Analysis of Poetic Devices in Nature Poems Erich Finkle English IV – 6th Period

Poem #1 – The Oak The Oak Live thy Life, Young and old, Like yon oak, Bright in spring, Living gold; Summer-rich Then; and then Autumn-changed Soberer-hued Gold again. All his leaves Fall'n at length, Look, he stands, Trunk and bough Naked strength. - Alfred Lord Tennyson One poetic device found here is definitely imagery. Tennyson’s description of the oak tree gives off a vivid picture of its beauty and its strong presence in nature. There is also personification when he refers to the tree as “he,” in Line 13, when he says “Look, he stands.” A metaphor is used in Line 5, “Living gold.” Tennyson implies that the leaves and the sight of the tree are akin to that of the beauty of something made purely of gold being alive.

Poem #1 – The Oak I think the meaning of this poem is to show that nature and people are strong, and can survive through many things. Tennyson’s use of an oak tree reflects this: as the picture shown here demonstrates, an oak tree is very large, with many leaves, and a wide, sturdy trunk. These aspects of the tree show a powerful life force within, and a majestic grace that should be an example to us as people. Tennyson tells us to live our lives as does the oak tree: strong, proud, and beautiful. The Oak Live thy Life, Young and old, Like yon oak, Bright in spring, Living gold; Summer-rich Then; and then Autumn-changed Soberer-hued Gold again. All his leaves Fall'n at length, Look, he stands, Trunk and bough Naked strength. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

Poem #2 – Stopping By Woods on A Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it's queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there's some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost This poem has a more obvious rhyme scheme, and also uses powerful imagery to describe the setting with use of words such as “dark, deep, wind, woods, snow” etc. Frost uses onomatopoeia when he describes the “sound” of the “easy wind and downy flake” as a “sweep” in Lines 11-12. Again, there is personification, this time of the horse. In Line 5, the horse “thinks” as would a person, and in Line 10 he “asks if there’s some mistake,” as if questioning the speaker’s actions.

Poem #2 – Stopping By Woods on A Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it's queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there's some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost The meaning of this poem is simple, I believe. Frost intended to show his love of nature by demonstrating a simple pleasure: the enjoyment of being in the middle of the woods when it’s snowing. There is even an implication of a kind of danger, as he says it is “the darkest evening of the year,” and being out in the snow on a dark night isn’t exactly safe. He ends the poem on a slightly sad note, saying that although “The woods are lovely,” he needs to move along and leave them behind, as he has a long journey home ahead of him. He expresses a kind of wanting to remain with nature, to not have to be separated from it.

Comparison of Poems Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem was a commentary on human life and a short description of a natural occurrence. He intended it to be a method of advising the reader on how to be more like nature, and to avoid detachment from the world around us, an idea which stems from the Naturalist movement. Robert Frost’s poem was more structured in terms of rhyme and rhythm, and used it more to express his personal opinion on nature, and to demonstrate his love of the natural world. It is also a poem more accessible to young readers, as the language isn’t very complex and is has a pleasant sort of “sing-song” feel to it because of the simple rhyme scheme.