Poem Analysis Of The Poem Heaven By Gerard Manley Hopkins

A) Introduction
B) Background of the Study

Gerard Hopkins was born July 28, 1844, to Manley and Catherine (Smith) Hopkins, the first of their nine children. His parents were High Church Anglicans (variously described as "earnest" and "moderate"), and his father, a marine insurance adjuster, had just published a volume of poetry the year before. He became a Roman catholic and was ordained as a priest in 1877. Living with a religious family and most especially when he converted to being a Roman catholic and suddenly became a Jesuit priest had influenced his poetry. As basis of our study, the following selections show his religious inclination and beliefs through the use of various biblical allusions in relaying his message. His works reflect

The author was seen here as a sensitive person that wants to experience or even create heaven in this ever changing world. He sees the world as something that brings sadness, pain, and chaos within one 's self. And he wants to experience the exact opposite of those feelings. He desires to reach heaven - where peace exists; where one can feel that he is safe from all the dangers of the everyday world; where one can find contentment and happiness; and where one can feel that he is relieved from all the physical, emotional, and psychological stresses of life. The author prays for a day to arrive in this world when he will be free from all the tensions in his life. Astonishingly, the poet is so fed up with his life that he wishes either to die or reach heaven or to create a heaven on earth. The heaven he imagines to be created is not possible in this life because heaven exists where peace exists and he knows the fact that in this everyday busy life, peace can be seldom found. But dreams are an essential part of life and Hopkins beautifully dreams of creating a heaven on Earth. "I have desired to go where springs not fail" - The word 'springs ' represent water which symbolizes spiritual and genuine life. So in this material world, the springs from which we drink fail and do not satisfy permanently. "I have asked to be where no storms come" - This is a cry of all the 21st century citizens who want an escape from the hustle of every single day. The lives of these individuals have become monotonous and only when peace is created a heaven will come into existence. Life, according to the poet, is a deep sea and it is impossible to maintain stability in life. At one moment an individual can master his fate and acquire all the riches and at the next moment he or she can be left with nothing. The writer, time and again, stresses on the fact that he wishes to die. The readers who are happy with their