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Comparing Gerald Manley Hopkins Spring And Fall

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We have all dreamed of having that perfect something; that thing we expected would be there and would make us happy for a particular moment or for the rest of our lives. Whether it is traveling to the best vacation spot, attending one’s dream school, working our dream job, etc., we have all had expectations of having the perfect thing. Unfortunately, not all our dreams have turned out the way we had hoped; sometimes we realize that perfect thing we have always dreamt about does not exist. This disappointment of realizing that perfect something is not what we had hoped for can be found in Gerald Manley Hopkins’ “Spring and Fall”. “Spring and Fall” is written as if the speaker is speaking to a young girl named Margaret. The poem starts off with the speaker asking the young girl, “Margaret, are you grieving over Goldengrove unleaving?” (S&F, lines 1-2). Margaret appears to be upset the leaves are falling from the trees, which is a sign the seasons are changing from summer to fall. Since she is a young child, she would see the leaves falling and be disappointed she will not be able to play outside as often. She would notice …show more content…

Now, the once perfect world she once knew is no longer perfect, and she will look at all things she loves as only temporary pleasures. There is nothing she or anyone else can do to prevent not knowing this realization of death. The speaker knows this because everyone will go through this. Everyone is going to experience this inevitability because “It is the blight man was born for”, the blight being death (S&F, line 14). All things, no matter how long or how short live for, will die. Everything has to have a beginning and an end. No matter who you are, everyone will experience the same grief of death and human

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