Hardy versus Hopkins: A Comparative Reading of 'Hap' and 'God’s Grandeur' for More Communicative and Cooperative Interactions in EFL Settings

Abstract

This article focuses on the comparative study of two poems by the 19th century leading literary figures who introduced two different worldviews related to man’s existence on earth. What makes the article so interesting is that the two worldviews—the two completely different perspectives introduced through the poems—shed lights on how the poets perceived the world in different ways with regard to man’s relation to nature although they lived in the same period and in the same setting with the same cultural background that the poems were intended to hold up a mirror to reflect on and react to for a thorough understanding of the cultural milieu. The reader will be presented with the poems and their semiotic interpretation (1) to understand better what lies behind the narratives in the deeper layers of the sense and the value of the whole texts, (2) to compare the views represented by the poets through the discussion points used in the chart for the comparison/contrast, and (3) to get engaged in more cooperative interaction, which will in turn help acquire the language better by focusing on language use in meaningful contexts provided by the literary texts.

Keywords

• Hardy, Hopkins, Hap, God’s Grandeur, Communicative and Cooperative EFL Interactions

References

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2. Hunter, J., Booth, A., & Mays, K. J. (2007). The Norton introduction to poetry. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
3. Spilsbury, J. (2010). The great military disasters. London, UK: Quercus.