Analyzing the impact of Galamsey in Ghana: A romantic pastoral ecocritical study of Hopkins’s Binsey Poplars

Humanity’s persistent neglect and overexploitation of nature have precipitated a rising concern regarding environmental issues, such as land and forest degradation and climate change. These issues have taken center stage in both literary and non-literary discourse. This study explores how literature serves as a tool to expose human injustices toward nature and the environment. Through ecocriticism and textual analysis, Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poem „Binsey Poplars“ is examined to highlight the ecocritical issues raised in the context of illegal mining in Ghana, commonly known as Galamsey. The study discusses the devastation caused by Galamsey activities in Ghana, which mirrors the destruction depicted in the poem. The analysis reveals that Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies are under constant threat, and if these threats are not mitigated, there is a significant risk that nature will suffer irreparable damage. The research adopts a qualitative paradigm, allowing for a detailed textual analysis of the eco-critical issues in the poem and their reflection of the destructive impact on Ghanaian water and forest reserves. By understanding these eco-critical issues in Ghana through literary analysis, we gain insights into how literature can serve as a vehicle for character change, empathy-building, and the dissemination of ideas. Furthermore, this approach illuminates how writers navigate and challenge prevailing societal problems through their works. The study concludes that ecocriticism as a theoretical framework not only offers a refreshing perspective for interpreting poetry but also brings to light critical environmental issues that threaten the safety and sanctity of the environment.