THEME AND LANGUAGE IN GOD'S GRANDEUR
             Manley wrote this poem in 1877, and it has been reborn, as much other
             poetry was, as an anthem to nature and the splendor of God after the
             terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. People began to want to look
             deeper into themselves, and the world around them after the tragedy of the
             terrorist attacks, and this poem strikes a chord somehow, because of its
             language and celebration of God and nature. It makes people think the good
             things will endure, no matter how crazy and terrifying the world can get,
             and part of the reason this poem succeeds is because of how it is written,
             and the underlying theme of the poem, which is praise and hope.
             The poem uses theme and language to illustrate just how grand God is,
             and how he created one of the grandest of all things - the natural world,
             which is ever present. Manley writes, "Nature is never spent; here lives
             the dearest freshness deep down things; and though the last lights off
             the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs"
             (Manley). The reader understands that nature will endure, and the beauty
             and endurance of nature is a direct result of God's hand. God created a
             beautiful world for us to live in, where the "dearest freshness" lives, and
             no matter what, these "deep down things" will endure, and they always have.
             Because the poem celebrates and praises God and his work, it also makes us
             understand the goodness of our being here, and our lives. As one critic
             wrote, "Hopkins's poem is an argument of praise. Praise restores us to the
             world again, to our luckiness of being" (Washington Post, T12). Things may
             seem dark and frightening, but faith and the celebration of praise can make
             The language of the poem seems old-fashioned today, but that is part
             of its charm and strength. Praise, hope, and goodness seem like old-
             fashioned virtues, but they are very rel...