Gerard Manley Hopkins, selected poems Contents
- As Kingfishers Catch Fire
- Binsey Poplars
- The Blessed Virgin Mary Compared to the Air We Breathe
- Carrion Comfort
- Duns Scotus' Oxford
- God's Grandeur
- Harry Ploughman
- Henry Purcell
- Hurrahing in Harvest
- Inversnaid
- I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark
- 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
- 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
- My Own Heart, Let Me Have More Pity On
- 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
- Patience, Hard Thing!
- Pied Beauty
- The Sea and the Skylark
- Spelt from Sibyl's Leaves
- Spring
- Spring and Fall
- St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
- The Starlight Night
- That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection
- 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
- Tom's Garland
- To Seem the Stranger
- To What Serves Mortal Beauty
- The Windhover
- The Wreck of the Deutschland
- 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
Style
A fluent style
You need to think out each sentence (very rapidly!) before you put pen to paper:
- does it say what you want?
- does it make the point?
Accuracy
Anyone claiming to be a student of English is expected to have mastered the mechanics of the language:
- if you know you have problems with spelling and punctuation, do something about it before any examination
- in examinations you will be penalised for errors
- examiners often are told to award marks for ‘quality of language'.
Quotations
- you need to know your text well enough that all its ideas are in your head and that relevant quotations come easily to mind
- when you use textual quotations, remember to try to blend them seamlessly into your own sentence-structure
- if you have simply memorised a few quotations, they may not be the most apt ones. Avoid the temptation of quoting them anyway.
Be succinct!
- say what you want in a clear way without going round in circles
- leave yourself time to make new points
- always avoid repeating ideas
- if you do find yourself writing ‘as I mentioned earlier', check whether repetition of the same point is really helpful – it will rarely earn any further marks.
Appropriate tone and vocabulary
Most of the essays you will write require a formal register of language:
- contractions (‘don't', ‘can't') and slang which we all naturally use in spoken language are not appropriate in a written essay
- the tone and style of the language must be right for the designated audience
- students of literature are also expected to have a wide range of literary terminology which they can apply correctly (see Glossary). Reading some literary criticism during your course (see Reading List in Resources) will help you.
