"The Darkling Thrush," written by Thomas Hardy - review
The Darkling Thrush The poem entitled "The Darkling Thrush," written by Thomas Hardy, has a very appealing connotation. The work can be separated into two parts; the dismal part pertaining to the beginning of winter and the second part focusing on one small aspect of good in all of the dismal surrounding it. The general idea of the poem is that the dismal winter is approaching, but there are some incidences of goodness in this depressing time. The first part can be sectioned into the first and second stanzas. The poem opens with "I leant upon a coppice gate." This is the moment when the author enters the small wood and begins to narrate his thoughts and feelings. The next line, lines two and three, talk about "The frost was specter-gray and winters dregs made desolate." This describes that the author feels that during this season, the idea of frost and no greenery, makes the winter a very desolate season. The fourth line is very interesting. It states "The weakening eye of day." This displays that during the winter, the time of day shortens. The author relates this shortening of daylight to the weakening of the eye. Lines seven and eight also help to describe the desolates of the winter months. It states "And all mankind...sought their household fires." This line suggests that the narrator views the summer months as a time of friendliness and togetherness. During the winter
Difficult Choices in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken
Difficult Choices in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken In Robert Frost's " The Road Not Taken", Frost talks about being sorry he could not travel down both roads. In people's lives there are times when we feel the same way. When faced with choices about what path to take in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to all choices. All of the choices could have the potential for surprises, joys, and sorrows. Nonetheless, we must choose only one. Once chosen, we often cannot go back and see what it would have been like to choose the other. Only in movies like the recent "The Family Man", are we able to see what might have been when someone else makes a different choice. But, would we be better off if we could see what might have been? This of course cannot happen in reality, but most of us wish it could at some point in our lives. Again, would we be better off this way? I would say no. Making choices is a hard process, but necessary to progress forward in life. There are choices we must make in an instant, and then there are the choices that keep us up at night. Both kinds of choices are vital in life, and can have eternal consequences. If we were allowed to go back and see what would have happened if we made a different choice, we would either be overjoyed about the choices we have made or be filled with sorrow about the choices we have made. More than likely, we would
Why We Study Literature
Michelle Callaham Mr. Asbill English 102 3 January 2005 Why We Study Literature Although one's love for reading can not be explained, there are many things that can be learned from reading different pieces of literature that can be beneficial to the mind. Literature helps others to gain knowledge and enhance personal and intellectual skills. Literature can develop one's imagination, recognize human dreams and struggles, and nurture the ability to appreciate different perspectives on events. First, one has to read many works and imagine the plot of the stories in his or her mind. Many writers write in such a way that causes one to think outside of the box. For example, Robert Frost uses imagery in his poem "The Road Not Taken." In his poem, he compares two roads. To understand the poem and its meaning, one must read it over and over again to see that Frost is actually describing two choices in life. As one reads more literature, he or she begins to interpret works in many ways and think beyond what is actually written. As one's experience with literature beings to deepen, he or she recognizes the successes and failures of human beings. Secondly, writers use success and failure stories to make one think about his or her actions in life. In Housman's poem, "To an Athlete Dying Young," he suggests that life and glory is short. The best way to deal with life
Modernism and American Novelists
Untill Modernism it is possible to see the American authors write about different themes, they wrote about dreams, fantasy, gothic, nature, friendship. Till early of 20th century Americans have no real problems even a culture. Between 1860-1900 the immigration started, American government sent some agents to Europe and these agents persuaded people immigration to America. America want these people because they want to better economy in 1920 American population increase from 36 million to 120 million. This explosion of population brings many problems within prostitution started, crime increased, and gangs reproduced. Forbidden alcohol nationally was created Mafia, living standards increased, hedonistic time started, people started to looking for fun, alcohol, party, during that time 30% percent of people were unemployment. This age called "Lost Age". In 1917 America entered the First World War. They entered a little bit because they were debating entrance of war because they were separated from Europe. In 1941 they entered Second World War, many young generation were sent to war. This is the first time they were abroad so they came back being very different. Then Modernism started, Modernism was necessary for saving American citizens because the materialist thought was very common in society, and they were in a conflict. Modernist's target was, breaking down of old
Commentary on the Road Not Taken.
Commentary on the Road Not Taken The Road Not Taken is a poem which holds great significance to our every-day lives. Every moment of our life, we are forced to make a choice. Every choice has an opportunity cost and every decision has its own good and bad consequences. A small anecdote, I hope, will explain how much this poem relates to my life. When I first read this poem, I immediately thought about that horrendous day, two years ago, when my driver had perhaps chosen the wrong path; the path which 'wanted wear'; under the illusion that he had the 'better claim'. He chose not to take the other path because he felt he needed to take the 'less-traveled path'. But after reading this poem, I wonder if that appalling accident could have been avoided if he chose to take the other track. The theme of this poem is the choices that one is forced to make in life. As is seen from the very first stanza of the poem, there is a dilemma or what some critics call 'the attractive archetypal human dilemma'. In the line "And sorry I could not travel both", the word 'both' immediately indicates that Frost wanted to take both the paths, but being 'one traveler', he had to make a choice. The choice, it is clearly shown, was not an easy one "...long I stood and looked down as far as I could...". The second stanza again refers to the choice that Frost makes by explaining why he chose one path
With close reference to Out, Out - explore how Frost directs the readers sympathies
With close reference to “Out, Out -” explore how Frost directs the reader’s Sympathies The title of the poem alludes to Macbeth’s last soliloquy, in Act V of “Macbeth”. He has just found out that his wife is dead, and his speech includes the metaphor “out, out, brief candle”. The metaphor implies that life is short, it is only the lighting of a candle, and can be ended easily, even by just a draft of wind. Frost’s poem explores this fragility of life, how it can be over so quickly, before it has even begun. By doing this, he evokes sympathies in the reader for the boy, and the shortness of his life. At the beginning of the poem, Frost presents us with a naturalistic observation of the setting, creating a calm and peaceful feeling. He describes the wood as “sweet-scented stuff”, the sibilance could reflect the gentle sound of the breeze. This makes the events of the poem more shocking to the reader, as it started with pretty images of rural America, and then leads to the death of an innocent boy. Although the sibilance could be seen as a more disturbing sound, like a serpent hissing, which is more ominous and warns the reader that something bad will happen. This might create sympathy for the boy and his family, as he was in a seemingly calm and relatively safe environment, and so his death was unexpected However, the first line contradicts this safe
Poetic methods used in 'After Apple Picking' -Robet Frost
Robert Frost a) Write about Frost’s poetic method in ‘After Apple Picking’ Frost begins his poem ‘After Apple Picking ‘by allowing his readers to immediately know what his poem is about by using the title, which makes it obvious; telling the audience that it’s about apple picking. There is a regular rhyming scheme that’s quite frequent and the structure of the poem isn’t stanzaed, so therefore the speed of the poem is fairly fast and feels continuous, because there are no pauses. Frost uses an informal tone when writing ‘After Apple Picking’ by quickly changing the subject of the poem ‘My long two-pointed ladder’s sticking through a tree, toward heaven still, and there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill, Beside it, and there may be two or three’ this speeds up the rhythm but seems almost as if the narrative point of view is in some sort of dream or trance like state because he can’t make clear decisions ‘there may be two or three’ and his attention seems to be somewhere else, because it gives the impression that he’s quick to carry on with the poem, when changing the subject frequently. ‘There’s a barrel that I didn’t fill’ symbolises unfinished work. When Frost writes ‘Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough’ implies that someone else has been to this place and picked apples but left them there and ‘But I’ am done with
Robert Frost
Works Cited Vendler, Helen. "Robert Frost". Poems. Poets. Poetry. 2nd Edition. Boston: Massachusetts, 2002 : 69,144,154. Winnick, R.H. "Frost, Robert". 7 April. 2002 < http://www.pro-net.co.uk/home/catalyst/rf/bio.html> Brower, Reuben A. "Poetry of Robert Frost". 7 April. 2002. <http://www.pro-net.co.uk/home/catalyst/RF/bio.html Robert Frost By 8731 Mrs. Rogers 04/19/02 Robert Frost can be described as one of America's major poets. A person with a great deal of achievements and talent. A sophisticated poet, that used his literary talent to transmit his knowledge and approach towards life and nature to others. Some of the most common and admired poems by his readers were "The Road not Taken", " Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening", and "Mending Wall". Poems that have increased his popularity nationwide, and have caused a major impact in the poetic and literary world. Increasing his audience and soon leading to his grand achievements. Poems such as these have left and given people a sense of thought, in a way teaching something new or by which many can relate to or identify themselves by. Robert Frost is known as one of America's leading 20th-century poets, being a Four-time winner of the Pulitzer prize.(Winnick 1). Born to Isabelle Moodie and William Frescott Frost Jr on March 26 1874. During his childhood he didn't attend school, however he was taught by
Poetry Coursework
Poetry Coursework Is it safe to assume that the choices we make affect our lives? The poems "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and "The Choosing" by Liz Lochhead both deal with the theme of choices and the consequences of choices we make. The poem "The Road Not Taken" is more symbolic ("Two roads diverged in a yellow wood"), metaphorical ("And looked down one as far as I could/to where it bent in the undergrowth") and it gives the reader some advice for their own choices. "The Choosing" is written more with a personal tone as if the poet had experienced the events first hand ("But from the top deck of the high-school bus/I'd glimpse among the others in the corner"). I enjoyed the second poem for its more personal tone rather than the general wise tone of the first. However in analysing them I have found that "The Road Not Taken" is a much more meaningful poem as this work should show. The poem "The Road Not Taken" has both a metaphorical and a literal meaning. Literally it is about a traveller walking in the woods and he comes to two roads both going in different directions. As he cannot travel both he has to decide which road would be better for him. And both that morning equally lay, In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads to way, I doubted I should ever come back The above stanza shows the reader the
