Analysis of Binsey Poplars by G.M Hopkins II – SS2 Literature-in-English Lesson Note (Third Term)

“Binsey Poplars” is a poem by G.M. Hopkins in which the persona mourns the felling of a row of aspen (poplar) trees at Binsey in Oxford. Its main themes are man’s relationship with nature, the beauty of nature, the effect of industrialisation and the destruction of nature. It is written in two stanzas (24 lines) in sprung rhythm.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• state the main themes of “Binsey Poplars”;
• explain how the poem presents man’s relationship with nature and the beauty of nature;
• describe the structure of the poem, including sprung rhythm;
• identify and illustrate poetic devices such as simile, personification, repetition, alliteration, assonance, inversion, metaphor and enjambment;
• describe the mood, tone and language of the poem.

What are the themes of “Binsey Poplars”?

1. Man’s relationship with nature

The poem deals with humanity’s relationship with the natural world. It is entirely based on the persona’s love for some trees, and he becomes upset to see those poplars chopped (cut) down. By cutting down the poplars, man erodes the natural world of beauty.

The persona laments bitterly at the beginning of the poem: “My aspens dear, whose airy cages quelled … All felled, felled, are all felled”. This is a result of the heartless industrialisation of 19th century society, which witnessed man’s attempt to alter the world of beauty provided by the aspens. Hopkins contemplates what has been lost to the unnecessary felling of trees (deforestation).

2. Beauty of nature

The poem shows admiration for the beauty provided by nature. The speaker’s love for the poplars in Binsey goes deeper than mere admiration because they help improve the quality of water, soil and air, create a beautiful landscape, and enrich the ecosystem, limiting desertification. Planting poplars in naturalised areas helps control erosion. The persona therefore cannot forget these benefits and does not want to see the trees cut down indiscriminately.

The speaker goes further to admire the aspens by comparing his love for them to the love for a beautiful woman, the love for a country and the sensitivity of the eyeball:

Since country is so tender / To touch, her being so slender, / That, like this sleek and seeing ball / But a prick will make no eye at all

Here the persona describes the beauty of the poplars as that of a woman who is “so tender” and “slender” to touch, both fragile and delicate. His views about the poplars are also like those of a country whose citizens swear to protect its territorial integrity and always remain patriotic, come what may.

The poplars are so precious to the persona that he compares them to human eyeballs. Just as no man in his right senses will gouge out his eyeball because of pain, so also man should not attempt to chop down poplars. He says “But a prick will make no eye at all … To mend her we end her”. This means that nature is constant and changeless, and any attempt to alter it will render it more useless.

3. Effect of industrialisation

The poet exposes the danger of industrialisation. The beauty provided by trees and nature is lost completely when the trees are cut down for industrial purposes (lines 22 to 24).

4. Destruction of nature

The poem offers a commentary on the current battle to save the environment from the mindless destruction of nature by humans. The poet expresses his frustration, hopelessness and sadness when he visits a small town called Binsey in Oxford after his education. He is unhappy to see the poplars cut down, which has affected the environment, for example through undue exposure to the sun’s rays, and has also changed the beautiful landscape.

What is the structure of “Binsey Poplars”?

“Binsey Poplars” is set out in two stanzas. It follows an innovative technique devised by Hopkins himself, known as “sprung rhythm”, a form of metre he derived from the rhythms heard in everyday speech and songs. In sprung rhythm, the stress is usually on the first syllable and several unstressed syllables may follow.

Hopkins also makes extensive use of internal rhyme and compound adjectives, which lend the poem a certain urgency that effectively conveys his sadness and shock that his beloved trees have been chopped down. The first stanza has 8 lines and the second stanza has 16 lines, a total of 24 lines.

What style and poetic devices does Hopkins use?

Poetic devices

1. Simile: This is a direct comparison, as in line 14: “like this sleek and seeing ball”. Here the persona equates the incessant chopping down of aspens to the removal of eyeballs.
2. Personification: The speaker sees nature, the poplar, as “her”, giving human attributes to an inanimate object. Nature is seen as feminine, tender and fragile, and any attempt to help her would cause her beauty to be lost. Examples are “To touch, her being so slender” (line 13) and “To mend her we end her” (line 17). Even trying to fix “her” is too much interference in the speaker’s view.
3. Repetition: Some words are deliberately repeated to drive home the point and for emphasis. In line 3, the persona repeats the word “felled” three times to emphasise the enormity of the harm done to the aspens. Also, three short lines are repeated with rhymes to underline the damage done to the countryside, the spoiling of the scene and the loss of beauty. It is as if the poet is trying to make up for the loss by reinstating the scene over and over.
4. Alliteration: This device creates a lyrical effect in the poem. It is illustrated in these lines:
   • “Quelled or quenched” (line 2)
   • “Of a fresh and following folded rank” (line 4)
   • “Swam or sank” (line 7)
   • “Sleek and seeing ball” (line 14)
   • “Where we, even where we mean” (line 16)
   • “The sweet especial scene” (line 22)
   • “Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve”
   • “Wind-wandering weed-winding bank”
5. Assonance: Examples are:
   • “Quelled or quenched” (line 2)
   • “Dandled or sandalled” (line 6)
   • “Shadow that swam or sank” (line 7)
   • “This sleek and seeing ball” (line 14)
   • “To mend her we end her” (line 17)
   • “Hack and rack” (line 11)
6. Inversion: In line 1, there is an abnormal reversal of word order, “My aspens dear” instead of “My dear aspens”. In line 5, “Not spared, not one” is used instead of “Not one was spared”. Both help the poet to achieve sprung rhythm.
7. Metaphor: In line 4, “Of a fresh and following folded rank”, the poet likens the lines of aspens to a rank of soldiers. The military image implies that the industrial development of the countryside is like a land of warfare. “Growing green” is a metaphor for zest for life. There is also an analogy between the removal of eyeballs and the destruction of nature. It suggests that those who thoughtlessly destroy nature lack vision, and that their action might bring irreversible damage.
8. Enjambment: Also known as run-on lines, this is when one phrase flows from one line into the next. Enjambment creates a flowing or winding effect that mimics the river bank, which looks endless. For example: “Shadow that swam or sank, / On meadow and river and wind-wandering weed-winding bank” (lines 7 and 8).

Mood, tone and language

• Mood: The feeling of the persona is one of regret and disgust.
• Tone: The tone is mournful, melancholic and nostalgic.
• Language: The language is complex in places and simple in others, because some words, such as “dandled”, are difficult to explain.

The poem is full of unusual word coinages and conversions, internal rhymes and sprung rhythm. Here the poet uses “dandled” (instead of a more familiar word such as “dangled”) to create a rhyme with “sandalled”. There are also many consonant clusters, known as cacophonous sounds.

Evaluation

1. State the four themes discussed in “Binsey Poplars”.
2. What is sprung rhythm, and how many lines are there in each stanza of the poem?
3. How does the persona compare the poplars to a woman and to an eyeball?
4. Identify the device used in “like this sleek and seeing ball” and explain its effect.
5. What are the mood and tone of the poem?

Assignment

Explain, with two quotations from the poem, how Hopkins uses repetition and personification to show his sadness at the felling of the aspens.