1. “Nothing Gold Can Stay”By
Robert Frost

2. Nothing Gold Can Stay 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.

3. Rhyme
Scheme Meaning
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. ____ ______________________________

4. Read the poem again. Complete the following items.
What does GOLD symbolize in this poem?
Identify an example of allusion.
Identify a metaphor.
Which line uses alliteration?
What is the overall theme (message) of the poem?

5. List 5 things you can do when you analyze a poem.

6. List 5 things you can do when you analyze a poem.
Read the title carefully. Why/How does the title fit?
Read the poem multiple times, ALOUD if possible. Poetry was meant to be heard.
Look for words, lines, or concepts that are repeated. What is the poet emphasizing?
Look for things that are WEIRD! If it seems stupid, there may be another way to view it. Is there another meaning?
Look for allusion. Think through the allusion and how it relates to the poem as a whole or to part of the poem.
Look for devices of sound that have a specific reason.

7. 7. Look for MOTION– up/down/around. 8
7. Look for MOTION– up/down/around. 8. Look for similar references among lines. 9. Look for what the poem DOESN’T say as well as what it does. 10. Look for uncommon words or words you don’t know. Figure out why they were used.

8. Identify the rhyme scheme of this poem.
What connection can you make between Eden and dawn?
What does the poet mean when he says, “Nature’s first green is gold”?
What is the connection the poet is making between Nature and life? Be specific in explaining the implied analogy. Particularly examine the line “So dawn goes down to day” in your analysis.
Explain what the final line of the poem implies. What literary term would we use explain this implication?

9. Identify the rhyme scheme of this poem.
What connection can you make between Eden and dawn?
What does the poet mean when he says, “Nature’s first green is gold”?
What is the connection the poet is making between Nature and life? Be specific in explaining the implied analogy. Particularly examine the line “So dawn goes down to day” in your analysis.
Explain what the final line of the poem implies. What literary term would we use explain this implication?

10. Think about symbols! Define the literary term symbol.
A literal thing in a work of literature that also represent something else.
2. Think back to “FfA”. What was the primary symbol used in that story? What did it symbolize?
The maze symbolizes Charlie’s life because life is a challenge and so is the maze. His life becomes more complicated as his intelligence increases.

11. Poetry Explication: What is it. http://writingcenter. unc
A poetry explication is a relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem. Writing an explication is an effective way for a reader to connect a poem’s plot and conflicts [or theme and symbols] with its structural features.

12. Structure
Make sure you cover: 1. The LARGE issues addressed in the poem 2. The details from the poem 3. The patterns in the poem

13. Tips:
Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as “the speaker.” For example, do not write, “In this poem, Wordsworth says that London is beautiful in the morning.” However, you can write, “In this poem, Wordsworth presents a speaker who…” We cannot absolutely identify Wordsworth with the speaker of the poem, so it is more accurate to talk about “the speaker” in an explication.
Use the present tense when writing the explication. The poem, as a work of literature, continues to exist!
DO NOT USE FIRST- OR SECOND-PERSON PRONOUNS!

14. My attempt
In Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” a mere eight lines encapsulates the essence of innocence lost and suggests a whisper of hope for the future. The speaker’s symbolic use of “gold” sets the stage for the primary theme as he emphasizes the fleeting nature of the rare, the precious, the beautiful– the golden. From title to final line, this emphasis lends a poignancy to the patterns of nature alluded to throughout the poem. Since there is a “first green,” there must be some less vibrant colors further along the natural continuum. The speaker’s reference to the “hardest hue to hold” implies that the precious newness of “green” is worthy of being kept as special

15. and sacred, while the repeated “h” sound whisks that newness away, as fleeting as a breath. The “early leaf” likewise fades, lasting only an hour. In human development, as in nature, the sweetly innocent soul fades quickly, eventually falling altogether in the downward motion of the words “subsides,” “sank,” and “goes down” in lines 6-8. The speaker’s allusion to Eden and the Fall of Man in line 6 underlines the futility of seeking to retain our childlike innocence. The speaker need not eschew all hope, however, for in the natural cycle, spring ever blooms even following the coldest winter. While the beauty and “first green” of nature and humanity cannot last, nature’s cycle repeats nonetheless. “Nothing gold can stay,” but it can be noticed and cherished when it appears.