Interpretation of Gerald Manley Hopkins “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord”
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- Category: English: Poetic Works
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Interpretation of Gerald Manley Hopkins “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord”
Imagine being a Jesuit Priest, giving everything to the God you serve, and then when you’ve given all you know how to give, feeling so empty so frustrated with God that you are compelled to argue with the very God you vowed poverty, chastity and obedience to in order to receive personal success. Such is the driving force in the sonnet, “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” written in 1889 by a Jesuit Priest by the name of Gerald Manley Hopkins.
To better interpret this poem, it is important to look into the background of the man who wrote it. Historians have said that Gerald Manley Hopkins had “a profoundly mystical nature.” He believed in total obedience to the Word of God and to the will of his spiritual superiors. Hopkins was also said to be an intellectual man, a brilliant student who had left Oxford with a first class honors degree, yet failed his final theology exam. As a man of intellect, Hopkins must have been greatly disappointed in his ability to pass his final theology exams. Hopkins did not give in to failure; instead he gave more of his self to his Jesuit training.
The training to become a Jesuit priest spanned over ten years. It was a rigorous demanding profession that left him isolated. Isolation was the catalyst for Hopkins state of deep spiritual depression, or what is sometimes known by researchers as the "dark night of the soul". As an artist, a Poet to be exact, and a man of God, Hopkins was in conflict with his intellect and his devolution to his God. He lived away from his home country of England and focused on the work of teaching, which he did not enjoy nor was he very successful at. Hopkins also worked on missionary work and sharing the Word of God, which he was not very successful at.
He did enjoy writing Poetry, and his contributions, while rare have changed the form of poetry. Hopkins conviction to the teachings of Jesuitism caused him to suffer...
Imagine being a Jesuit Priest, giving everything to the God you serve, and then when you’ve given all you know how to give, feeling so empty so frustrated with God that you are compelled to argue with the very God you vowed poverty, chastity and obedience to in order to receive personal success. Such is the driving force in the sonnet, “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” written in 1889 by a Jesuit Priest by the name of Gerald Manley Hopkins.
To better interpret this poem, it is important to look into the background of the man who wrote it. Historians have said that Gerald Manley Hopkins had “a profoundly mystical nature.” He believed in total obedience to the Word of God and to the will of his spiritual superiors. Hopkins was also said to be an intellectual man, a brilliant student who had left Oxford with a first class honors degree, yet failed his final theology exam. As a man of intellect, Hopkins must have been greatly disappointed in his ability to pass his final theology exams. Hopkins did not give in to failure; instead he gave more of his self to his Jesuit training.
The training to become a Jesuit priest spanned over ten years. It was a rigorous demanding profession that left him isolated. Isolation was the catalyst for Hopkins state of deep spiritual depression, or what is sometimes known by researchers as the "dark night of the soul". As an artist, a Poet to be exact, and a man of God, Hopkins was in conflict with his intellect and his devolution to his God. He lived away from his home country of England and focused on the work of teaching, which he did not enjoy nor was he very successful at. Hopkins also worked on missionary work and sharing the Word of God, which he was not very successful at.
He did enjoy writing Poetry, and his contributions, while rare have changed the form of poetry. Hopkins conviction to the teachings of Jesuitism caused him to suffer...