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Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Windhover

Some challenging questions!

Keith Tankard
Knowledge4Africa.com
Updated: 4 March 2014
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The poet is enraptured one morning by the rare sight of a falcon gliding on the gentle dawn wind. His spirit is captivated by the ecstasy of the vision.

His poetic mind, however, is immediately transformed into images of medieval knights on their horses, as well as the excruciating spectacle of Jesus Christ bearing his cross up Calvary.

Be warned! "Windhover" is probably one of the most complex poems that you are ever likely to study. Indeed, it has several levels of meaning.

The poet has selected his words carefully for their lyrical value, and has then layered within them meaning upon meaning upon meaning.

Tread carefully! There is no simple answer to any of question which you might face for this poem.



A NOTE ON THE POET

Gerard Manley Hopkins was born in 1844, the first of nine children. His parents were staunch Anglicans.

Hopkins attended a grammar school in Highgate and then continued on to Oxford University.

His search for religion, however, caused him to fall under the influence of the great Catholic convert, John Henry Newman. As a result, Hopkins became a Catholic in 1866 and then joined the Society of Jesus the following year.

Initially Hopkins burned all his early poetry because he believed it was a symbol of ambition in the world.

He later changed his mind, however, after being influenced by the writings of the medieval scholar Duns Scotus who saw art as a reflection of God within the world.

From this concept, Hopkins developed his philosophy of Inscape and Instress.

Inscape is the underlying form that marks the essence of all things, the God-principle which exists in everything.

Instress, on the other hand, is our ability to experience that God-principle.

Everything has inscape. In other words, everything has a God-principle.

Not everyone, however, has instress. The person who watches the glory of the setting sun but is reminded of a poached egg clearly lacks instress.

The poet studied Theology in Wales, which is probably where he picked up the Welsh lyrical way of speaking and writing. He would translate this into his poetry in what he called Sprung Rhythm.

Hopkins was ordained a priest in 1877 and then worked as a curate in Sheffield, Oxford and then London before moving on to become parish priest in slum parishes in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.

None of this work was intellectually suitable for a man who had such a brilliant mind.

He then became a professor of Latin and Greek, first at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire and then at University College in Dublin.

His frustration, however, at having to mark a plethora of mediocre scripts sent him spiralling into a state of deep depression from which he would not emerge.

He died of typhoid fever in 1889. He was then 44 years of age.

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:



"The Windhover" looks like a Petrarchan sonnet. But is it? Explain carefully. (6)

[Need help?]




What is the meaning of each of the following words? (8)
  • minion;
  • dauphin;
  • falcon;
  • wimpling;
  • skate;
  • chevalier;
  • sillion;
  • vermilion.

[Need help?]




What do the following words have in common? (8)
  • kingdom;
  • dauphin;
  • plume;
  • buckle;
  • chevalier;
  • blue;
  • gold;
  • vermillion.

[Need help?]




Purely on a superficial level, what is the Octave about? Explain your answer. (4)

[Need help?]




Purely on a superficial level, what is the Sestet about? Explain your answer. (4)

[Need help?]




I CAUGHT this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy!
  • Comment on the rhythm of these lines. What do you think the poet is trying to achieve? (Hint: the poet is doing several things here, so please give this question its full value.) (6)

[Need help?]

  • Identify and then comment on the poet's use of alliteration. (6)

[Need help?]

  • What does the poet mean when he says, "I caught this morning morning's minion"? (Hint: the poet has locked some pretty deep meaning into these words, so please give this question some very deep thought.) (10)

[Need help?]

  • Why does the poet split "king -- dom" over two lines? (4)

[Need help?]




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