Questions about Gerard Manley Hopkins' Poem "The Windhover"

Form:

It's a sonnet: is it Italian or English?

Is there a volta? If so, where does it occur?

What observations can you make about how the poem appears on the page?

Rhythm

Observe the sprung rhythm: where is the irregularity most pronounced?

Does alliteration or assonance play a role in our hearing or understanding the poem?

Does caesura or enjambment enhance any particular phrase or image?

Diction

What words are most notable or most striking?

Does any one word seem pivotal in the description of the Windhover?

Any phrase that puzzles or requires some annotation to better understand it?

Image

Do any non-bird images stand out?

What about the bird itself seems most vividly described here?

Is the description realistic or impressionistic? Can you show us an example?