The poem "The Caged Skylark" by Gerald Manley Hopkins
explores its theme by presenting the relationship of
people, nature and death. The poet expresses his ideas
by using multiple language devices and employing
language vividly and strikingly so that a dramatic and
overwhelming atmosphere is created. Symbols and
comparisons are used to demonstrate the
close relationship between a human
and a pet skylark because both
are imprisoned, just in different
ways.
The symbols and metaphors in
the poem clearly describe the
emotions and states of mind
of people when their spirits
are not free and they feel
just like a caged bird. The
contradiction
between
the bird's natural habits
and the place where it
is being kept represents
how a trapped human
spirit feels. The fact that
a "dare-gale" wild bird
is being held in a "dull
cage" suggests that its
powerful and rebellious
spirit is trapped in an
inappropriate, boring and
confined physical space.
Similarly, for a human, living
a mediocre to uninteresting life
shows us a captured spirit. If living
life is like an actor performing on a stage
– “a poor low stage” - and you are miserably
acting on a “lower” one, probably your soul is depressed,
too. The poet Manley Hopkins is telling us that as the
human spirit feels limited inside the body, in time the
soul becomes combative and desperate for escape as
it "wrings their barriers" just like a caged skylark does.
The spirit tries to break free but notices that the human
body is a trap, so, in consequence, this hopelessness,
frustration and fear bring the psychological feeling of
being a hostage.
Strong comparisons between a skylark and a human
being show that they are foils that behave in the
same way and have natures that are strongly similar.
They are both reaching for freedom even though their
perceptions of freedom are different. Both the skylark
and the spirit attempt to rise to find their life’s true
meaning and freedom. When Hopkins writes that a
human's spirit is a "mounting spirit" it is implied that
the body is gradually dying and the spirit is rising to get
closer to God. As humans move through the stages of life
they get closer to their dying day when their spirits will
be set free. Similarly, as the skylark is a bird known by its
flights at high altitudes, like the human spirit, a skylark
is the freest when it is most up high. Through this
comparison, Hopkins is conveying the
theme that death should not be feared;
instead, it should be considered as a
perfect moment when we rise from
our confining bodies and attain an
ultimate union with God, whom
our spirit has always longed to
join.
Sadly, forgetting about the
impulse to be free – for
both a caged wild bird and
a human being - is explored
in the poem. The bird hasn’t
been free for such a long
time that it is “beyond
the remembering” of its
free days. Equivalently, the
hustle of necessary work
and hectic daily life demands
make people forget about
their intangible spiritual needs.
This is expressed by the strong
alliteration
“drudgery,
day-
labouring-out.” The alliteration
created by the letter “d” sets a
dominant and harsh tone which results
in the reader pausing and thinking about
his or her spiritual needs. Furthermore, the importance
of the idea of having a safe and comforting house for
your spirit is highlighted by the phrase “own nest, wild
nest, no prison.” It is indicated that as long as you have a
natural and private home for your soul and you are the
one to build and choose it, even at hard times your soul
will come back to its home at the end of a working day
full of challenges.
To conclude, the poem “The Caged Skylark” by Gerard
Manley Hopkins is a symbolic poem with striking use
of language to evoke the idea of having a free spirit
and how it is limited by the body. It creates a creating
a staggeringly effective and emotionally touching
atmosphere.
Zeynep Ayça ŞENOL
10-C
THE CLAPPER 2018 - 2019
29
The Caged Human