Earth Day'S Anthem

EARTH DAY'S ANTHEM

God's Grandeur is poem written about the God created earth and its beauty. The poem starts out light but transitions into darkness when Hopkins begins discussing the destruction of earth and its nature. Earth "will flame out, like shining from shook foil", earth will flame out, or burst light the reflection from foil that is held under a light source. Because of the destruction and harm is going to the earth this burst or magnificent conclusion will occur. This destruction being done by man, who crushes the earth's birth "Why do men then now not reck his rod? / Generations have trod, have trod, have trod". This earth is being destroyed because simply no one is paying attention to it, people are just walking on top of earth, putting pressure on earth. The use of repetition in that line was also quite interesting because it further illustrates the troding, the relentless pressure and carelessness that is harming the earth. All this destruction is amplified through the trade and work that is being done, nature was meant to be enjoyed, it was not meant to be killed over. The earth wears man's smudge and this burden and scent of man it leaves its soil bare, and naked. Its life giving soul, is stripped of its nutrients by man. The tenacious nature, however, fights back and deep down, the freshness of life thrives. This speaker conveys throughout the poem that God left earth for us as a grand accomplishment and we as humans have taken that for granted and just destroyed by years of neglect and pressure upon earth, and we in turn may have killed the life that keeps us alive.

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