“Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Robert Frost

Obj: Analyze Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Nothing Gold Can Stay

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. Robert Frost

Audio Link: http://viewpure.com/hha8E2whFkk

Poem

A rhyme scheme is usually the pattern of end rhymes in a

stanza, with each rhyme encoded by a letter of the alphabet, from a onward (ABBA BCCB, for example).

Identify the rhyme scheme:

Today I Had a Rotten Day

Today I had a rotten day.As I was coming in from playI accidentally stubbed my toesand tripped and fell and whacked my nose.

Rhyme scheme: _____________

Rhyme Scheme

Identify the rhyme scheme in “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

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. Robert Frost

Rhyme Scheme:______________________

Rhyme Scheme

Alliteration occurs when a series of words in a

row (or close to a row) have the same first consonant sound.

For example, “She sells sea-shells down by the sea-shore” or “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers” are both alliterative.

Phrase is used to draw the reader’s attention to particular words or phrases that express the poem’s rhetorical argument.

Alliteration

“Nature’s first green is gold”

This example shows that gold is even more prized a color in nature than green.

“Her hardest hue to hold” This example emphasizes how fleeting a color

gold is in nature –- the gold that comes with the sunrise, that is.

“So dawn goes down to day” This example echoes that sentiment, showing

how quickly sunrise simply becomes sunlight.

Alliteration

Allusion- is a brief and indirect reference to a person,

place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it

refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

“So Eden sank to grief” – this refers to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve brought death into the world by giving in to the temptation of the serpent, in the Old Testament. This allusion shows how fleeting the perfect and the ideal

are in our world.

Allusion

Personification- is a figure of speech in which a

thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes.

The poem refers to Nature as a female. This is a long-standing association with the idea of “Mother Nature” providing sustenance to our world.

Personification

Select one of the following:

1. Write a paragraph explaining how the theme of this poem (the fleeting nature of the ideal and the perfect) is reflected in the events of the novel.

2. Write a paragraph explaining how the theme of this poem is either true about life, or untrue, depending on your opinion. Use examples from the novel and your own life as examples.

3. Write a poem about sunset. (Must include a rhyme scheme and at least 3 literary devices: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, etc.).

Student Response