God’s Grandeur
Writer: Gerard Manley Hopkins
Summary:
In his sonnet “God’s Grandeur” the poet G.M Hopkins praises the magnificence and glory of God. He describes the majestic deeds of God. He claims that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. The good deeds on earth are also the results of these qualities of God. Though human beings continuously destroy nature, it is never spent.
The world is full of the greatness of God. Due to His greatness, the world shines like ‘a shook foil’. It gathers to a greatness, as it is full of resources. Despite this fact, human beings act adversely. They don’t follow the commands of God; rather they function to destroy the world. Earlier generations destroyed the earth and so is the case with the present generation. People are more interested in materialist gain and possessions than in celebrating the glory of a loving, merciful, heavenly Father. They act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deed, the earth has become dry; it has the smell of human beings instead of its natural smell. Indeed the earth has reached the verge of destruction. Nevertheless, the world is not completely destroyed. Because of the freshness that is inside things, nature keeps on regenerating. The sunsets in the evening only to reappear in the morning. These happenings are the results of the god’s protection. He protects the earth just like a bird broods over the eggs.
Though the world is infused with the glory of God and Christ offered His body to be crucified, mankind does not live in awe of God, but imposes darkness on itself by running endlessly. Even so, despite humanity’s shortcomings, God is most capable of perfect love and embraces the world anyway. The poet is of the opinion that human beings acts are always directed towards destruction: knowingly or unknowingly. But God loves all the creatures of the world, so he works for the benefit of the creatures without any hope of benefit or profit. The poet inspires people to grow faith in God.
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Important Questions and Answers:
- What is the theme of the poem God’s grandeur?
Ans: Glorifying and praising god’s grandeur describes the magnificence of Omnipresent god. The poet also shows the contrast between the beauty of nature with the ugliness of industrialization and commercial activity. According to the poet the world is filled with the greatness of the god’s grandeur is reflected like shining from a hammered gold foil. It also accumulates greatness like oozing of oil from oil seeds on pressing them. Despite being about the glory and power of the god, human beings are indifferent towards god which makes the poet feel surprised. Human beings are following the same worthy path being un-mind full towards god’s power to punish them. Everything in this world has been made ugly by materialism and commercial activities because of human beings involved in monetary gain. The freshness and beauty of nature have been blocked by industrial activities and fragrance of nature has been drowning in the foul order (bad smell) that comes from man and machinery.
Despite human activities tending to destroy the beauty of nature, it remains fresh and undestroyed through the soil is bare now because of human beings as the destruction of natural green growth, human beings are insensitive to toes bareness because of their involvement in commercial activities like the feet which cannot feel the softness of soil because of the shoe. The poet says that in the depth of the earth there is a never-ending source of freshness with which nature renews itself when the spring comes. The poet symbolizes the sunrise as the renewal of nature like the bird that broods and protect us despite our unwise activities and indifference towards god because god’s beauty is changeless and eternal.
- What is the main or central idea of the poem “God’s Grandeur”?
Ans: This is the beautiful poem composed by G.M Hopkins. In this poem, the praises the magnificence and the glory of God in the world. The whole world is full of god’s grandeur, but the man fails to recognize it. The world has become ugly, and it has been degraded by mean’s commercial and industrial activities. Everything in the world is spoilt by the people. But the beauty and freshness of nature are never spent. When the spring comes, nature renews itself and makes the world beautiful. The Holy Ghost broods the earth just like a dove broods over its young babies.
- What is the significance of the repetition of the words “have trod…..” in the poem?
Ans: In the poem ‘God’s Grandeur’ the poet praises the glory of God in the world. The whole world is full of god’s grandeur but the man fails to recognize the power of God. Generations of human beings have been following the same path but the men don’t know the grandeur of God. So the poet is angry with the men’s commercial and industrial activities and repeats the words ‘have trod’.
- How is the glory of God praised in the poem “God’s Grandeur”? OR
What are the reasons to determine the god as powerful? Illustrate?
Ans: The beautiful poem “God’s Grandeur” is composed by G.M Hopkins. In this poem, Hopkins praises the greatness of god saying that God is almighty and the whole world is full of god’s grandeur and glory. God is the protector of the world and its beautiful nature. Although the world has been made ugly by human activities, it is redecorated by the god.
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- What do the words ‘bleared, “smeared’, and ‘seared’ suggest? Ans: These words suggest that people are running after work to earn money. They are engaged for profit but they don’t recognize the glory of God. They don’t have the time for god. They have a lack of divine will.
- Why are people unable to understand the greatness of God?
Ans: “God’s Grandeur” is a poem written by G.M Hopkins. He praises the magnificence and glory of God. He claims that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. The world is full of the greatness of God. Due to His greatness, the world shines like ‘a shook foil’. Despite this fact, people are unable to understand the greatness of god because people are too busy with their everyday lives. Human beings act adversely. They don’t follow the commands of God; rather they function to destroy the world. People are more interested in materialist gain and possessions than in celebrating the glory of a loving, merciful, heavenly Father. They act as if they are not rational creatures.
Question for practice :
Give reasons why men are unaware of the greatness of God?
What is the central idea of the poem?
