Objectives

• Analyse how Hopkins uses compound epithets and royal titles ('minion', 'dauphin', 'dapple-dawn-drawn') in the octave to construct the falcon as an emblem of divine mastery.
• Explain how sprung rhythm and alliteration ('the rolling level underneath him steady air') enact the bird's physical movement on the page.
• Identify and interpret the volta at 'Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here / Buckle!' and explain how it redirects the poem from nature to theology.
• Evaluate how the two analogies in the sestet — the polished plough-blade and the falling embers — develop Hopkins's argument that beauty intensifies at the moment of sacrifice.
• Write a sustained, evidenced exam-style paragraph that connects Hopkins's imagery and form to his Ignatian devotional purpose, using precise quotation and technical vocabulary.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: What the Falcon Does and What It Means: Close Reading the Octave and Volta

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the first four lines of 'The Windhover' quietly. Jot down every word Hopkins uses to depict the falcon that you wouldn’t typically use for an ordinary bird. Be prepared to discuss what those words share in common — you don't need to understand any context just yet.

   Teacher input

   Analysis of Lines 1–4

   In the opening lines, 'I caught this morning morning's minion, king- / dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding / Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding / High there,' the use of terms like 'minion,' 'dauphin,' and 'kingdom' creates a cohesive royal imagery that positions the kestrel as a regal entity before any religious connotations are introduced. This choice of language imbues the bird with a sense of sovereignty, suggesting its dominance and significance in the natural order.

   The enjambment that divides 'king- / dom' across the line break effectively mirrors the bird's movement across boundaries, emphasizing its freedom and fluidity in the air. Additionally, the sequence of stressed syllables in 'rolling level underneath him steady air' showcases the sprung rhythm at play, allowing readers to physically sense the powerful exertion involved in the kestrel's flight. This rhythmic structure not only captures the essence of the bird's motion but also enhances the overall experience of the poem.

   Independent task

   Students annotate lines 5–8 ("how he rang upon the rein of a wimpling wing / In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, / As a skate's heel sweeps smooth in a hurl and gliding / Rebuffed the big wind") and lines 9–11 (the volta: "Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here / Buckle!"). For each section, they write two annotations: one identifying a specific technique (naming it precisely) and another explaining the contribution of that technique to the meaning. They then compose a single focused sentence — no more than 40 words — that describes what changes at the volta and why that change is significant to the poem as a whole. This sentence is collected as a markable product.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain what the word 'Buckle' in line 10 means and why Hopkins might have chosen a word with more than one possible meaning at this exact moment in the poem.

2. Lesson 2: Sacrifice and Splendour: Writing About the Sestet's Analogies in an Exam Paragraph

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without referencing your notes, jot down the two analogies Hopkins employs in the sestet (lines 12–14). If you can't recall both, take a moment to re-read lines 12–14 now: 'No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion / Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, / Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.' What similarities do the plough and the embers share? Write one sentence.

   Teacher input

   Model how to build a complete exam paragraph using lines 12–14. Start with a clear argument: Hopkins uses the analogies of the plough and ember to suggest that suffering doesn't lessen beauty; rather, it enhances it, reflecting a theological perspective on Christ's Passion. Show students how to incorporate 'shéer plód makes plough down sillion / Shine' as evidence, then analyze 'shéer plód' as a compound that condenses tedious labor into two weighty monosyllables. Connect the polished blade to the Ignatian concept of discovering God in everyday, diligent tasks. Finally, illustrate how to relate the embers — 'gash gold-vermilion' — to the dedicatory inscription 'To Christ our Lord,' thereby completing the devotional argument.

   Independent task

   Students will compose a timed exam-style paragraph (around 200–250 words) that responds to the question: "How does Hopkins use the sestet of 'The Windhover' to convey the relationship between sacrifice and beauty?" They need to quote from at least two of the last three lines (12–14), identify at least one specific technique, and relate their analysis to the poem's dedication, "To Christ our Lord." Paragraphs are to be written within a 20-minute time frame and submitted for evaluation based on the rubric.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Hopkins ends the poem with the image of embers that 'gash gold-vermilion' rather than with the falcon itself — what does that choice tell us about the poem's true subject?

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 do-now word-list: checking that students can distinguish Hopkins's elevated diction from neutral description before any teaching has occurred.
• Lesson 1 annotation of lines 5–11: checking that students can name a technique precisely (not just 'imagery') and connect it to meaning rather than paraphrase.
• Lesson 1 volta sentence (collected): checking that students can articulate what changes at 'Buckle!' and why ambiguity matters — the marker looks for the word 'sacrifice,' 'Christ,' or 'compression' as evidence of theological understanding.
• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checking that students recognise deliberate semantic ambiguity ('Buckle' as collapse and as fastening) and can explain its function at the poem's turning point.
• Lesson 2 do-now recall sentence: checking retention of the two analogies and the ability to identify their shared logic (beauty through compression or collapse) without prompting.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket: checking that students can move beyond surface description to argue that the embers — not the falcon — are the poem's true devotional subject, signalling readiness to write independently about the dedication.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and figurative language in a literary text.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Identify and explain the function of a simile, metaphor, or analogy and how it contributes to meaning.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain how the structural choice of the Petrarchan volta contributes to the poem's meaning.
• Narrator/Speaker (NAR-1) — Explain how the speaker's relationship to the subject (the falcon and Christ) contributes to the poem's overall meaning.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, including Hopkins's use of sprung rhythm, compound epithets, and the Petrarchan volta.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including Ignatian spirituality and the Romantic nature-ode tradition.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including comparison of Hopkins's devotional purpose with other religious or Romantic lyric poetry.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, focusing on Hopkins's prosody and imagery in 'The Windhover'.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including Victorian religious poetry and posthumous publication.
• AO5 — Demonstrate expertise and creativity in the use of English in a range of different contexts, informed by linguistic and literary study.

OCR

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to Hopkins's compound diction and sprung rhythm.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including Jesuit theology and the Victorian literary tradition.