Figurative Language in Robert Frost's Poetryand "The Metamorphosis"
Robert Frost is one poet that always utilizes figurative speech in dramatic ways. By employing the literary techniques of symbolism and personification, Frost is able to craft many poems that make us think and feel about many aspects of life. This paper will examine several examples of Frost's figurative language and how they relate to the overall messages of Frost's poetry.
In his famous poem, "The Road Not Taken," the roads the poet are looking down represent life choices. In other words, each road becomes a decision the poet must make. This is a very effective use of symbolism because it gives us a fair representation of what making choices is all about. For example, when we make choice, seldom do we have the opportunity to change our mind and go back to the place where we were when we first began. This is indicated when the poet tells us, Yet knowing how way leads on to way,/I doubted if I should ever come back" (15-5). By using the roads as choices, we can understand what the poet is trying to say.
In "Design," Frost poses some of the deeper questions of life.
In this poem, the poet catches a glimpse of a spider with a moth in its mouth. He then begins to consider the design of life and, as a result, the spider and the moth become symbols or humanity itself. Interestingly, the poet contemplates a godless universe from such a seemingly insignificant sight. The poet closes the poem with the striking question, "What but design of darkness to appall? -- /If design govern in...
Robert Frost's famous poem, "Birches," might be described as a poem of redemptive realism, a poem that offers a loving, yet tinged-by-the-tragic view of life as seen through the metaphors of nature. In fact, Robert Frost could be called a kind of subversive pastoralist, for unlike the romantic nature poets who preceded him, such as Wordsworth, he sees nature's wildness, her beauty, and yet her relentless harshness as well. The
" The degree of importance ascribed to such a decision transcends a mere walk in the woods, and refers to a decision that changes one's life and which one desires to have reconsidered. Readers can also infer that this work is literally about life's regrets due to the amount of importance which Frost attributes to the decision that the traveler makes. Literally, of course, the traveler is considering which road to
Frost and Forche: Two Poems In "The Road Not Taken," Robert Frost works the theme of choice into the poem by depicting a traveler -- a walker in the woods -- who is stopped at a fork in the road: one way is the worn path, which indicates that its taker will get where he wants to go; the other way is less worn, greener, and will likely lead the traveler
The symbols seem extreme at first but as we become comfortable with the idea, the symbols make perfect sense. While some symbols in Frost's poetry are extreme, others are more subtle. In "Design," the poet uses the smallest of objects to serve as symbols. In addition, he uses them in an unusual manner to make an impact upon the reader. He tells us the spider is white, dimpled, and fat,
However, towards the end of the poem, readers were given a glimpse of hope from the Voice, whose awakening from the sleep -- that is, desire to die -- had been interrupted, and his reflections on his disillusionment were once again converted to hope and possibly, continuing perseverance to struggle in life. In contrast to Frost's dominant theme of disillusionment in life, Bishop's "The Fish" is a poem that centers
maturation process, but it comes easily only to a few. Of course there are choices that usually generate little anguish such as what to have for breakfast or which route to take when going home, but when a person is a diabetic or inclement weather makes every road hazardous, even these choices become difficult. This paper discusses a poem and a short story by two of the greatest American
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