"Creation" of Spring

"A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning in Eden garden." -"Spring" by Gerard Manley Hopkins

     I chose this particular poem due to its upbeat tone and balanced imagery. For this reason I will attempt to answer some of the most relevant questions in the Blogging Requirements. If I had to write a theme for this poem, it would go: The beauty of God, creation, and the Creation Story itself can be found in the annual renewal that is Spring. There was some diction that could have added to the understanding of the story. I looked up "thrush" (a songbird) and "cloy" (to sicken with excess sweetness.) After finding thrush, I found the word very approporiate and fitting for the tone. The word itself has a much more positive connotation than "to disgust." Also, instead of explicitly stating that Paradise was ruined by sin, Hopkins puts it more lightly by suggesting that Adam and Eve were merely sick of constant happiness and chose responsibility. Another literary technique in use was juxtaposition. At the start of the poem, Hopkins talks about the beauty of spring, then goes into "weeds...shoot long and lovely and lush;..." Weeds are usually not associated with beauty and lovliness, and that is why the placement is effective. It calls attention to the very first lines and illustrates a theme Hopkins elaborates on. He is trying to make the point that all things created through God are meaningful and have a purpose.