The images throughout the “Windhover” recognize the battle Jesus Christ fought while He walked the earth. The battle involved Jesus fighting for humankind’s eternal salvation and the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth. Gerard Manley Hopkins, author of the poem, reinforces this imagery of the battle along with undercutting the imagery to add more confusion and mystery to this already complex poem. Through stressed words at the beginning of the line, highlighting a particular significance with two and even three continuous stresses, to containing seven stresses in one line, Hopkins bluntly emphasizes pivotal words and lines in the poem, Hopkins stresses and depreciates distinctive words, phrases, and lines in attempt to emphasize significant events in Christ’s life along with the motivation of Jesus Christ through His battle.
Hopkins begins the poem on what appears to be a regular five-stressed line on an iambic baseline. However, the immediate perception of the normality of the baseline is quickly shattered because of the lack of sense the line makes. At the end of the first line, the word ‘kingdom’ is divided in half between the first line ending in “king” and the second line beginning in “dom”. This disruption in meter and the absence of a harmonious rhythm reinforces the image of the beginning of human’s creation. In the beginning, God created humans out of His generosity, graciousness, and love with the distinct motive of only creating something good in His image and likeness. God continues to create humans with the same motive in mind, but unfortunately, man disrupted the complete goodness that God intended. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, human…
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…, although, finding happiness and joy within the pain is the real paradox in life.
Hopkins certainly emphasizes the historical and meaningful events that made up the battle Christ fought on earth, through the rhythm pattern of the poem. The opponents of Jesus Christ did not realize that they possessed absolutely no chance to win the war. One day the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied, “and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you (Luke 17: 21).” The moment of the Incarnation, the kingdom of God was established. For the opponents failed to understand and to know that Jesus Christ is the kingdom.
Works Cited:
Hopkins, Gerald Manley. “The Windhover.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams et al. 5th ed. Vol. 2 New York: Norton, 1966,1583.
Redemption in Alice Walker’s Color Purple
Redemption in The Color Purple
Alice Walker grew up in rural Georgia in the mid 1900s as the daughter of two poor sharecroppers. Throughout her life, she has been forced to face and overcome arduous lessons of life. Once she managed to transfer the struggles of her life into a book, she instantaneously became a world-renowned author and Pulitzer Prize winner. The Color Purple is a riveting novel about the struggle between redemption and revenge according to Dinitia Smith. The novel takes place rural Georgia, starting in the early 1900s over a period of 30 years. Albert, also known as Mr._____, and his son Harpo must prevail over their evil acts towards other people, especially women. Albert and Harpo wrong many people throughout their lives. To be redeemed, they must first learn to love others, then reflect upon their mistakes, and finally become courageous enough to take responsibility for their actions. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker effectively develops Albert and Harpo through redemption using love, reflection, and responsibility.
Through the course of the novel, Albert is an appalling husband, father, and person. He treats his wife, Celie as if she is his slave from the beginning of their arranged marriage; he expects her to cook three meals a day, and take care of his many children from his previous marriage. Albert does not begin to realize the pain he is causing, or at least try to make himself change until Celie leaves him. “You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong, I say. It’s time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body is just the welcome mat I need…” (Walker 207). It took words as powerful as these for him to become aware of the fact that he did not love or resp…
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…).
In The Color Purple, Alice Walker efficiently develops Albert and Harpo through three key aspects of redemption: love, responsibility, and reflection. Albert and Harpo are both practically forced to recognize how they were treating people; Albert with Celie’s speech, and Harpo with the way Sofia beat him up. Next, the two reflect on their errors in life. How they both mistreated their wives, and suppressed them. Then they gain the bravery to apologize to the people they realized that they really do love, and be forgiven (Walker 231). Albert and Harpo learn a valuable lesson throughout the years; one they will surely never forget. Alice Walker proficiently shows the development of two new people, through redemption using love, reflection, and responsibility.
Works Cited:
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. 1982. New York: Pocket, 1985.