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The WindhoverShort story by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Flashcards for The Windhover

27 cards · 3 characters · 8 key quotes · 4 symbols · 12 literary devices. Nothing is saved and nothing is asked for — close the tab and the deck resets.

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Characters · 3

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

Key quotes · 8

  1. “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)

  2. “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)

  3. “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)

  4. “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)

  5. “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)

  6. “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)

  7. “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)

  8. “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)

Symbols · 4

  1. Fire

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

  2. 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."

  3. The Morning

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

  4. The Plough

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

Literary devices · 12

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Alliteration

    Alliteration dominates the poem's sound.

  4. Imagery

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

  5. Volta

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

  6. 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!"

  7. Oxymoron

    Hopkins creates meaning through a series of compressed contradictions.

  8. Enjambment

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

  9. Allusion

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

  10. 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.

  11. Motif

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

  12. Assonance

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