Understanding the sonnet ["Thou Art Indeed Just "] necessitates an understanding of some of the prevailing themes at work both in Hopkins ' poetry and in his life. Hopkins was perpetually plagued, as well as blessed, by the double nature of his faith, "a source of anguish", which "he never wavered in [yet] never felt worthy of " (Ramazani 64). This dual nature of faith makes itself evident in the poem through the attitudes taken by Hopkins. The opening lines, "Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend/with thee" (Hopkins 82) imparts to the reader a sense of acceptance of the fair nature of the Lord, despite any contentions Hopkins may have. The rhythmic, hard consonant sounds of the "t" and "d" in this passage (underlined) suggest a harmony or perhaps a grand design about which humankind is not fully aware. In Hopkins ' terminology, the structure of the first
Cited: "Eunuch." New Webster 's Dictionary and Thesaurus of the English Language. 1992. Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford Books. 1996. Ramazani, Jahan, et al. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. 2003. Wilson, Evelyn. Gerard Manley Hopkins - Images of Transcendence. 2003.