Flashcards for The Windhover

Christ

In Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover," Christ is not portrayed as a character in a scene but rather as the ultimate referential figure to whom the poem is dedicated—the subtitle states "To Christ our Lord."

character

The Speaker

The Speaker is the unnamed first-person voice in Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (1877), serving as an amazed observer, a dedicated Jesuit priest, and a spiritual seeker grappling with his calling and sacrifices.

character

The Windhover (Falcon)

The Windhover (Falcon) takes center stage in Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet of the same name, acting both as a living bird in flight and as a radiant symbol imbued with spiritual significance.

character

“I caught this morning morning's minion, king- / dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon”

These are the striking opening lines of Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (1877, published 1918).

The poet-speaker (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

“the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!”

This striking line is from Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (1877), which is one of the most revered poems in English literature.

Gerard Manley Hopkins (lyric speaker) · The Windhover (1877 sonnet)

“AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion / Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!”

These lines come at the height of Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (written in 1877 and published in 1918).

The poet-speaker (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

“Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here / Buckle!”

This powerful exclamation comes from Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (1877), dedicated "To Christ our Lord."

Gerard Manley Hopkins (lyric speaker)

“No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion / Shine”

These lines are found near the conclusion of Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (written in 1877 and published posthumously in 1918), voiced by the poem's lyric speaker — a Jesuit priest-poet reflecting on a kestrel in flight.

Lyric speaker (Gerard Manley Hopkins) · The Windhover (sonnet, 1877; published 1918)

“blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, / Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.”

These closing lines of Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet "The Windhover" (written in 1877 and published in 1918) are delivered by the poem's speaker — who is Hopkins himself — during a moment of sudden, ecstatic revelation aimed directly at Christ ("ah my dear," reminiscent of George Herbert's devotional tone).

Lyric speaker (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

“To Christ our Lord”

"To Christ our Lord" is the dedicatory subtitle of Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet The Windhover (1877), which he wrote in his own hand beneath the title.

Gerard Manley Hopkins (authorial voice) · The Windhover (1877)

“the rolling level underneath him steady air”

"The Windhover" (1877) is a sonnet by Gerard Manley Hopkins, dedicated "To Christ our Lord."

Gerard Manley Hopkins (poetic speaker/narrator)

Fire

In Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet The Windhover, fire represents the hidden glory of Christ and the transformative power of sacrifice.

The Falcon

In Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet The Windhover, the falcon represents the breathtaking beauty inherent in all creation — something Hopkins refers to as "inscape."

The Morning

In Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet The Windhover, morning symbolizes divine revelation and spiritual awakening.

The Plough

In Gerard Manley Hopkins's sonnet The Windhover, the plough symbolizes the hidden beauty found in everyday, hard work.

Sonnet

"The Windhover" is a Petrarchan sonnet made up of fourteen lines, split into an octave and a sestet—a structure that Hopkins creatively adapts.

Extended Metaphor

The kestrel is more than just a bird: starting from the dedication "To Christ our Lord," the falcon's control over the wind becomes a lasting symbol of Christ's beauty, power, and sacrifice.

Alliteration

Alliteration dominates the poem's sound.

Imagery

Hopkins weaves together visual, kinetic, and tactile imagery to make the falcon's flight feel almost tangible.

Volta

The poem's volta arrives at line 9 with the lines "Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here / Buckle!"

Apostrophe

The dedication "To Christ our Lord" sets the tone for the poem as a form of address, and in the sestet, the speaker reaches out directly: "O my chevalier!"

Oxymoron

Hopkins creates meaning through a series of compressed contradictions.

Enjambment

Hopkins uses enjambment to mimic the falcon's smooth flight across the line breaks.

Allusion

The dedication "To Christ our Lord" serves as the poem's central reference, directing every image toward Christian theology.

Paradox

The poem presents a paradox at its core: the most violent and dangerous moment — the falcon's abrupt "buckle," the fall and gash of embers — is also the moment of unparalleled beauty and divine insight.

Motif

The motif of mastery-through-yielding appears in every section of the poem.

Assonance

Assonance works together with alliteration to form the poem's rich sound tapestry.

minion

A beloved favorite or darling — here used as a term of honor, not servitude, suggesting the falcon is the most cherished creature of the morning.

noun · Chapter 1

dauphin

The crown prince of France — used here as a royal title to cast the falcon as the heir and champion of the morning sky, the noblest creature in its realm.

noun · Chapter 1

dapple-dawn-drawn

A compound coinage meaning drawn out into the dappled, spotted light of dawn — the falcon is lured forth by, and painted against, the mottled colors of early morning.

adjective · Chapter 1

riding

Gliding or sailing smoothly on a current — as a ship rides the waves, the falcon rides the air, moving with effortless control rather than active flapping.

verb · Chapter 1

rein

To check or guide with reins as a rider controls a horse — here the falcon steers and masters the wind as though holding it on a bridle.

verb · Chapter 1

wimpling

Rippling or folding in smooth curves — describing the way the falcon's wing bends and undulates gracefully as it turns through the air.

adjective · Chapter 1

hurl

A sweeping, powerful rush of movement — used here as a noun to capture the bold, forceful energy of the bird's flight rather than a throw.

noun · Chapter 1

achieve

The act or fact of achieving — Hopkins uses it as a noun (not a verb) to name the mastery itself, the sheer accomplishment embodied in the bird's flight.

noun · Chapter 1

valour

Courage and strength in action — here applied to the falcon's bold, vigorous mastery of the air, giving its physical prowess a moral and heroic quality.

noun · Chapter 1

Buckle

To clasp together or collapse inward under pressure — at the poem's volta it means all the falcon's qualities suddenly concentrate and ignite into a single overwhelming burst of beauty.

verb · Chapter 1

brute

Raw, purely physical, and instinctual — describing a beauty that belongs to the animal body and natural force rather than to thought or art.

adjective · Chapter 1

blue-bleak

A compound describing embers that look cold, grey-blue, and lifeless on the outside — the bleakness makes the hidden fire within all the more startling when it is revealed.

adjective · Chapter 1

gall

To wound or chafe by rubbing — the embers scrape and injure themselves as they fall apart, and that very breaking open releases their hidden brilliance.

verb · Chapter 1

gash

To cut open with a deep slash — the falling embers split themselves wide, and the wound reveals a vivid gold-and-crimson glow hidden inside the dull exterior.

verb · Chapter 1

gold-vermilion

A compound color blending gold and bright scarlet-red — describing the brilliant, fiery color that blazes out of the broken embers, symbolizing hidden glory made visible through sacrifice.

adjective · Chapter 1