Questions and Answers
What is the tone of the poem's opening question 'Felix Randal the farrier, O is he dead then?'?
What does the verb 'tendered' suggest in the poem?
What is the effect of the alliteration in the line 'tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears'?
What is the effect of Hopkins' reflection on Felix's work at the forge?
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What does the poem suggest about the priest's relationship with the sick?
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Study Notes
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
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Description
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.