In the Road Not Taken, there is an intellect of time passing. “Yet knowing how way leads onto way, I doubted if I should ever come back”. This shows that Frost is looking into the future and time is moving forward. However, although time is moving on for him, it wont for the two roads, they will always be there but he will not turn back time and repeat his mistakes because it would be too late. Frost makes every sentence significant to life.
The Road Not Taken uses a rhyming pattern of ABAAB, throughout the poem. It is a sonnet and the repetition of the rhyme makes it a scrupulously fixed poem. The rhythm never changes it stays constant, which is symbolic, as time is constant and never goes faster or slower, it has the same pace always.
Blackberrying, by Sylvia Plath is a free verse poem. It uses informal superiority. It creates an understanding between Plath and the blackberries but also Plath and the reader. In the first stanza, the tone is quite light and repetition is occurred when it says “Nothing, nothing but blackberries” and the several uses of the term “blackberries”. The speaker wants to give us an idea that the atmosphere is peaceful. However, in the second stanza Plath begins to create a darker image. She uses visual images, using metaphors like “Bits of burnt paper wheeling in a blown sky” Here she uses this metaphor as a comparison with the black birds flying in the sky. The metaphor of the “Bush of berries so ripe it is a bush of flies”, is an indication for bad things that are going to happen. The repeated words “protesting, protesting”, shows the readers that something is coming. In the third stanza, darkness has overcome itself. Words used like “Sudden” and “Slapping” is showing strength and anger. “These hills are too green and sweet to have tasted salt”. This shows that there is not really a sea in its sense. Nature is used here as being angry, in significant to reality. The poem is effectively structured in three distinct paragraphs and the journey through the blackberry lane represents the author’s life. There are many vibrant descriptions such as “Blue red juices” of the blackberries and “Green Meadows”. Plath is making the readers feel as if they can see it clear and feel as if they are there. The contrast between the confinement and the open space of the sea also helps to highlight the contrast between the luscious bushes and the cold snapping sea. Each stanza builds up to create a stronger effect and change of mood.
In Blackberrying, it is about the relationship with the poet and nature. The only time people are involved is when she sees the “White and pewter lights” which symbolize the boats in the water. The boats are seen as insignificant and only are spoken about when the poem becomes darker. In the Road Not Taken, the only time people are involved is the ones who travelled the same route as him. “And be one traveller”. Blackberrying uses a sense of feeling in nature. Roe-Deer also links with this because the two poems are surrounded by nature, as if it takes up so much in their lives. There is a relationship between nature and man in these two poems.
Afternoons by Philip Larkin uses enjambment for the whole of the poem. This is also happens in “Churning Day” as it stands for the movement of the person churning the butter. It gives both poems a continuous flow. It makes the voice of 'Churning Day' sound out of breath, as if they are breathing in the middle of sentences. 'Slugged and thumped for hours' indicates this. The sense of motion is suitable in 'Afternoons' as the poem is about women’s routine and their everyday life. Their love for their children and the innocence of marriage. There is no rhyme scheme in either poem. Philip Larkin uses many words such as 'lying' and 'pushing' with the same endings. Larkin has used many verbs with the endings of ‘ing’ this can be used to show how the mothers are changing. This is also used to make the poem flow and use a sense of receptiveness. He uses receptiveness to signify this with women’s lives. Larkin concentrates on the ‘young mothers...setting free their children'.
In ‘Churning Day’ is a happy memory for Heaney as he can remember mostly everything. He remembers the “acrid” smell of the house after churning day. He describes the butter as 'gold flecks ' and 'coagulated sunlight', which show pleased memories. It was a happy memory as the family got together in the event, as his 'mother took first turn'. This is a conflict between “Blackberrying” and “Road Not Taken” because In “Churning Day” and “Afternoons” they both use people in the poems whereas the other two poems are just describing a relationship between nature and one. Heaney writes about a family event of churning day, remembering everything so clear, however Larkin does not use as many happy thoughts. The first line talks about the summer 'fading'. Larkin could be using this as a metaphor for the prime of these mothers' young lives disappearing. Summer fades into autumn, when everything begins to die and age, similar to what is happening to these young women. Lovers who 'are all in school' have replaced them in their courting places and they regimentally 'assemble' 'in the hollows of afternoons'. He talks as if everything is lost and the only thing they should follow is their children and their lives seem empty with these 'hollows'. The idea of 'unripe acorns' suggests that the women were not ready for marriage and commitment and the responsibility of their children, who are 'pushing them to the side of their own lives'. Their lives seemed to be ended with families, unlike in 'Churning Day' where as Seamus Heaney describes the events with families. In this way, however, they are similar. In the past the 'young mothers' must have been excited and eager too, but to see the relationships and marriage form, to set up home and have children. The wedding day is like the moment the butter starts to form in ‘Churning Day’. The boredom of life and responsibilities brought about by children are like the 'stink' in the house 'long after churning day'. The feelings of people in Heaney's house were 'full of clean deal churns', able to think of nothing else but churning day, as the young women's lives are filled with the dull responsibilities and routines.
‘Afternoons’ in the title gives us the impression how the mothers are in the middle of their cycle. Nature is used a lot in this poem being related to ‘summer fading, leaves fall and coming to the end of the day’. He uses nature to describe the leaves falling in ‘ones and two’. This can relate to the mothers coming to the park everday alone, or together.
Larkin gives us the feeling that the young mothers are being ruled by their children ‘who expect to be taken home’ and pushed ‘to the side of their own lives’. They are living for their children and do not have lives of their own. The children are the ones enjoying themselves playing in the ‘swings and sandpits’ while the mothers miserably watch.
All four poems are about how each speaker uses nature in their poems. It shows us their views and how nature can relate to reality. Nature is described in many ways. From a jounery through a wood describing a life (The Road Not Taken), to how wonderful nature is (Blackberrying), to nature describing life routines (Afternoons) to an event being described by nature (Churning Day). They all concentrate on how man has interacted with nature.
