'Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend'

Hopkins, we've all been through this discussion in our minds. We do everything right, and give nothing but our best; the bad guys always win. Hopkins raises the question, "why do sinners' ways prosper"? I have found myself wondering the same thing many times. I believe it is supposed to be tougher on us, because the closer we are to God and doing His work, the more Satan is going to try and tear you down to keep you from continuing. This just must have been a bad time for him, because Hopkins is desperately crying out to God. "O thou lord of life, send my roots rain". Me too, Hopkins.. Me too.

I commented on Sierra's.

The Starlight Night

Being a huge fan of nature and the night sky in particular, I found this poem very interesting. For as long as I can remember I have gone outside at night to just sit and gaze at the stars. I found the poem's structure particularly interesting. It was as if he was trying to sell Christianity. He praised the night sky for the first half of the poem then called it Heaven.

Delaney's

"The Starlight Night"

Although I had a difficult time reading through some of Hopkins' poems, "The Starlight Night" really resonated with me. This may be because I just saw a quote that said, "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently." Hopkins' poem goes right along with this statement as he declares that all of nature is "a prize." Looking at the stars, the woods, the lawns, and the birds, eventually brings him to remember Christ. Nature becomes just a glimpse of heaven for him. Viewing nature in this way can definitely make one live his or her life differently.

I commented on Sierra's!

Beauty in the Unappealing

What I loved about Hopkins' poems was the way they were structured. Not only did they each have a specific rhyming scheme, each poem was worded so well with the alliterations and imagery he used. Another thing I noticed about Hopkins was his incorporation of nature in each poem. His appreciation of God's creation was so evident. It seemed like he admired the things that others don't necessarily appreciate at first glance. In "That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the comfort of the Resurrection," I thought a cool thing he did was relate not so appealing things, or the trash, to Jesus's death and the glory and beauty within that.

"In a flash, at a trumpet crash,
I am all at once what Christ is,
 since he was what I am, and
This Jack, joke, poor potsherd,
patch, matchwood, immortal diamond,
Is immortal diamond."
- "That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire..."

I commented on Francesca's post.

Weaving Style and Subject

I adored Binsey Poplars. Elsewhere his writing style becomes a little disorienting. It tumbles around itself. It weaves through itself. In a poem discussing the carnage of deforestation, it was totally fitting. I felt like I was reading the tree trunks and the dirt and mud heaving and twisting. It was an interesting experience. 

—Abbie George received my comment

Hopkin's "I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day"

He is saying that, even when he wakes and it is daytime, he is still overcome with darkness. He repeats that he is in constant grief and sorrow. He compares himself to "gall" and "heartburn" to illustrate that his heart is bitter and in immense suffering. He also explains how the "lost are like" his current state, furthering his argument that he is in utter sadness. What is he so distraught about? Is he speaking of how his heart is reacting to what he experiences in daily life in this world?

I commented on Francesca's!

Binsey Poplars

My personal favorite poem from Hopkins was "Binsey Poplars". I think he describes a non-significant event in a desperate way. He sounds devastated about the felling of the trees even though they probably weren't that big of a deal. Hopkins describes the felling of the trees so beautifully and I really like the way that even he admits that only ten or twelve trees were hewn down but after comers will never know the beauty of what once was.

I commented on Abie Georges.