Gerard Manley Hopkins

I did not enjoy reading poems by Hopkins; they were confusing to me and I found it very difficult to find meaning in his work. It took a lot of time and patience to really understand what he might have been fighting to portray.

In "Pied Beauty," the speaker seems to be giving thanks to God for his blessings on earth. He begins by verbally acknowledging the good things God has given: "Glory be to God for dappled things--" (1). The speaker clearly appreciates God's work and specifically calls attention to the "dappled things" in the world. Dappled things along with the work "pied" from the title suggest, according to the footnote, that these items are "blotched with different colors" (775). Therefore, the speaker is making note of things that he sees that are multi-colored and praises God for the beauty that results due to his blessing. The speaker describes and gives examples of things that are dappled that he sees:

"For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stiple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut falls; finches wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced--fold, fallow, and plough." (2-5)

In these lines of the poem, the speaker specifically identifies numerous objects/things in nature that occur with a multitude of color and variety. The descriptions that he gives provide a strong connection with the reader, creating many mental images. While the speaker seems to be recalling someone ordinary objects, it is important for the reader to remember that these ordinary objects are made extra-ordinary in the poem. The speaker could thank God for anything in the world, but chooses to focus on those things that are multi-colored, thus making them different.

The speaker continues on, this time paying indirect tribute to the differences in the people of the world: "And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim" (6). While the speaker does not directly mention that the world is very diverse, this particular line of the poem seems to suggest that people, like things found in nature, are very different. People may have different jobs, and use different tools and equipment, at the heart they are all people. I think what the speaker means to convey is that beauty exists in the simple things in life, but that diversity is to be acknowledged and appreciated. Perhaps Hopkins is relating through the speaker that not all things in life are supposed to be the same. He recognizes that something as minute as variation in the color of a cow's skin is beautiful and worth paying tribute to--at the same time, human diversity should be celebrated.

The speaker changes his tone slightly at the beginning of the seventh line. While the speaker previously describes multi-colored and diverse people, he now relates how he feels about those things in more detail: "All things counter, original, spare, strange;/ Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)/ With swift, slow, sweet, sour; adazzle, dim" (7-9). The speaker points out that the strange or unique aspects of these objects make them memorable to him. He seems to even enjoy the fact that clouds, cow hide, trout, chestnuts, finches, the landscape, and men are beautiful in their differences. He pays tribute, therefore, to things that are not necessarily or typically considered worth mentioning. He again draws the connection between nature and man when he says "...whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)" (8). Because no thing in nature, other than humans, can have freckles, it is clear that the speaker is once again pointing out the beauty that exists in individuality. And what is more, a lot of people with freckles consider them unattractive (some love them of course)--the speaker finds this particular physical feature and distinction (freckles) something wonderful.

At the end of this poem, the speaker draws the reader back to his original claim: he is thanking God for the colorful and diverse blessings on earth: "He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:/ Praise him" (10-11). Once again, the speaker in the poem directly speaks to God, giving him praise and glory for the things he created and that the speaker appreciates. While some would completely overlook the small details, moreover the unique aspects of man and nature, he thinks it is important to celebrate these items.

Overall, I do like this poem, but I'm not sure that I'm reading it correctly. I feel like what I think he speaker is conveying is far too simplistic. Other than the obvious, I'm not sure what Hopkins wanted to demonstrate in this poem. I'm open to suggestions!