God’s Grandeur Analysis

God’s Grandeur
by Gerard Manley Hopkins

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.

The Greatness of God Summary
Popularity "The Greatness of God": Written by Gerard Hopkins, a famous poet and Jesuit priest, "The Greatness of God" is famous for its divine appreciation and God's presence on earth. It was first published in 1918 in the Gerard Manley Hopkins Poems collection. The poem explores the relationship between the divine world and the world of nature and illustrates how the divine presence infuses its spirit and refreshes the world, despite humanity's attempts to destroy its real fabric through materialism. The poem is rooted in the fact that it praises God for the role he plays in restoring the world destroyed by human greed and love of materialism.
"The greatness of God" as praise of the glory of God: The poem illustrates the the poet's emotion for the eternal presence of God and his resentment at the destruction of the world caused by people. He argues that the world is filled to the brim with the splendor and glory of God. Later, he comments on the approach of a modern man whose involvement and work has corroded the true beauty of the earth. And now the earth smells of man's work. Despite being destroyed by man, it still harbors life because God always restores it. However, what readers love is the way they see hope and God's eternal presence in the world.
Main themes in “The Greatness of God”: Man's contact with the natural world and the eternal presence of God are the main themes of this Italian sonnet. The speaker is overwhelmed and excited by the existence of God. He also raises a question about man's lack of consciousness and his insensitivity towards nature. For him, man is responsible for the omission of natural beauty. He adds that people are too busy in their lives that they don't have time to see the damage they have done to the place where they live; however, nature cannot be destroyed and will always shine because the presence and love of God will continually restore it.
Analysis of literary resources in "The greatness of God"
Literary resources are tools that allow writers to present their ideas, emotions and feelings and also help readers understand those deeper meanings. Hopkins has also employed some literary devices in this poem to describe the power of God's glory. Below is an analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of / o / in “The generations have stepped, they have stepped, they stepped” and the sound / ea / in “And everything is cauterized with commerce; bleached, stained with work. ”
Parallelism: Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in construction, sound, meaning, or meter. This device is used in the first stanza, "And everything is scorched with trade" is parallel to "bleached, stained with hard work" and "And carries the stain of man" is parallel to "and shares the smell of man."
Metaphor: It is a rhetorical figure in which an implicit comparison is made between objects of different nature. The operation of the power of God in his creation is compared to an enormous electrical charge in the second line of the poem where it is said: "It will go out, like the brightness of a shaken sheet."
Simile: Simile is a device used to compare one object to something else to clarify the meaning for readers. There are two similes used in this poem. The first is used in the second line, "It will go out, like the glow of shaken aluminum foil" and "It piles up in greatness, like the seepage of oil."
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of / g / in "It accumulates in a greatness, like the exudate of oil" and the sound / d / in "There lives the freshness more dear at the bottom of things ".
Anaphora: Refers to the repetition of any word or expression in the poem. Hopkins has repeated the words "have trodden" on the fifth line to emphasize the ruin caused by men on earth.
A careful look at literary analysis shows that Hopkins has skillfully used these devices to express his gratitude to God. The proper use of these resources has made the poem profound and stimulating for readers.

Analysis of “God's Greatness” Poetic Devices
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but some are only used in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Italian sonnet: Italian sonnet form divides the poem into two parts in 14 lines; The first part is called Octave and the second part is called Sestet.
Oktave: An octave is a verse form that consists of eight lines of iambic pentameters. Here the first stanza is the octave.
Sestet: A sestet is the part of the Italian sonnet Here the second stanza consists of a sestet.
Rhymus scheme: The rhyme scheme followed by the entire sonnet is ABBAABBA CDCDCD.
Iambic pentameter: It is one Five Iambs type meter. This poem consists of an iambic pentameter like this as "The world is charged with the size of".
Quotes used
These lines can be used in a speech when speaking about the greatness of God. These lines can also be used in religious sermons to explain the omnipresence and power of God.

“The world is charged with the greatness of God.
It flames out, as if from shaken foil,
It collects to a greatness like the mud of oil.