Felix Randal GM Hopkins poem analysis

Felix Randal Poem Analysis

• The poem's main focus is on Felix Randal, a parishioner who was anointed by Hopkins before he died.

Themes and Ideas

• The human condition
• Sickness and Death
• Strength and Weakness
• The role of religion and of the priest
• Human relationships

Style

• Strong use of sprung rhythm
• Petrarchan sonnet structure
• Detailed imagery
• Caesura
• Alliteration
• Sibilance

Key Quotes and Analysis

• "Felix Randal the farrier, O is he dead then?my duty all ended"
  • The poem opens with a question, emphasizing the subject's death and the priest's duties ending
• "Who have watched his mould of man, big-boned and hardy-handsome"
  • Describes Felix's physical appearance, highlighting his strength and handsomeness
• "Pining, pining, till time when reason rambled in it, and some"
  • Expresses Felix's yearning for relief, with alliteration and imagery
• "Fatal four disorders, fleshed there, all contended?"
  • Describes Felix's sickness, with careful alliteration and emphasis on his strength before illness
• "Impatient, he cursed at first, but mended"
  • Shows Felix's frustration with his illness, but also his eventual acceptance
• "Being anointed and all; though a heavenlier heart began some months earlier"
  • Highlights Hopkins' compassion and the sacrament of anointing Felix
• "Tendered to him. Ah well, God rest him all road ever he offended!"
  • Expresses Hopkins' prayers for Felix's forgiveness and peace
• "My tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears"
  • Highlights the comfort and strength Hopkins offered Felix through his words and touch
• "Thy tears that touched my heard, child, Felix, poor Felix Randal;"
  • Addresses Felix directly, with soothing alliterative sounds
• "How far from then forethought of, all thy more boisterous years,"
  • Considers Felix's life beyond his illness, with a focus on his more energetic years
• "When thou at the random grim forge, powerful amidst peers,"
  • Imagines Felix at work, highlighting his physical strength and prowess

A poem analysis quiz on Felix Randal, exploring themes of human condition, sickness, and death, with a focus on the poet's style and use of sprung rhythm.