Poetry Guide: Robert Frost
By Raja Sharma
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About this ebook
Students often find understanding and interpreting poetry an uphill task, for the allusions and references almost baffle them, however, with repeated and careful reading of the same poem, taking the help of the reference books and guides; they often come close to the interpretation desired by the poet.
With experience they begin to learn the art of understanding and appreciating poetry. They develop tact, and ironically tact can’t be taught. Guide books, notes by the teachers, and summary books, etc. are often helpful, but the differing interpretations can also confuse students. I would like to tell the students of literature that there may be as many interpretations of the same poem as desired by the reviewers and critics, but it is sometimes very surprising that not even one interpretation stands close to the one which the poet had in his or her mind while writing the poem. We depend on the guess work and through the biography of the poet, the period, the ambiance, and some other contemporary factors.
Don’t ever try to find the meanings of the words in a poem, just feel them, and you will realize with the time that you have learned the art of studying poetry. Poetry is all about emotion, interpretation, and feelings. A poet has no identity! Through your interpretation and the interpretations made by others you create your own little world around a poem and debate over certain points.
Reading poetry is a kind of word game. In this series “Poetry Guide” we are presenting the summary of the poems, followed by the original texts, the form of the poems, and critical analysis. This serious has been specially designed for the students of English Literature.
Raja Sharma
Raja Sharma is a retired college lecturer.He has taught English Literature to University students for more than two decades.His students are scattered all over the world, and it is noticeable that he is in contact with more than ninety thousand of his students.
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Poetry Guide - Raja Sharma
Poetry Guide: Robert Frost
By Raja Sharma
Copyright@2012 Raja Sharma
Smashwords Edition
All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Preface
Students often find understanding and interpreting poetry an uphill task, for the allusions and references almost baffle them, however, with repeated and careful reading of the same poem, taking the help of the reference books and guides; they often come close to the interpretation desired by the poet.
With experience they begin to learn the art of understanding and appreciating poetry. They develop tact, and ironically tact can’t be taught. Guide books, notes by the teachers, and summary books, etc. are often helpful, but the differing interpretations can also confuse students. I would like to tell the students of literature that there may be as many interpretations of the same poem as desired by the reviewers and critics, but it is sometimes very surprising that not even one interpretation stands close to the one which the poet had in his or her mind while writing the poem. We depend on the guess work and through the biography of the poet, the period, the ambiance, and some other contemporary factors.
Don’t ever try to find the meanings of the words in a poem, just feel them, and you will realize with the time that you have learned the art of studying poetry. Poetry is all about emotion, interpretation, and feelings. A poet has no identity! Through your interpretation and the interpretations made by others you create your own little world around a poem and debate over certain points.
Reading poetry is a kind of word game. In this series Poetry Guide
we are presenting the summary of the poems, followed by the original texts, the form of the poems, and critical analysis. This serious has been specially designed for the students of English Literature.
All the Best
Raja Sharma
Chapter 2: Mowing
Summary of the Poem
It is a hot day. The speaker is working in the field. There is no other sound except for the sound made by his scythe while mowing. He feels that his scythe is whispering something while mowing. He is unable to comprehend it and he accepts that perhaps it is his imagination or the result of the sun heat.
Finally, the speaker concludes that his scythe is presenting its own beliefs about the world. Humans dream about rest and reward after their hard labour but the scythe draws its sole pleasure from its hard work. The speaker says that the scythe gets its satisfaction from the hard work it does in the field, not from the momentary dreams or unsound hopes.
Towards the concluding lines of the poem, the speaker stops his trivial thinking and follows the example of the scythe. He decides to draw his pleasure from hard work in the field. He begins to make hay.
Text of the Poem
There was never a sound beside the wood but one,
And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground.
What was it it whispered? I knew not well myself;
Perhaps it was something about the heat of the sun,
Something, perhaps, about the lack of sound—
And that was why it whispered and did not speak.
It was no dream of the gift of idle hours,
Or easy gold at the hand of fay