To Autumn and Binsey Poplars Essay Example
To Autumn and Binsey Poplars Essay Example

To Autumn and Binsey Poplars Essay Example

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  • Pages: 5 (1235 words)
  • Published: October 8, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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During the Victorian era, there was significant transformation as a result of the industrial revolution. Urban areas rapidly expanded, causing an influx of rural residents seeking employment in factories and mills to escape impoverishment in the countryside.

The disappearance of the countryside was a fast-paced development that caused writers like John Keats, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Thomas Hardy to feel regret as they constantly looked back at an idealized past. They were concerned about preserving something that they believed would be engulfed by the ever-expanding industrial landscape. In his work 'Binsey Poplars', Hopkins saw the trees as more than just a beautiful sight; they were deeply personal to him. The majestic aspen trees possessed the ability to give shade and protect the earth from the sun with their leaves, adding to the tranquil feeling of

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the scene. Hopkins' use of alliteration intensified this sense of peace and tranquillity.

Hopkins mourns the destruction of the beautiful things that were once free, enclosed in airy cages, and silenced. The leaping sun has been quelled or quenched in leaves. According to Hopkins, man is responsible for destroying all of these things that were once standing tall and proud. "All felled, felled, are all felled," he grieves.

'Felled' is repeated in the poem to evoke the sound of the axe chopping at trees, but it also conveys Hopkins' rising anger and despair. The trees are compared to soldiers slaughtered in battle, with not a single one spared. Hopkins sees this slaughter happening throughout the countryside, by rivers and on meadows, where soldiers who were recently able to play and dandle are now being killed.

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The meadow and river and weed-winding bank were all swam or sank upon by the sandalledShadow. This personification, combined with alliteration, highlights the recurring theme of life being extinguished. Hopkins shares the sentiment of those who wonder what humanity has done to the world and grieves for the loss of natural habitats that he believes is due to people's failure to acknowledge their actions' consequences.

It is my opinion that the cry "O if we but knew what we do..." utilizes both emphasis and anguish.

'What are people doing without a thought about the consequences?' This question serves as a reminder of Christ's words on the cross, "Forgive them, O my Father, for they know not what they do." For the author, this statement emphasizes the significance of forgiveness.

. Hopkins employs the words 'hack' and 'rack' to describe the destruction of nature in his poem, 'Binsey Poplars'. The term 'rack' serves a dual purpose, as it suggests the stacking of grass in carts or barns while also evoking the homophone 'wrack', meaning to wreck. This conveys a powerfully destructive image that resonated with Victorian readers. The land is vulnerable to such attacks, and the damage inflicted can be irreversible, much like how the delicate and powerful eye can be permanently damaged. Hopkins writes, 'Since country is so tender/ To touch, her being so slender...' emphasizing the fragility of nature.

According to Hopkins, even when we intend to repair nature, we may accidentally destroy it through our actions, such as cutting or digging. He warns that even the slightest touch can lead to the death of trees, and ultimately, harm

the natural world. Hopkins laments that the current generation has lost the beauty that previous generations were able to behold in the trees and nature as a whole.

'The beauty that has been cannot be guessed by those who come after.' The author conveys a sense of deep sorrow over the fact that the destruction of such beauty could be accomplished with just a few swings of an axe. One can almost hear him adding the words '..'.

The phrase '.that's all,' and the expression of shock and sorrow with the repetition of 'Ten or twelve, only ten or twelveStrokes of havoc...' are centered on the disbelief of the tragic event that has occurred.

...a beautiful rural scene, specifically one that is sweet and special. Hopkins believes that both nature and humans are damaged by the destruction depicted in the poem. He seeks to convey that the loss of this landscape not only affects its physical absence but also deprives us of the ability to appreciate its beauty.

John Keats' poem "To Autumn" is considered to be his most accomplished ode, with three stanzas of eleven lines each and no specific rhyme scheme. Reading it can have the same effect as irreversibly damaging our eyes, just like the landscape depicted in the poem.

Keats' poem employs different patterns of ABABCDEDCCE and ABABCDECDDE for its three stanzas. The poet describes autumn in a vivid manner, portraying its misty and fruitful nature through the use of a 'maturing sun' which ripens the fruit. The opening stanza focuses on building up a concrete landscape.

Within the poem, Keats uses vivid imagery to paint a picture in the reader's mind. For

instance, he writes, "And fill all fruits with ripeness to the core, To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells," which exemplifies his use of hyperbole. By describing a tree bending with so many apples and gourds swelling as well as hazel shells plumping, Keats conveys his message effectively. Additionally, Keats suggests that bees are surrounded by an abundance of flowers.

During autumn, the flowers blossom instead of summer, leading to bees working tirelessly and honeycombs brimming since summer. Keats poses rhetorical questions in both the second and third stanzas. In the first question, he asks a woman where the sounds of spring can be found. The second question is a repetition of the first. Despite this, Keats acknowledges that autumn has its own distinct sounds, some of which may be melancholic.

'Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn'. The author is reminding autumn that it too has its own unique music and should not worry about the songs of other seasons. The poem ends with a fading sound, symbolizing the end of a day or even the end of autumn itself. In this ending, there is a reference to a 'red-breast', which does not necessarily represent autumn. A deeper interpretation could suggest that Keats is talking about the process of life, with autumn symbolizing maturity in both human and animal lives.

Keats refers to various phenomena, such as 'full-grown lambs,' the sorrow of the gnats, the wind's life and death, and the day becoming dark. While winter means aging and dying, Keats sees death as a natural part of life and accepts autumn as such. Although both poems address seasons, they differ in purpose;

'To Autumn,' written near Keats's death, seemingly speaks about seasons and summer's end, yet its universal message is about the circle of life.

In 'Binsey Poplars' by Hopkins, the central message is that the destruction of nature, the earth, and the landscape is due to people's failure to fully comprehend the consequences of their actions. Hopkins believes that even the slightest human intervention can irreversibly alter the fragile and precious landscape. Both Keats and Hopkins discuss the death of nature and loss of autumn, trees, and even Keats' own life as he nears his end. In my view, both poets desire a world where the landscape remains unaltered as intended, and industrial advancements are halted.

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