- Gerard Manley Hopkins, selected poems
- Poems for study
-
The Wreck of the Deutschland
- Imagery and symbolism in The Wreck of the Deutschland
- Nature images in The Wreck of the Deutschland
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 Show more
- 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
- 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
Nature images in The Wreck of the Deutschland
As we would expect with an account of a natural disaster, nature imagery predominates.
Water
Water is the key image. Compare images of violent water, with those of still water:
- under turbulent water there are references to ‘high flood' (7); ‘buck and the flood of the wave' (16); ‘sea-romp' (17); ‘sloggering brine' (19); ‘endragoned seas' (27); ‘Stanching quenching ocean' (32); ‘storm of his strides' (33)
- as opposed to the still water images of ‘sway of the sea' (1); ‘water in a well' (4); and references to rivers (6,18).
Investigating nature images in The Wreck of the Deutschland
- Find other water images.
- Can you see any deliberate contrast between turbulence and stillness?
Sand
Images of sand include:
- ‘strand' (1); ‘hourglass' (4); ‘smother of sand' (14); with particular use of the verb ‘combs' (4,14).
Thunderstorms
Examples include:
- ‘lightning and lashed rod' (2); ‘fall-gold mercies' and ‘all-fire glances' (23); ‘lightning of fire hard-hurled' (34). Linked with fire is an anvil image in stanza 34.
Body
There are a number of body images:
- ‘bound bones in me' (1); ‘heart' (3, 18); ‘vein' (4).
Music
More unexpected are images of music:
- ‘virginal' (17); ‘madrigal/revel/glee' (18).
Related material
Scan and go

Scan on your mobile for direct link.