Gerard Manley Hopkins, selected poems Contents
- Introduction
- Timeline
- Images
- Author(s)
- The context of writing
- Religious / philosophical context Show more
- Literary context Show more
- Hopkins' beliefs about religion and poetry Show more
- Poems for study
- As Kingfishers Catch Fire Show more
- Binsey Poplars Show more
- The Blessed Virgin Mary Compared to the Air We Breathe Show more
- Carrion Comfort Show more
- Duns Scotus' Oxford Show more
- God's Grandeur Show more
- Harry Ploughman
- Henry Purcell Show more
- Hurrahing in Harvest Show more
- Inversnaid Show more
- I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark Show more
- Synopsis of I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- Commentary on I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- Language and tone in I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- Structure and versification in I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- Imagery and symbolism in I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- Themes in I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo Show more
- Synopsis of The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
- Commentary on The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
- Language and tone in The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
- Structure and versification in The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
- Imagery and symbolism in The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
- Themes in The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo
- The May Magnificat Show more
- My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On Show more
- Synopsis of My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- Commentary on My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- Language and tone in My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- Structure and versification in My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- Imagery and symbolism in My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- Themes in My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- No Worst, There is None Show more
- Patience, Hard Thing! Show more
- Pied Beauty Show more
- The Sea and the Skylark Show more
- Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves Show more
- Spring Show more
- Spring and Fall Show more
- St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Show more
- The Starlight Night Show more
- That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection Show more
- Synopsis of That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire
- Commentary on That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire
- Language and tone in That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire
- Structure and versification in That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire
- Imagery and symbolism in That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire
- Themes in That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire
- Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord Show more
- Tom's Garland Show more
- To Seem the Stranger Show more
- To What Serves Mortal Beauty Show more
- The Windhover Show more
- The Wreck of the Deutschland Show more
- Themes and significant ideas
- Beauty and its purpose
- The beauty, variety and uniqueness of nature
- Christ's beauty
- Conservation and renewal of nature
- God's sovereignty
- The grace of ordinary life
- Mary as a channel of grace
- Nature as God's book
- Night, the dark night of the soul
- Serving God
- Suffering and faith
- The temptation to despair
- The ugliness of modern life
- Understanding evil in a world God has made
- Critical analysis
- Approaching exams and essays
- Appendices
- Resources and further reading
Synopsis of Harry Ploughman
This extended sonnet is a companion piece to Tom's Garland, being written at the same time in Dromore, Ireland, in September 1887. Tom's Garland is about the urban working man; Harry Ploughman about the rural. Of the two, Hopkins seemed more pleased with this poem, hoping, however, it did not sound too much like Walt Whitman, an American poet of the same period, who had used free verse and long lines in his poetry. Hopkins made it clear in a letter to Robert Bridges, his friend, that he felt some of the difficulties with the word order of the sonnet would be lessened by good reading aloud.
Investigating Harry Ploughman
- Would you say that was true for yourself - that when you read it out aloud, it makes better sense?
- Do you think this is a more satisfying poem than Tom's Garland?
- Can you say why or why not?
A sonnet is a poem with a special structure. It has fourteen lines, which are organised in a particular manner, usually characterised by the pattern of rhyming, which changes as the ideas in the poem evolve.
Verse which has no regular scansion; its structure being formed by the thought and imagery alone.
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- Texts
- Harry Ploughman
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