The Use Of Poetic Devices In Mending Wall By Robert Frost

Introduction

 This post here is about one of the finest classic poem of Robert Frost titled "Mending Wall" ; here we'll refresh our memories with the Use of Poetic Devices in Mending Wall By Robert Frost.

We'll be figuring out figures of speech such as symbolism, alliteration, repetition, simile, hyperbole not excluding the style and language employed by the poet.

Poetic Devices 

Symbolism :- This is a device where symbols are used to represent real things and feelings. 

"And set the wall between us once again" as seen in line 14 of the poem.

The wall stood as a symbol of limitation people set around themselves.

Another symbolism in the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost is found in line 40 "like an old-Stone savage armed". Such line represented the level of mind of the poem persona neighbor who was conservative in deals and thoughts.

Hyperbole :- This is a literary device for the deliberate use of excessive notion or overstatement by a writer for the purpose of impression, laughter or humour. 

Take line 18-22: "We have to use a spell to make them balance/"Stay where you are until our backs are turned"/We wear our fingers rough with handling them/One on a side, it comes to little more/There where it is we do not need the wall"

Those lines portrayed a humorous message and within was elements of hyperbole, satire and irony as the whole process was turned into a thing of game. The hyperbole also extended to lines between 35-37.

Simile:- It involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, with words such as "like", "as", "as if", etc. 

When you take a keen look into the lines 38-40 "He said it for himself, I see him there/Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top/In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed".

From the behavior and thought of the neighbor were compared to that of a savage without a mind and brain of their own. 

Repetition:- A figure of speech in which a word, phrase or idea is expressed more than once in a piece of written work of art. 

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall" happened to be one of the lines repeated multiple times in the poem_ repeated in line 1 and 35.

"the wall between us" also had repetition in line 14 and 15.

Style and Language:- In terms of the style of the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost, surely a narrative poem of one long stanza which flowed climactic because of the simplicity and informal tone of language used. It is satire-filled, humorous ganished with irony. I have the feeling that the poem can be considered a blank verse.

If in any way you found this post helpful, kindly share to family and friends _ maybe even foes. Yeah, funny.

Samuel Enunwa aka samueldpoetry

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Analysis Of Dust Of Snow By Robert Frost

First of all, I marvel at how Robert Frost turned a mere complex sentence to a deep thought poem; seriously, Frost was a poetry genius.

If I'm to put this poem in a sentence, I will write: "A crow showered me with snow while sadly sitting under a hemlock tree and relieved me of my sorrow."

Dust of Snow by Robert Frost is a short two stanza rhyme poem of 4 lines per stanza. The first stanza has an end rhyme of ABAB while the second stanza has an end rhyme pattern of CDCD. The first stanza revealed an incidence (a crow pouring snow on the poet) while the second stanza showed the impact of the incidence on the poet (the sad poet who wanted to ruminate his sorrow under the hemlock tree then came to realize that frustration is a natural thing in life; anything can bring vexation including nature's bird, tree, and snow).

The message of the poem is straight as arrow; "Sorrow is part of life". Frost, whose poetry always beautiful nature, also used some elements of nature such snow, crow, hemlock to weave his message to the poem readers by signifying that nature and natural things don't always assure happiness and peace. The poet probably went under the peaceful hemlock tree to calm himself of his sorrowful mind but the crow on the tree bartered him with snow. The poem, whose setting seemed winter has a very short and simple diction.

In terms of the poetic devices, "my heart" can be considered a synecdeche, "saved some part" is an alliteration, "dust of snow" is an imagery which is of sight. Some critics saw irony in the poem saying that crow and hemlock are symbols of evil but such evil symbols brought happiness to the poet; as far as I'm concerned, I can't refute their opinion based on the fact that poetry can be viewed with diverse eyes. Though I'm of the believe that Robert Frost used "crow" in the poem in order to fulfill his love for end rhyme scheme where "crow" in line 1 rhymes with "snow" in line 3. The line six which reads "A change of mood" truly showed the poet's switch of mood.

Considering the poem's title "Dust of Snow", the use of dust can also be viewed from a literary angle. Besides the view that "dust" in the context seemed metonymy referring to drizzle, "dust" also has a figurative meaning which is trouble or disturbance. The snow truly disturbed the poet sitting under the hemlock tree.

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Examine The Theme of Endurance in Birches by Robert Frost

Examine the theme of endurance in Birches (WAEC MAY/JUNE 2017 QUESTION AND ANSWER).

Birches is a poem written to paint the picture of uneasiness of living on earth most especially as an adult by using the birch trees as symbol of such uneasiness. Frost showed a distinct feature of the birch tree as a very tough and tenacious tree in nature.

Such feature led us to the theme of endurance among other themes such as the theme of nostalgia, theme of transition, theme of earthly pleasure, etc.

Now is the time to delve deeply into the theme of endurance. The flexibility of the birches aided their ability to contain swinging and pressing down effects caused by ice-storms. The poet mentioned two different strains of the birch trees which are the imaginary boy swinging it and the ice-storms; of the two, the ice-storms left the birches bent forever. 

The birches didn't just endured the burden of the ice but continued to grow in its ice-caused deformity "Year afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground"; after the birches are permanently bent, they didn't stop growing knowing that the deed is done and never to be reversed.

Inference of endurance is drawn from stanza four of the poem between line 14-19:
"They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed
So low for long, they never right themselves:
You may see their trunks arching in the woods
Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair"



Sri Aurobindo says and I quote, "...pain is the key that opens the gates of strength; it is the high-road that leads to the city of beatitude". Looking at the life of human beings, some circumstances are irreversible and most humans are meant to live through them the same way the birches do; a good instance of such circumstances is aging. Aging brings changes to human permanently both in shape and in acts, leaving human beings with no other choice than to resign to fate of nature.

MUST NOT MISS:-
#1. Have you seen the poem Birches by Robert Frost (which is 59 lines in total)?
#2. Do you seem to have any addition to this analysis?
#3. If you were in Frost's shoe, would you have crafted the theme of endurance better?
#4. Is there any way you can relate the theme to your human experience?
#5. Drop your suggestion in the comment box.

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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