Thursday, May 19, 2011

Analysis: Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nothing Gold Can Stay
By: Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay

Analysis:
Robert Frost to me is a poet who brings about truth in a veiled way. Many of his poems talk about decisions people have made, how we see the world and how we see each other but he never actually refers to the issue he discusses. I think that's what makes him special. He brings these things to light and instead of pulling us into the seriousness he keeps it light. For instance (because who can talk about Frost without mentioning his most well known poem) The Road Not Taken is a story about making major life decisions that once made, you can not turn back and change your mind.

I picked this poem because it reminds us that nothing lasts forever and that the only constant in life is change. I think this is a very important message because change is so hard for many of us and holding onto something that has passed is impossible. I love the imagery he uses through out because it is linked to nature like many of his other poems. You can even extrapolate this idea of change can be linked to ideas of wealth, today's millionaire is tomorrow's pauper and vice versa.

If this makes you pause for a second today and consider how you handle change and all the different cycles in life, I think Mr. Frost will be very pleased.

1 comment:

Beth Negri said...

Dana said...
I totally love this poem!! It is featured in my favorite teen book - The Outsiders by S E Hinton. Great site!
September 6, 2011 at 2:06 PM