Reccuring Themes of Robert Frost's Poems
-Reflective tone
-Seasons-represent various stages of life
-Unconventional rhyming and Free Verse
-Older, wiser speakers discussing young subjects
-Imagination vs. Reality
-Decision Making-(how there never is a second chance in life)
-Farm life vs. Industrial Life contrast
-Lonliness and Depression
-Dark vs. Light
-Love of nature
-Appreciation of small things that others take for granted
Frost Poetry (Steve's summary on The Pasture, Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking, The Wood-Pile, The Road Not Taken, Birches)
"Fire and Ice"
-about having two choices-"perish twice" (similar to "the Road not Taken")
-science (ice) vs. religion (fire)
-flippant tone, poking fun but it is a serious subject
-theme of destruction
-there needs to be a balance between desire and hate for the world to survive
-alliteration "world will" and "favor fire"
-rhyme scheme=ABAABCBCB
"Dust of Snow"
-the speaker is bothered by something at the beginning of the poem
-contrast, dark (crow, hemlock tree) vs. light (snow)
-about finding good in dark moments
-the snow saved the speaker from a day he had been dreading
-nature theme
-tone is not as bitter or flippant as some of the other poems
-the poem is lightened by its rhythm (rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD)
"Stopping by Woods On A Snowy Evening"
-Speaker is thinking about death but he still has things he has to accomplish
-seasons of life-he is stopping to look back over his life, he is close to death (winter)
-stopping to appreciate nature and life
-he is not afraid of sollitude but it is not his time to die yet
-"woods and frozen lake"=he is between life and death, woods=life, frozen lake=death
-"harness bells a shake"=the horse is a reminder that he has to keep moving on
-hypnotic tone, falling into sleep, sing-songy
-there is a contrast between the city and woods, regret of not being able to live in both-paradox
"Design"
-moth and spider=death and unhappiness
-speaker does not feel comfortable with death
-rigid satin=oxymoron, funeral cloth
-white=usually purity but there is a twist
-"heal-all" is supposed to heal, but it doesn't
"Unharvested"
-Description of an apple tree whose fallen apples remain untouched
-Complex rhyme scheme
-apple tree with apples unharvested by humans=rare sight
a. "circle of solid red"-spontaneity of nature is beautiful
-conflict of city vs. nature- (apple symbolizes a double-edged sword)- nature is beautiful but progress sometimes requires destruction of nature
-unharvested apples symbolize life- it is all right to let some things go.
a. "That had eased itself of its summer load"- forgetting a tragic past frees one's burden.
"Acquainted with the Night"
-theme of depression, lonliness, and hopelessness
-night=symbol for depression
-terza rima (rhyming scheme)
-"Outwalked the furthest city light"-speaker has lost his way in life
-watchmen reminds speaker of a bad decision in life. Makes him feel guilty.
-"interrupted cry"=hope and aid. But it is not calling for him=lonliness
-luminary clock=god. Whether the speaker likes it or not, it is time for his death.
-Poem represents the fate of the American Dream during the Great Depression.
"A Minor Bird"
-the speaker rejects the bird, but cannot figure out why he does
-a minor key is sad-sounding
-the bird's sound makes the speaker remember bad things
-melancholy tone
-there is a transformation of the narrator, lack of appreciation=>self-reflection
-showing humans take things for granted
-is the bird intruding, or are humans intruding in nature?
"The Need of Being Versed in Country Things"
-looking at the remnants of a burnt down farmhouse
-tone=grim and pessimistic
-the narrator sees the house as burnt down and useless, but the birds see it as a nest and do not notice the destruction
-shows the disparity between humans and nature
-shows that life goes on
-5th stanza, "And the"=anaphora
-"like a pistil after the petals go"=similie
"A Considerable Speck"
-title=oxymoron
-white paper=pure-contrast to the mite (a blemish)
a. speaker comes to appreciate the mite
-small things have big impacts
-"cunning crept"-alliteration emphasizes darker tone transformation in the middle of the poem
a. the poem then returns to a lighter playful tone
-poem represents different ways of thinkings
a. the second stanza shows how the speaker (who reflects Frost's belief) embraces all ideas and appreciates difference
-"modern world is being swept"-modern world is destroying little things that we appreciate
-thinks the speck is dust then realizes it is a living creature
-things aren't always what they seem to be
-the speaker takes God's perspective--the fate of the mite is in his hands
-shows we should slow down and appreciate little things
-similar to "Minor Bird", doesn't appreciate the mite at first
"My November Guest"
-rhyme scheme=ABAAB
-the sorrow comes in November
-theme of seasons of life
-waiting for snow=death
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