Binsey Poplars (Felled 1879)
by
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Background and setting of the poet and poem, and summary
Subject: Literature-in-English
Theme: Literature in English/Non African Poetry:
Topic: A Binsey Poplars (Felled 1879) by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Sub Topic: Background and setting of the poet and poem
Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Class: S.S 3
Average Age: 16 years and above
Duration: 35 Minutes
No of Learners: 40
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Mention the background of the Poet.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, (born July 28, 1844, Stratford - June 8, 1889, Dublin), English poet and Jesuit priest, one of the most individual of Victorian writers. His work was not published in collected form until 1918, but it influenced many leading 20th-century poets.2. Mention the background of the Poem.
"Binsey Poplars" is a poignant poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, written in 1879. It mourns the felling of a row of poplar trees along the River Thames in Binsey, near Oxford, England. The poem is notable for its innovative use of sprung rhythm and its deep sense of loss and environmental awareness.In this poem, the poet laments the destruction of nature and emphasizes the delicate balance of the environment. He uses intense imagery and emotional language to convey the irreversible impact of human actions on the natural world.
4. Recite the poem.
Binsey Poplars Felled 1879My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled,
Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun,
All felled, felled, are all felled;
Of a fresh and following folded rank
Not spared, not one
That dandled a sandalled
Shadow that swam or sank
On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank.
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Hack and rack the growing green!
Since country is so tender
To touch, her being so slender,
That, like this sleek and seeing ball
But a prick will make no eye at all,
Where we, even where we mean
To mend her we end her,
When we hew or delve:
After-comers cannot guess the beauty been.
Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve
Strokes of havoc unselve
The sweet especial scene,
Rural scene, a rural scene,
Sweet especial rural scene.
3. Identify the form/structure of the Poem.
The poem is structured in two stanzas. The first stanza contains eight lines while the second stanza contains 16 lines. In all, the poem has 24 lines. Some lines of the poem are indented haphazardly. This haplazard arrangement is suggestive that the mature has been destabilised as a result of the destructive acts of humans.The poet uses a good number of punctuation marks as poetic devices in the poem. Such punctuation marks include: a dash (line 10) used to equate "hack" and "racic' in line 11, an exclamation mark (1) in line 12 used to show the poet's emotion, a sad one at that, a colon (:) in line 18 used to show the grave consequence of the trees that have been cut, and the consequence is summed up in lines 20 to 24; and commas (,) at different points in the poem to pass the message.
4. Explain the setting of the poem
The poem is set in the village of Binsey in Oxfordshire, England is the most immediate setting of "Binsey Poplars" Hopkins worked and lived close to Binsey. The poplar trees cut were once the toast of people, students, around Binsey. Sadly, the trees were mindlessly cut in a bid to get materials for the industrial revolution. The Industrial Revolution was witnessed during the Victorian era in the 19th century. As a result, industrial activities led to the havoc being wreaked on nature. And the country bore the consequences of the destruction of nature. However, one can say that the world, by extension, is the general setting of the poem as it draw's attention to the terrible effects or consequences of the destruction of nature. So, nature has to be protected to avoid grave consequences of its destruction.5. Explain the themes of the poem.
1. Degradation/Destruction of Environment/NatureThis theme can be seen throughout the poem. The decries the degradation of as a moult of wanton destruction of natural resources, especially trees which form the kernel of the poet's lamentation in the poem. He condemns the digging and cutting of the trees, resulting in the loss of beauty once provided by the trees. The poet is saddened that the generations yet to be born will not have the opportunity of witnessing the beauty of these trees. In sum, the poet frowns upon the degradation, destruction or vandalisation of nature. 2. Sadness
The poet is sad that the beautiful scenery once provided by the poplars is no more because they have bee destroyed by humans to satisfy industrial needs. This theme pervades the entire poem as the poet is so going down memory lane about the beauty once provided by the trees. We see how sad the poet is, whe we hear him refer to the trees as "My aspers dear" in fine 1 of the poen. His sadness can also be feti line 3 where he emphasises the act of ruthlessly cutting down the trees: "All felled, felled, arm all felleg
3. Inter-relationship between Man and Nature
This is another theme that rings true in the poem. The description given by the poet shows that there a strong inter-relationship between man and nature. This informs the readers that man must preserve nature so as to enjoy the beauty it offers man. If man preserves nature in a positive way, nature will create good and clement weather conditions for man. This is why he draws attention to the havoc being wreaked on nature by man in lines 20 to 24 below: Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve Strokes of havoc unselve The sweet especial scene, Rural scene, a rural scene, Sweet especial rural scene.
4. Deforestation
The theme of deforestation can also be seen in the poem, Deforestation is the act of clearing a wide area of trees. This act is roundly condemned by the poet. He is sad that the trees that reduce the scorching effect of the leaping sun are cut down mindlessly. The positive role played by the trees is crystal clear in lines 1 and 2: "My aspens, whose airy cages quelled/Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun." The poet seems to be discouraging man from carrying out any act that could result in deforestation.
5. Danger or Evil of Industrialisation
The danger or evil of industrialisation is laid bare by the poet. He makes the readers understand that the beauty provided by trees, by extension nature, is lost completely when they are cut down for industrial purposes. The poplars provide beauty, that is why the poet states: "The sweet especial scene,/Rumi scene, a rural scene/Sweet especial rural scene" (lines 22-24). Nature and the beauty it provides are adversely affected by the exploitative and destructive acts of man.
6. Explain the Language/Diction Style in the poem.
The language is a bit complicated because of the way the poet constructs the sentences/lines of the poem. However, some words are used by the poet to intensify his sadness at the loss of the trees. The poet employs harsh language in his description of the destruction visited upon the aspen trees. The port 8 utilises compound adjectives to inform the readers about his sadness that his beloved trees have been destroyed. The poet also invents the word 'unselve' (ruin, destroy and damage) in line 21, sandalled (sandal), and "after-comers" (generations yet unborn).7. Explain the poetic devices in the poem.
1. PersonificationThis device can beseen in line 2 when the sun is described as being capable to leap.
The line reads:
"Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun".
Lines 6-7 has an instance of personification as seen in the following
"That dandled a sandalled/Shadow that swam or sank".
Here, shadow is described as being capable of wearing sandals and swimming.
The poet personifies the countryside by using "her" to refer to it in line 13.
He also uses "her" in line 17 to refer to nature.
2. Alliteration
This is prominent in the poom. The lines in which alliteration features are as follows
"Felled, felled,... felled" (line 3)
"........fresh and following folded(line 4)
".........wam or zank" (line 7)
"When we...." (line 11)
"......growing groen!" (line 12)
"To touch..." (line 14)
"...beauty been" (line 20)
"Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve (line 21)
3. Assonance
This device is evident in the lines below:
"Qugiled or quenched..." (line 2)
"felled, felled... felled" (Line 3)
"... dandled a sandalled" (line 6)
"Hack and rack (line 12)
4. Repetition
Some words are repeated in the poem for emphasis so as to drive home the poet's message. Words repeated in the poem are:
'Quelled" (lines 1 & 2),
'felled" (fine 3),
'we' (lines 10, 11, 17, 18 & 19),
'rural' (lines 24 & 25),
'ten' (line 21) and
"scene" (lines 23, 24 & 25)
5. Enjambment
This device features in lines 5 to 8.
"Not spared, not one
That dandled a sandalled
Shadow that swam or sank
On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank."
This adds to the sense of tension experienced by the readers.
6. Rhyme
"Binsey Poplars" rings with rhymes, but its rhyme scheme isn't a clear or a simple one. Mapped out, it runs like this:
ABACBDCC EEFGGHHFGIFIIFFF
All this wild end rhyme isn't orderly, but it is intensely musical: the poem's harmonies sprout at unpredictable but graceful angles, like twigs.
What's more, Hopkins mixes his end rhymes with intense internal rhyme. Listen to the sounds of this lament, for just one example:
O if we but knew what we do
When we delve or hew—
Each of these /oo/ rhymes also lands on a strong stress, making the speaker's despair and dismay feel even more emphatic.
7. Pun
There is play on the word "felled" the way it is used in line 3 and the word "scene" in lines 22 to 24.
8. Imagery
The poem is full of visual imagery (sight) that makes it easy for the readers to see how beautiful that environment once was, and how it appears after destruction.
The words "airy cages", "felled", "leaping sun", 'sandalled shadow", "swam", "sank', 'delve" (dig), "hew' (cut), etc. crease images that can clearly be seen.
Readers can feel as if they can see those things right in front of them, or feel as if they witnessed the acts
9. Metaphor
This Iiteney device is evident in lines 20 to 21 where "Strokes of havoc" is metaphorically used to refer to the hitting or blows of an axe against trees.
The lines read:
"Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve
Strokes of havoc unselve"
10. Biblical Allusion
We have the utilisation of Biblical allusion in the poem in line 9:
"O if we but knew what we do."
This is Biblical allusion to what Jesus said on the Cross when he was being crucified in Luke 23:24: Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
This suggests that the poet acknowledges the fact that humans do not actually know the gravity of their act of cutting down the trees.
He says this because he knows what will be the result of man's act of tree felling and degradation of the environment
11. Tone and Mood
The tone of the poet is that of sadness, anger and shock at the way the trees have been destroyed.
The mood of the poet is that sadness because he is saddened by the damage done to the countryside, resulting in the loss of beauty of the environment.
Write a summary of the poem “Binsey Poplars”
My beloved aspen trees, whose airy branches held back or dampened the beams of sunlight in their leaves—they're cut down, they're cut down, they've all been cut down. Out of a long, lively, even row of trees, not a single one has survived: not a one of any of these trees, which once cradled my sandal-wearing summertime shadow as I swam or lay at ease in the meadow, in the river, and along the breezy, weedy riverbank.Oh, if only we knew what we were doing when we dig things up or cut things down—when we chop at and torment the living green world! For the countryside is as fragile and delicate as an eyeball. Just as a mere poke can blind an eye forever, even our best-intentioned changes to the landscape spoil it, whenever we cut things down or dig things up. People who come here later will never be able to imagine how beautiful the places we destroyed once were. Ten or twelve—a mere ten or twelve chaotic axe-blows destroy the identity of this beautiful, beloved landscape. Oh, my countryside, my beloved, most special countryside.
Write line by line analysis of the poem
In line 1-6: the persona begins with the lamentation of the cutting of dear aspens, that is, a type of poplar tree with leaves that move even when there is very little wind whose delicate beauty resides not only in their appearance, but in the way they create airy cages to cover the sunlight. The poet complains bitterly that those lovely trees have been “felled” “not spared, no one”. Not one of the “fresh following folded rank of tree” was spared, he reveals…. Following folded rank refers to simple arrangement of the line of trees with their individual heights and gaps between them making a vertical “fold”. The interlacing shadows of the branches of poplar is liken to the lacing on a sandals- “that dandled a sandalled”.In lines 7-11: the poet persona continues to lament over the cutting of those trees pointing out their importance or usefulness; for they even serve as shelter and provide cool breeze. The speaker says that we do not know the implications of rending our nature useless by cutting down the poplar trees that create beautiful scenery in the world. The speaker also sees it as an attack on nature and insult on God’s creatures and creation. He uses the strong verbs” hew, ‘lack’ and rack” to suggest the seriousness of the destruction. To ‘delve’ means to dig something up, to ‘hew’ means to chop something, usually with an axe. The speaker laments the fact that we (human beings) don’t know what we’re doing when we dig up, chop down, hack apart, or ‘rack’ (fill with pain) the natural world. Nature is also described here, using metonymy, as “the growing green”.
In lines 12-15: the persona continues to ponder on man’s habit of destroying nature using a subtle tone here wherein he equates his love for poplars to love of a country (as in the country side or nature, not the country of England) which is tender to touch both fragile and sensitive. The very being of nature, its essence is “slender” in the speaker’s view, like a thin almost as frail as a woman. The speaker goes further to describe the beauty of the poplars and equates it to that of a woman or eye ball using personification to reinforce the natural world because nature is sensitive “like this sleek and seeing ball but a prick will make no eye ball at all” This means that cutting down the poplar trees will amount to removing one’s eye ball which could cause pain and anguish. This is the point that the speaker is making when he says that some injury “will make no eye at all” (Line 15). With this comparison, the persona discuses nature as so fragile and delicate that any harm to it will make it cease to beike the eye.
In lines 16-19: the poet maintains that even when we want to improve and repair our natural surroundings, even when we mean to mend her we are equally changing and damaging it. This singular act of tampering with nature has become a problem ever since the advent of human modern civilization. This is what the speaker means when he says that “we end her”. We stop nature from being natural when we attempt to fix it. This simply means that the persona disapproves of any form of deforestation and afforestation because they both don’t have any advantage of any kind as he continues to make his case in this final line. He notes that, once we cut down or digs down nature (like the aspen trees), the next generation that comes after we have no idea how beautiful the environment was before. They (in-coming generation) would not be able to guess the beauty of their natural environment.
In lines 20-24: the persona describes the havoc perpetuated or harm done to nature which might be ten or twelve/strokes of havoc “unselve”, a figurative way to describe the hew of an axe to unselve” the natural beauty with the word “unselve”. The speaker suggests that cutting down those trees is not just changing the beauty of the scene, it goes away deeper than that-changing the very essence of the natural world itself. Those tree-choppers are undoing nature. The last repeated three lines of the poem brings back to mind a theatrical soliloquy when we imagine the speaker in dismay at the destruction witnessed almost in a state of mumbling near-insanity. Cutting down and replanting of poplars in Binsey in 1879 reflects the endurance of nature itself.
In conclusion, this poem is a clarion call to all humans who are incapable of seeing the bigger picture. We may think that we are making progress in technology, but if we are sacrificing the earth in the process, it is in vain. It suggests lack of care and foresight for those in future who will never know of this beauty. It pains the poet greatly that it takes such a short time for humans to destroy what has taken a life time to grow and flourish. The word “havoc” suggests chaos and a lack of control; for us humans who ultimately destroy our environments by these actions.
Rationale:
"Binsey Poplars" is Gerard Manley Hopkins's memorial for a row of riverside trees cut down in 1879. The poem's speaker—a voice for Hopkins himself—is appalled to discover that the "aspens" he loved have been unceremoniously "felled." This, he laments, is what happens whenever humanity meddles with nature. In treating the natural world as a mere resource, or even as something to "mend" rather than leave to its own devices, people are forever doing irreparable damage, "unselv(ing)" (or destroying the identity of) the places they exploit. Like much of Hopkins's poetry, "Binsey Poplars" wasn't published until years after his death: it first appeared in the posthumous collection Poems (1918).Prerequisite/ Previous knowledge:
Storyings, songs, history etc.Learning Resources:
Flash cards, an audio video youtube examples, Available useful objects.Reference Materials:
1. Exam focus on Literature in English by J.O.J Nwachukwu et’al.2. Standard literature in English vol.4 by Tony Duru
3. A Binsey Poplars (Felled 1879) by Gerard Manley Hopkins
4. Internet sources
Lesson Development:
STAGE |
TEACHER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNER'S ACTIVITY |
LEARNING POINTS |
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| STEP 1: PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE full class session (3 mins) |
The teacher Introduces the lesson by asking questions based on previous knowledge.
Summarize and explain stanza to stanza analysis of the poem "A GOVERNMENT DRIVER ON HIS RETIREMENT" by Chibuike Onu. |
The students respond to the questions based on previous knowledge.
SUMMARY OF THE POEMThe poem reflects on the totality of the life of a government driver who has put in many years of service to his country and retires without a blemish. The other part of the poem is linked to the disastrous end of the government driver who dies driving as a result of high consumption of alcohol. The poet weaves the incident of celebration into this unfortunate disaster to emphasize the danger of drink-and-drive culture.The poem talks about a typical government worker, in this case, a driver. In a quest to eke a living, people are engaged either in the private or public sector. The invasion of colonialism also brings along with it, a major paradigm shift In the means of livelihood of many Africans. There Is a general shift from peasant farming and other agricultural activities to paid employment (white collar jobs), especially in the civil service. Many Africans were employed as drivers and clerks for the white Man, the situation which continued, even after independence. One of the disappointments associated with civil service Is the meagre salaries. The general servitude usually associated with the life of civil service, especially as it concerns the low-ranking officers like drivers and cooks account for a different perception some hold about such jobs. The highly regulated life (boring bureaucracy) in the civil service is one of the major reasons many employees look forward to their retirement with some sense of excitement. ANALYSIS OF THE POEMStanzas 1: The poem opens with “Many years on wheels”, where the word 'wheels' is used as a synecdoche for a car, to show heis a driver. Also, the repetition of “many years” in the first and second stanzas suggests that the poetic persona, likely spends all his entire working life on this driving job. The poet persona welcomes his retirement from the civil service with celebrations, a mark of freedom from the (drudgery) daily toil of duty. He has worked in obedience to the strict “duty rules and regulations” (bureaucracy) associated with government establishments. His freedom from this monotonous work calls for celebration.The poem starts with the description of the persona’s current state. He has served in his country’s civil service as a driver faithfully. It is his last day on the job before he retires. He holds a party to mark the end. This is common among many civil service employees. On their last day, friends, colleagues and family members come around to celebrate with them. Stanza 2: the poet gives to a different perspective to the life of the persona. Here, the persona sees the years of service as imprisonment. You know civil service can be boring. Imagine repeating the same routine or duty every day for many years. It becomes tiring and partly looks like slavery. Within these years, you are bound by some rules and regulations in your office. In the case of the poet’s persona, it is the restriction on the quantity of alcohol he takes that was his problem. Lines 5 & 6, ‘Many years has he pummeled his boozy throat/ In obedience to duty rules and regulations.’ Through his thoughts we are able to see that some people in the civil service are doing something because of the rules and regulations. But these civil servants fail to realize that these rules and regulations are to safe guard their lives and that of others. Civil servants with the mentality of the poet’s persona see laws as imprisonment or slavery. Our persona in this poem declares himself a Freeman on his retirement. ‘Today, he’ll go home a Freeman’ Line 7. Stanza 3: we hear directly from the celebrant. His excitement cannot be measured. The poet’s persona invites friends to come and celebrate his freedom. He is really excited not just of being relieved of early morning duty of driving cars around cities but his freedom to drink alcohol and get drunk. Indirectly, we infer he has not been happy and satisfied with his job. He has been waiting patiently to retire, and he doesn’t seem to love the job at all. His words reveal his frustration on the job not being able to cater for all his needs. Can you imagine how much a driver is paid in Civil service? Can it truly solve all his problems? Lines 15 & 16 depict this; ‘I’ll booze to sleep away my suffering/ Today, I’ve long waited for…’ This is a perfect depiction of the persona’s mind. Though he does not like the job, he has to put with it, adhering to those rules and regulations for thirty-five years because he has no option to opt out. Stanza 4: The persona’s joy multiples as he receives a brand new car for his meritorious service. We realize that even with the dissatisfaction with his job, he is a faithful and trustworthy servant judging by the gift given to him. See Line 20 For undented thirty-five years of service to fatherland. Stanza 5: The persona calls on friends to join his party, to celebrate his long awaited reward. This time, his joy doubles with the gift presented to him. Stanza 6: Here in this last stanza, the poetic persona drinks to stupor in the euphoria of his celebration. He risks his life as he engages In drink-and-drive attitude. What follows is calamity (death!)!“He boomed his brand new car/ And it sent him home/ Home to rest in peace.” Finally, the persona lost his cool. They say excess of everything is dangerous. Hence, rules and regulations checkmates our excesses. The persona takes his celebration to the extreme. He becomes drunk because he feels the rules and regulations are no longer binding on him. What was the result? The irony of life! A brand new car which will have been his source of happiness becomes his doom. Drunk, he lost control of his senses, his vision and finally his new wheels. He has been on different wheels for good thirty-five years driving others safely observing road safety measures but just few hours out of the job; few hours of his freedom, to drive himself home, and complete his celebration, he renegades on the principles that have guided him. Then he lost his life. This depicts that laws are meant to protect us and lives of other citizens. Laws shouldn’t be seen as a limiter or a trap. |
Reversing previous lesson |
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| STEP 2: INTRODUCTION full class session (3 mins) Identification of prior ideas. |
The teacher review/introduce what they are going to study today, a poet “A Binsey Poplars (Felled 1879)" by Gerard Manley Hopkins. “Binsey Poplars” records Gerard Manley Hopkins's heartbreak after a row of riverside trees in Binsey (a hamlet just outside Oxford) was cut down. Appalled to discover that his beloved “aspens” have been “felled,” the poem’s speaker reflects that nature is as fragile as it is lovely. It takes only a moment of human thoughtlessness to “unselve” (or destroy the identity of) a whole landscape. Nature, this poem suggests, offers people boundless beauty and comfort—a gift that humanity often thoughtlessly abuses. Mourning a row of chopped-down trees that once shaded a stretch of river near Oxford, the speaker (whom readers can interpret as Hopkins himself) sounds as devastated as if he were grieving a person: “all felled, felled, all are felled,” he cries. He misses these trees, not because he used to feel that they “dandled” (or lovingly rocked) him like a child in their lovely shadows, but because without them the landscape itself seems “unselve[d],” robbed of its peculiar personality. These trees, he feels, were kindly beings that made the meadows around Binsey what they were. Not just he but the whole “sweet especial rural scene” is injured by their loss. By treating these trees only as a resource or as unimportant ornaments to be rearranged or discarded, the woodcutters reveal just how greedy, selfish, and short-sighted humanity can be toward nature. As the speaker reflects, it takes only a moment of human thoughtlessness—a mere “ten or twelve” strokes of an axe—to create utter “havoc” in what was once a place of lovely, comforting harmony. Just as one “prick” destroys an eye’s power of sight, a few lopped trees can change a landscape so radically that “after-comers cannot guess” how beautiful it once was. When people “hew and delve” (or chop and dig), exploiting nature for material wealth, they leave irreversible ruin in their wake. This poem thus becomes a lament not just over a “sweet especial rural scene” that the speaker loved, but over humanity’s relationship to the natural world in general. The speaker’s lost aspens are figures for all the natural beauty that humanity has carelessly spoiled. |
The students listen attentively to the teacher. | Introducing the topic for discussion to arouse their interests and refresh their memories. |
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| STEP 3: DEVELOPMENT Group Work (2 mins) |
The teacher guides the learners to form four groups and asks them to choose their leaders and secretaries. | Learners choose their group leaders and secretaries. | Inculcating leadership skills, competitive spirit, cooperation, teamwork and a sense of responsibility among learners. |
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| STEP 4: EXPLORATION 3 mins Mode: Individual |
The teacher presents to the class the instructional resources and leads the students
to air their views on them. Thereafter, Teacher asks probing questions that lead students to: explain the background of the poem. The teacher makes contribution were necessory. |
The students explain the background of the poem. BACKGROUND TO THE POEM Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote 'Binsey Poplars' in 1879, in response to the feeling of a double row of aspen trees. During the Industrial Revolution swathes of the countryside were destroyed to create railways, and Hopkins was dismayed to discover that the wood from these very trees was used to make brake pads for a local train company, whom he held responsible for carving up much local farmland. The poem was inspired by the felling of a row of poplar trees near the village of Binsey, northwest of Oxford, England, and overlooking Port Meadow on the bank of the River Thames. The replacements for these trees, running from Binsey north to Godstow, lasted until 2004, when replanting began again. Binsey Poplars is a lament Hopkins wrote after revisiting a river scene in 1879, close to where he had studied when at Oxford fourteen years earlier. He was shocked to find that a row of aspen trees had been felled, the wood being used for the boom industry of the time, the railways. Hopkins was clearly saddened by this, in his eyes, environmental vandalism. It was a sacrilege, an affront to his God, and he set about venting his emotions in a short yet poignant poem. Published in 1918 the poem is full of sprung rhythm, a metric invention Hopkins developed which he thought was closer to common speech and also held more musical energy. There's no doubting his love for and study of phonetics. Hopkins delved deep into the different sounds words make, the quality of the syllable and the weight of the word in the line. |
Background of the poem. |
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| STEP 5: DISCUSSION 5 mins. Mode: Group |
The teacher guides the learners to Recite the poem and state the setting of the poem. | The Students in their various groups recite thr poem. Binsey Poplars Felled 1879 My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled, Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun, All felled, felled, are all felled; Of a fresh and following folded rank Not spared, not one That dandled a sandalled Shadow that swam or sank On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank. O if we but knew what we do When we delve or hew— Hack and rack the growing green! Since country is so tender To touch, her being so slender, That, like this sleek and seeing ball But a prick will make no eye at all, Where we, even where we mean To mend her we end her, When we hew or delve: After-comers cannot guess the beauty been. Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve Strokes of havoc unselve The sweet especial scene, Rural scene, a rural scene, Sweet especial rural scene. SETTING OF THE POEM The poem "Binsey Poplars" is set in nineteenth century Britain, precisely during the Victorian era. It was both a prosperous and chaotic time for the people of Great Britain. The Victorian era was a period where industrialization had just started evolving. The poem is specifically set on the bank of a river that was enclosed by trees. The poetic persona therefore bemoans the felling of trees, seeing it as an ill- treatment of Nature. |
The poem recitation and setting of the poem |
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| STEP 6: APPLICATION 4 mins Mode: Group |
The Teacher allows some contributions from students, stating figures of speech use in the poem. | The Students made contribution on figures of speech use in the poem 1. Simili - That, like this sleek and seeing ball" 2. Personification - "Since country is so tender/ To touch, her being so slender". Country is given human quality of "tender". Also, the persona pronoun "her" is being used for 'country'.... the leaping sun" Sun is given human action of leaping (movement). Also in 'My aspens dear...', The poet addresses aspens affectionately as if it was human. 3. Antithesis - 'To mend her we end her, "Mend" contrasts with "end" 4. Oxymoron - '... airy cages... The word 'airy', the presence of ventilation contrasts with 'cages' which is like restriction or bondage. 5. Imagery - The use of 'airy cages suggest an environment or landscape that is well ventilated and cool, due to the presence of many trees. The use of 'All felled"; "hew"; "hack"; and "...end her" present the picture of destruction as the trees are being chopped (cut) with loud noise when they hit the ground. "... growing green' gives the picture of the blossoms of the trees before they are felled. '... seeing ball' is ah imagery of eye ball and emphasizes the usefulness of the eyes just like the trees. Also, ...sweet especial scene' tries to appeal to our taste, suggesting the benefit of trees to the environment. 6. Synecdoche - "Aspens" or "Binsey poplars" refer to only species of the popular plant, but it is used to refer to the entire Nature (different trees) being hewed or cut down. The felling of only one tree can have a significant effect on the whole ones left behind. "An injury to one is an injury to all" 7. Metonymy - ... the growing green' refers to the beautiful and tender trees, and vegetation being hewed. 8. Repetition - 'sweet especial scene' is being repeated to emphasize how awesome those aspen trees are; 'ten or twelve' is being repeated to show the action of an axe in destroying the trees (nature). 'Felled' is being repeated three times in line 3 to indicate the poet's personal sadness over the destruction of the trees. Also, the repetition of 'quelled' emphasizes how the 'airy cages' (the branches of the trees) subdued the light from the sparkling sun. 9. Alliteration - This is a poetic device that involves the repetition of an initial consonant sound, in order to add musicality. "All felled, felled, are all felled;" "...fresh and following folded rank" "Shadow that swam or sank" "... the growing green" ... "wind-wandering weed-winding bank." 10. Assonance - This the repetition of vowel sounds, in order to add musicality to lines of poetry. "Quelled or quenched" "felled, felled, are all felled" "Shadow that swam or sank" "Hack and rack" 11. Metaphor - The branches of the trees are described as "airy cages". This shows how trees create a cool and calm ambience through the air they retain. Nature is described as 'country', which mean countryside(serenity and landscape). The feminine pronoun "her" used for country (countryside) symbolizes fecundity (fertility) and beauty that makes the countryside. 12. Enjambment - It is when an idea in a line of poetry flows into the next line or lines before a complete thought is achieved. This also known as run-on-lines. The poet uses enjambment extensively throughout the poem. My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled, Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun, All felled, felled, are all felled; In the stanza above, line 1 flows into 2; and line 2 flows into 3. |
Being able to list and explain the figures of speech use in the poem |
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| The Teacher guides students to summarize the poem | The students summarize the poem Summary of The poem The poem relates to the felling of a row of aspen trees or a long line of tall trees along the River Thames, in Oxford, England. The ecological problems associated with deforestation are visible in the lamentation of the poet. The poet mourns the cutting of his "aspens dear," trees whose delicate beauty resided not only in their appearance, but in the way they created "airy cages" to tame the sunlight. These lovely trees, Hopkins laments, have all been "felled." He compares them to an army of soldiers obliterated. He remembers mournfully the way they their "sandalled" shadows played along the winding bank where river and meadow met. Hopkins grieves over the wholesale destruction of the natural world, which takes place because people fail to realize the implications of their actions. To "delve or hew" (dig, as in mining, or chop down trees) is to treat the earth too harshly, for "country" is something "so tender" that the The poet offers as an analogy the pricking of a tissues are infinitely delicate : to prick it even sli (and useless). Indeed, even an action that is meant to be bene beauties before our time that "after-comers" wi or twelve strokes") to "unselve" the landscape, or alter it so completely that it is no longer itself. |
Being able to summarize the poem | |
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| The Teacher guides students to explain analysis of the poem | The students explain analysis of the poem. Stanza 1 - Here the poem opens with the poetic persona addressing the trees as 'airy cages'. This gives the pictures of the trees' intertwined leaves - covered branches, and makes the bright sun more subdued (quelled). It sometimes blocks the sunlight completely. The poet is stirred by the mutilated landscape as he displays a personal bereavement and mourning. He says for emphasis, "All felled, felled, are all felled;". "Felled "here means hewed or cut down. He compares them with an army of soldiers wiped off at once. He remembers in sorrow, the way trees 'sandalled' shadows dangling along the wind bank where river and meadow met. He compares the lines of trees to a rank of soldiers. The image caught in military points to the fact that the industrial development of the rural area is akin to warfare against the nature and beauty embedded there in leaping. My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled, Quelled or quenched in leaves the leaping sun All felled, felled, are all felled; Of a fresh and following folded rank Not spared, not one The poet's love of the aspens is instantly obvious as he addresses them as 'My aspens dear'. He immediately paints a strong visual image of the effect the aspens create as they lean over to meet each other over the width of the river. The metaphor of the 'airy cages' helps the reader to visualise the sunlight dancing through the leaves and reflecting on the water. It is impossible for the reader to rush reading or speaking these words aloud, again making us slow down and appreciate the scene. This beautiful picture is followed by the monosyllabic line "Felled, felled, are all felled'. The meter here could be identified as spondaic, where every syllable in a line is stressed. This metrical unit is effective in showing his distress at such wanton destruction. He likens them to a line of soldiers summarily executed when he uses the word 'rank' in the line below, and the use of personification following line : 'Not spared, not one' reinforces this idea. Hopkins was famous for his variations on meter and made-up words, and the following lines are a prime example of this : That dandaled a sandalled Shadow that swam or sank On meadow and river and wind-wandering Weed-winding bank. Again, this long alliterative sentence is impossible to rush and conjures the image of one idling by the river, taking in the beauty of nature, perhaps dipping a toe in the gentle current. This is nature at its most benevolent, and thus its destruction is all the crueler. The soft sibilance of 'shadow that swam or sank' lends a mellifluous quality which makes us imagine the reflections dancing on the water. He teases out the long 'a' sounds and the end rhyme of 'rank', 'sank' and 'bank' adding more musical sounds to complete the stanza. Stanza 2 - This last stanza starts with an exclamation of sorrow. He exclaims 'O' if we (human being beings) realize the ecological problems associated with the cutting down of nature, we would have avoided it. He exposes the ignorance of people who engage in deforestation. "When we delve or hew -/ Hack and rack the growing green!" "Since country is so tender/ To touch, her being slender,/That, like this sleek and seeing ball/ But a prick will make no eye at all,". There is a comparison here between the damaged eyes and the nature that had be been destroyed. The analogy is with the seeing eye which can destroyed with one just one prick, then the light Is lost. The nature is fragile and sensitive and any damage done it, makes it lose its beauty. The poet concludes that, once we destroy the nature by digging it up (like the aspen trees), the upcoming generation (after-comers) will lose track of nature's beauty. The beauty of nature would have been gone, before they grow up. It might only take ten or twelve "strokes of havoc" (the blows of an axe) to "unselve" (damage) the natural beauty. He bemoans the fact that the trees created to radiate beauty and for a sweet, special ('especial') scene are no more in the country side. O if we but knew what we do When we delve or hew- Hack and rack the growing green! The second stanza of 'Binsey Poplars' begins with the apostrophe 'O' which instantly summons the readers' attention. It also mimics Christ on the cross as he calls to God his father, "Forgive them for they know not what they do'. This again shows the strength of emotion Hopkins feels at the loss of these trees, and reflects his strong religious convictions. His tone turns to one of anger in the harsh consonance of 'Hack and rack the growing green!' The cacophonous internal rhyme of 'Hack and rack' stand out sharply from the long vowel sounds of 'growing green'. He has cleverly used the verb 'growing' to emphasize that these trees were living organisms, brutally slain. His use of the exclamation mark here highlights his disgust. Since country is so tender To touch, her being so slender, That, like this sleek and seeing ball But a prick will make no eye at all, The poet has used the techniques of harsh language and repetition to make his point but just in case the reader has somehow missed the intensity of his feelings, he creates the lasting image of an eyeball being pricked, almost causing the reader to wince. Hopkins believed that Christians had a duty and responsibility to care for and protect God's earth. He thus creates this powerful metaphor of the earth and her delicate infrastructure as 'a sleek and knowing ball'. By destroying the earth, we are destroying a little of ourselves, and our relationship with God. He refers to nature in the feminine; the pronoun 'her' elicits further sympathy from the reader. The words 'tender' and 'slender' conjure up an image of a beautiful young woman, and make the earth sound even more fragile and delicate. He suggests that we, as humans, are incapable of seeing the bigger picture. We may think that we are making advances in technology, but if we are sacrificing the earth in the process it is all in vain. It suggests a lack of care and foresight for those in the future who will never know of this beauty. It is significant that he repeats the words 'hew and delve' from earlier in the stanza. They have an onomatopoeic quality which suggest digging into the earth and making indelible changes. Where we, even when me mean to mend her we end her, when we hew or delve, After-comers cannot guess the beauty been. Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve Strokes of havoc únselve It pains the poet greatly that it takes such a short time for humans to destroy what has taken a life-time to grow and flourish. The trees have grown in accordance with nature and created this beautiful scene, but are so quickly obliterated. The word 'havoc' suggests chaos and a lack of control, for ultimately we humans diminish our own spiritual growth by these actions. The sweet especial scene, Rural scene, rural scene, Sweet especial rural scene. The repetitive three final lines create a wistful tone, as though the poet's rage has subsided to a quiet sadness. They take on the tone of a prayer or incantation as he drifts into a reverie, remembering this 'Sweet especial rural scene.' Ultimately the poet wants his readers to treat the earth with respect and awe. For in causing damage to nature, he feels we cause a disconnect with our own true selves |
Being able to explain the analysis of the poem. | |
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| STEP 7: EVALUATION Mode: Entire Class 5 mins |
The teacher asks the students the following questions: 1. What is the background of the poet? 2. What is the structure of the poet? 3. What is the theme of the poem? |
The students expected answers 1. Gerard Manley Hopkins, (born July 28, 1844, Stratford, Essex, England and died June 8, 1889, Dublin) He was an English poet and Jesuit priest, one of the most individual of Victorian writers. His work was not published in collected form until 1918, but it influenced many leading 20th-century poets. Hopkins won the poetry prize at the Highgate grammar school and in 1863 was awarded a grant to study at Balliol College, Oxford, where he continued writing poetry while studying classics. He was appointed professor of Greek literature at University College, Dublin, in 1884. Hopkins was a devout Jesuit, who wrote about nature as a way to show God's greatness, through the wonder of creation. His bold advances in poetry were often unappreciated by his Victorian contemporaries, and it was only in the early twentieth century that his genius was recognized. Hopkins died in 1889, aged only forty-four. He died of typhoid fever and was buried in the Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin. Gerard Manley Hopkins 2. Structure of ‘Binsey Poplars’ is set out in two stanzas and follows an innovative technique devised by Hopkins himself, known as ‘sprung rhythm’, a form of meter he derived from the rhythms heard in everyday speech and songs. In sprung rhythm, the stress is usually on the first syllable and several unstressed syllables could follow. He also makes extensive use of internal rhyme and compound adjectives which lend the poem a certain urgency that effectively conveys his sadness and shock that his beloved trees have been chopped down. The first stanza has 8 lines while the second stanza has 16 lines, a total of 24 lines. 3. Theme of the poem (a) The orderliness of nature - The thematic preoccupation of this poem is trees, which is part and parcel of nature. The poem reveals the orderliness in nature. If one takes a look at the natural things abounding in existence and the natural laws guiding them, one will notice a rare resemblance of order and harmony in place. The sun rises and sets at specific times; the rain has a season; trees yield fruits at their seasons. If one goes to the forest, the way trees are arranged and the serene ambience shows as if they were done by a given 'being' for his pleasure. Tampering with such an organized setting is what the poet mourns. "Since country is so tender/ To touch, her being so slender, /That, like this sleek and seeing ball". (b) Destruction of nature - The poet mourns deforestation because of its adverse consequences. He laments after revisiting the River Thames side and discovered that a row of aspen trees had been destroyed or felled. He sees this as a sacrilege and an insult to God, so, he alludes to what Jesus said when He was being crucified, that God should forgive those who crucified Him, for they didn't know what they did. The poet asserts, "O if we but knew what we do". This shows the ignorance of those who contribute to deforestation, as regards its negative consequences. (c) The benefits of nature to man - The poetic persona wails because of the benefits of afforestation (presence of trees). He is preoccupied with the relationship between man and his environment. Human beings cannot live in isolation from the environment. Imagine if there were no grasses or trees. The 'airy cages' of the trees keep the sun away from the earth and allow the breeze to pass freely, and so fresh. Trees provide shades to both animals and man. Nature is therefore of benefits to man, and should be preserved. (d) The Manifestation of God in Nature - Hopkins used poetry to express his religious devotion, drawing his images from the natural world. He found nature inspiring and developed his theories of inscape and instress to explore the manifestation of God in every living thing. According to these theories, the recognition of an object's unique identity, which was bestowed upon that object by God, brings us closer to Christ. Similarly, the beauty of the natural world-and our appreciation of that beauty-helps us worship God. Many poems, including "Hurrahing in Harvest" and "The Windhover," begin with the speaker praising an aspect of nature, which then leads the speaker into a consideration of an aspect of God or Christ. For instance, in "The Starlight Night," the speaker urges readers to notice the marvels of the night sky and compares the sky to a structure, which houses Christ, his mother, and the saints. The stars' link to Christianity makes them more beautiful. (e) The Regenerative Power of Nature - Hopkins's early poetry praises nature, particularly nature's unique ability to regenerate and rejuvenate. Throughout his travels in England and Ireland, Hopkins witnessed the detrimental effects of industrialization on the environment, including pollution, urbanization, and diminished rural landscapes. While he lamented these effects, he also believed in nature's power of regeneration, which comes from God. In "God's Grandeur," the speaker notes the wellspring that runs through nature and through humans. While Hopkins never doubted the presence of God in nature, he became increasingly depressed by late nineteenth-century life and began to doubt nature's ability to withstand human destruction. His later poems, the so-called terrible sonnets, focus on images of death, including the harvest and vultures picking at prey. Rather than depict the glory of nature's rebirth, these poems depict the deaths that must occur in order for the cycle of nature to continue. "Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord" (1889) uses parched roots as a metaphor for despair : the speaker begs Christ to help him because Christ's love will rejuvenate him, just as water helps rejuvenate dying foliage |
Asking the learners questions to assess the achievement of the set objectives. |
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| ASSIGNMENT | The teacher gives learners take home. 1. Comment on the role played by visual imagery in "Binsey Poplars" 2. Discuss the fiollowing poetic devices in "Bisey Poplars" (a) Personification (b) Allitention (c) Biblical alhation 3. Comment on the reaction of the poet regarding the felled trees. 4. "Industrialisation can be said to pose a threat to nature". Discuns with reference to "Binsey Popla". 5. In your opinion, what are the things needed to be done to preserve nature and our environment generally? |
The learners copy the assignment | Better understanding of the Poem. |
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| CONCLUSION 2 mins |
The teachers wrap up from the learners' contribution. Summary of the poem The poet mourns the cutting of his “aspens dear,” trees whose delicate beauty resided not only in their appearance, but in the way they created “airy cages” to tame the sunlight. These lovely trees, Hopkins laments, have all been “felled.” He compares them to an army of soldiers obliterated. He remembers mournfully the way they their “sandalled” shadows played along the winding bank where river and meadow met. Hopkins grieves over the wholesale destruction of the natural world, which takes place because people fail to realize the implications of their actions. To “delve or hew” (dig, as in mining, or chop down trees) is to treat the earth too harshly, for “country” is something “so tender” that the least damage can change it irrevocably. The poet offers as an analogy the pricking of an eyeball, an organ whose mechanisms are subtle and powerful, though the tissues are infinitely delicate: to prick it even slightly changes it completely from what it was to something unrecognizable (and useless). Indeed, even an action that is meant to be beneficial can affect the landscape in this way, Hopkins says. The earth held beauties before our time that “after-comers” will have no idea of, since they are now lost forever. It takes so little (only “ten or twelve strokes”) to “unselve” the landscape, or alter it so completely that it is no longer itself. |
The students listen to the teacher and copy down notes. | Consolidating and harmonizing scientific concepts. |