The assignment identifies and explains the use of various literary devices, including similes, metaphors, personification, imagery, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. It discusses the significance of these devices in conveying the poem's themes and the speaker's perspective. The analysis also includes the student's personal reaction to the poem, highlighting its relevance to environmental concerns and human injustice. The document also provides a list of references used for the analysis.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF GOD’S GRANDEUR
Analysis of God’s Grandeur
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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ANALYSIS OF GOD’S GRANDEUR
Answer 1)
God’s Grandeur written by Gerard Manley Hopkins has the form of that of an Italian
sonnet. The poem has eight lines in the first paragraph and six lines in the second paragraph
like the traditional Italian sonnet. The poem follows rhyme scheme of the traditional Italian
sonnet (Poetryfoundation.org).
Answer 2)
The physical setting of the poem is the planet, Earth. It talks about the struggle of the
human beings on Earth and how they care more about money as compared to the planet. The
social context of the poem refers to the process of industrialization that has created the
polluted waters and the big factories.
Answer 3)
The poem has the rhyme scheme of that of the Italian sonnet. The rhyme scheme of
the poem is ABBAABBA. The second paragraph has the rhyme scheme of CDCDCD. First,
fifth, eighth and the fourth line in the first stanza has the rhymes. Ninth, eleventh and the
thirteen lines in the second stanza have the rhyming pattern along with the tenth, twelfth and
the fourteenth line.
Answer 4)
Similes have been used in the poem that helps in making the comparison in the poem.
The second line of the poem, “It will flame out, like shining from shook foil” is an example
of a simile. The speaker is trying to convey the fact that the world is of temporary nature with
the help of this simile. It helps in conveying meaning as it talks about the struggle of the
human existence (Keller, pp 45).
Answer 5)

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ANALYSIS OF GOD’S GRANDEUR
Metaphors have been used in the poem. The grandeur of God has been likened to an
electric force that helps in the building of tension in the poem. Oil that was pressed out of the
olive helps in representing richness that reveals the fact that the built-up pressure resulted into
an ultimate overflow.
Answer 6)
Personification has been used in the poem and earth has been personified in the poem.
It has been said that earth wears the smudge of man and he has the smell of god. The human
features have been attributed to earth and so it can be said that earth has been personified in
the work. It is significant for the poem as it helps in bringing out the important theme that the
unjust treatment of the human beings of nature would have negative effect on environment.
Answer 7)
Imagery has been used in the poem with the help of words like “foil” and “oil”. The
word “foil” helps in conveying the fact that the world is functioning with the help of power of
God (Urban, pp 64). It contributes to meaning as it talks about supreme power of God.
Answer 8)
Figurative devices have been used in the poem like Onomatopoeia and alliteration.
Onomatopoeia can be found in the line, “Generations have trod, have trod, have trod”.
Alliteration can be found in the first line of the poem, “grandeur of God”
(Poetryfoundation.org).
Answer 9)
The speaker in the poem can be said to be anonymous and someone who is in a deep
state of the turmoil. The significance of the person speaking lies in the fact that he has talked

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ANALYSIS OF GOD’S GRANDEUR
about the benevolence of God who is suffering on account of the choices made by the human
beings.
Answer 10)
My personal reaction to the poem is that it rightly talks about the injustice that are
perpetrated on the earth on account of the actions of the human beings.

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ANALYSIS OF GOD’S GRANDEUR
References
Keller, Sarah. "Inscape, the inshape of the trinity: a genetic analysis of Gerard Manley
Hopkins'" God's Grandeur" and" The Windhover"." (2016).
Poetryfoundation.org. "God's Grandeur By Gerard Manley Hopkins". Poetry Foundation,
2019, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44395/gods-grandeur.
Urban, David. "Ignatian Inscape and Instress in Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “Pied
Beauty,”“God’s Grandeur,”“The Starlight Night,” and “The Windhover”: Hopkins’s
Movement toward Ignatius by Way of Walter Pater." Religions 9.2 (2018): 49.