Frost at Midnight

“One does not use poetry for its major purposes, as a means to organize oneself and the world, until one’s world somehow gets out of hand.” This was Richard Wilbur’s response when someone asked him about fighting in World War II and how it changed him. Richard Wilbur is a famous modern day poet who won two Pulitzer Prizes for two of his collections of poems. He was the second poet laureate of the United States. Richard Wilbur fought as a combat soldier in World War II which changed his outlook…

Despite the fact that both narratives follow the attempts of climbers to scale an imposing mountain, “The Devils Thumb” and Touch the Top of the World handle the subject matter in different ways. While both stories focus on the climb itself, they also address the underlying themes and lessons these climbs bring with them. As such, the two narratives take on extremely different viewpoints; one focuses on innocence and the limits of dreams, while the other focuses its attention on the author’s…

Discoveries made by individuals will undoubtedly transform them, where it be a positive or negative transformation. This can be seen in the poems by Robert Frost, namely ‘The Tuft of Flowers’ and ‘Stopping by woods on a snowy evening’, and also in the short story ‘Big World’ by Tim Winton. In ‘Stopping by woods on a snowy evening’ the speaker makes a discovery on his own perceptions of the world round him and how he must change in order to fulfil his responsibilities. Similarly, in ‘A Tuft of…

psyche. By indulging in intangible expedition, individuals are able to discern the reality of their beliefs. Aspects of one’s esoteric realm are explored through literary works, such as the poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost. Frost mirrors the complexity and depth of the human mind within this poem, as its meaning is highly symbolic within the layers of meaning presented. This construction of the poem renders it open to personal interpretation, which in itself is an…

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH Robert Frost, a well-known poet, once wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by…”. When walking alone through the woods, it may be easy to decide about which path to travel. However, when one is traversing with others, it becomes difficult to stray from the pack. Peer pressure is very similar for teenagers: it often causes an emotional response as teens try to fit in with those around them, moreover, in these situations decision-making…

Robert Frost is a much appreciated poet of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to whom today’s commonly seen techniques are attributed. Many authors’ goal is to provide a contribution to society and influence the literature field in which they primarily work. To some, leaving a recognized impression is one of the highest rewards in literature. For authors similar to Robert Frost, a poet in the 19th and 20th centuries, they accomplished this goal with, what seems like, little effort or…

The poem Landscape and the Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams is based off of a painting by the same name. It invokes similar imagery and emotions, while emphasizing the insignificance of Icarus’s death. Although the poem briefly mentions Icarus in the first stanza, he is only acknowledged once more in the final line. The remaining four stanzas focus on describing the setting. Williams speaks of “a farmer… ploughing his field,” and of how “the whole pageantry of the year was tingling…

In 1919, El Lissitzky would create one of his most successful propaganda posters. Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge was a major breakthrough that showcases El Lissitzky’s new ideas on constructivism. This poster was produced in the same year that Lissitzky would paint his first Proun. He had a fascination with type that led him to the idea of combining the geometry of the Proun with typography. (6. Pg.254) However, it’s important to note that this work is actually not considered to be, or…

to take both paths. He regrets he has to make a choice and wants to be able to split himself into two so that he can take both routes “And sorry I could not travel both” (Frost). This is not only a decision about choosing one path over another but a major life decision and the speaker could not decide easily. “Long I stood” (Frost). He looks at the two paths and tries to examine them, hopefully to find a hint as to which road to take. It is always difficult choosing one thing over the other…

Life is not always gentle (A discussion on the theme “life” in Spoon River Anthology) In the spoon river anthology Edgar Lee Masters writes poems about life including the poems: Lucinda Matlock, Cassius Hueffer and Richard Bone. Through the book the presence of the theme life is imminent. An example of a…