God's Grandeur

1. The theme of the poem is the relationships between man, the natural world, and God. Hopkins's poem follows the traditional Italian sonnet form, though the sections are separated into stanzas. The first stanza, octave, is about that even though God's world is full of life and energy, it is only temporary. While the second stanza, sestet, gives us the insight that 'nature is never spent' because it lives beneath us as well as all around us. The speaker asks "Why do men then now not reck his rod?" (Line 4). What the speaker is asking is 'why can't people ever recognize the power that God has over the world?' In the first stanza, the speaker seems to be less than impressed with the way people are treating the world, saying that people have corrupted it so much that the planet has begun to smell like people. The second stanza takes a more positive approach to looking at the world. "And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —" (Lines 11-12) The usage of West and East is important because it symbolizes the sun setting and rising. The sun sets in the West which would bring darkness. The sun rises in the East which brings light to the world. The lines also symbolize the changing of the seasons with the use of the word 'black' meaning the transition between fall and winter and the use of 'brown' meaning spring. "Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings." (Lines 13-14) These lines mean that like a mother bird would watch over her chicks, the Lord is watching over the chaotic world. The theme of the poem backs up the religious idea that God is watching over us no matter how bad we screw up our lives or how bad we destroy the world that he worked so hard to create. 
2. The usage of the word 'charged' in line one suggests electricity, which would mean that the world is full of life and energy. The simile in line two, “It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;” furthers the knowledge that the world is full of vitality by comparing the energy to "the shining of shook foil,” which refers to the noise, light, and reflection of tinfoil. The simile also states that though the world is thriving right now, it will slowly die like the flame of a candle.
1. "And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod." (Lines 7-8) These lines symbolize that for many generations, man has walked the earth, and whether doing so on purpose or not, has begun to destroy nature. "And wears man's smudge" refers to the defilement of beauty through 'trade' and 'toil'. By saying "shares man's smell" the author is saying that the natural smell of nature has been replaced by the smell of man. "the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod" refers to the fact that because the soil has been worked and walked on since the beginning of time, it is now 'bare' and can no longer support crops, and the pollution of the environment from the city has killed off any plant life left.  It also accredits that because man has been corrupted by society, his feet can no longer feel bare soil "being shod", by wearing shoes.
2. "And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —" This symbolizes that though the situation is certainly dark, rebirth is imminent. These lines may also represent the changing seasons "the last lights off the black" symbolizing fall turning into winter and he 'brown brink' suggesting the potential fertility of the soil, spring.
3. “Reck his rod” (Line 4): ‘Reck’ can be seen as the root word for recognize. The term ‘rod’ refers to a staff or scepter which is a symbol of authority or power. The speaker wants to know why people don’t acknowledge and uphold the power that God has in the world and the environment.
1. “Spent” (Line 9):  Spent is used when the poem shifts tones. It’s one of the first encouraging terms used in the poem to encourage that nature will be around forever because it is ‘never spent’. Even though it could seem like its gone, it’s still hiding underneath us. 
2. “Bent” (Line 13): Bent, meaning dishonest or corrupt has a different meaning than its connotation, meaning a curved angle. However, both connotations can be used when describing the world that the author is describing. Hopkins has made it apparent that the world is a corrupted place, but it could also be seen as curved. Being ‘curved or bent’ could mean something is askew or abnormal, while straight could mean governable or ordinary.
4. I'm a little confused on this question, so bare with me here.

Alliterations ~

Grandeur of God

Flame, Foil 

Shining, Shook

Gathers, Greatness

Ooze, Oil

Not, Now

Reck, Rod

Smudge, Shares, Smell, (Soil?)

Last, Lights

Brown, Brink

Assonance ~ 

Seared, Bleared, Smeared

Consonance ~
Seared, Bleared, Smeared

Internal Rhyme ~
Seared, Bleared, Smeared 

The examples of these different literary elements help backup the meaning of the poem, especially when factoring in the stressed and unstressed syllables. Gerard Manley Hopkins tries to express each of his speaker’s opinions by using alliterations and different rhyme schemes to get the full idea of the poem’s theme.