Robert Frost: Analysis of Symbolism

Robert Frost: Analysis of Symbolism Robert Frosts poems take the minds of his readers through journeys of every experience imaginable. Frost, whose background was heavily influenced by New England, uses his former experiences to weave delicate threads of poetry. In his poems he uses subtle forms of symbolism to convey a deeper underlying meaning to his initial words. In addition, his sense of rustic, pastoral themes lets nearly every reader with any type of background relate to his words. In two of Robert Frosts poems, Desert Places, and I Stopped by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, he demonstrates these uses of pastoral and symbolism. Though both of the poems are set in the winter, they express very different tones and themes. One has a feeling of disheartening isolation while the other has a feeling of welcome seclusion. Although different, they show that the same setting can have completely different impacts on the speaker depending on their specific mindset at the moment. Although these seemingly simple poems are cons tructed of short, straightforward stanzas and verbiage, they are anything but. In Robert Frosts poem, Desert Places, the speaker is a man who is roaming through the countryside on an ideal winter evening. He is entirely surrounded with thoughts of loneliness. The speaker spectates a snow covered field as a forsaken, uninhabited place. A blanker whiteness of benighted snow, with no expression, nothing to express (Robert Frost). Whiteness and snow are two important symbols in this poem. The whiteness symbolizes open and empty spaces without boundaries to restrain. The snow is a white blanket that covers up what was left behind making people forget about what may have happened. As the snow continues to come down on, burying everything, eliminating all distinction, the field becomes a lifeless, deceased idea, unmarked and unreflective of anyone or anything. This is the very thing which gave it its negative identity as a desolate field (Kolchak). The snow has effectively removed the signs of mans connection to whatever may have been there. This annihilation is portr ayed as death, an ultimatum of which in cosmic and spiritual approach overwhelms and over powers all life, leaving the speaker alone in a motionless universe, himself touched by the metaphorical death of which he speaks. In Desert Places The poems speaker seems to be envious of the woods. The woods around it have itit is theirs. The woods represent two different worlds of isolation versus society (Kolchak). Both have something that belongs to the speaker, something he wants to become a part of. The isolation and loneliness he speaks of is one that he wishes to have. He wishes to be alone in order to contemplate his ideas without the distractions of the outside world. Yet, while he wishes for the isolation, the way in which he phrases his words shows that he also wishes for company. In the line, The loneliness includes me unawares, The speaker has shown a lost passion for life. He cannot express his feelings easily because of this feeling of numbness. The speaker is well aware of his situation, that he is alone in the world (Ogilvie). He is going through a stage where he just does not care about his earthly ties and feels extremely paranoid. They cannot scare me with their empty space (Robert Frost). He believes that no one cares how he may or may not feel, he does not need anyone else. I have in me so much nearer home, to scare myself with my own desert places. The speaker is now beginning to realize that he was in this situation because he had shut himself off to the world. He acknowledged that this winter wonderland represented his life. He had let misery and solitude sneak into his life and completely take over just as the snow had crept upon the woods and noiselessly consumed it. He realizes that if he lets these feelings run his life, ultimately it would d ie out much like the snow did to environment around him. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening conveys a happier, more positive meaning than the previous poem. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is about slowing down and trying to enjoy life. The speaker wishes he had done this more often and wants to try and relive the times that he had skipped by. This poem, like Desert Places, forces the speaker to choose between worlds of isolation and society. The quote, But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, shows that he chooses the latter, a world of society. The speaker of the poem was shown to be an extremely busy man who always had commitments to honor and places to be. A sensation of disappointment and regret is nearby throughout the poem. The speaker seems concerned about what the rest of society would think about him just stopping in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. His horse represents society. My little horse must think it queer, to stop without a farmhouse near. He admits that just stopping does seem odd. He is also somewhat concerned about the man who owns the woods. The man almost feels guilty for looking so lovingly at this other mans woods. He will not see me stopping here, to watch his woods fill up with snow. I think that the speakers life may be a little better off since he stopped to take a deep breath and enjoy all that really matters, the simple things. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is the opposite of Desert Places. The settings were exactly the same; calm, dark wintery evenings, but they express totally different feelings. Desert Places is a very depressing poem with a dark tone. The other is very happy and it makes you wish that winter was already here. These two poems are very different but they are also the same in some ways. They show two extremes of the same emotion. Being alone can be positive or negative it just depends on the state of the mind. Loneliness can be very depressing or it can be a time to collect your thoughts without the pressures of the outside world crashing down. Winter is the perfect season to reflect upon when expressing solitude. Winter can make everything seem dead. It can be a very depressing time of year. Snow covers everything living and the cold seems to chill to the very soul at times. Winter can also be very uplifting. It can wipe the slate clean with its pureness and it can be a time of starting over. Snows whiteness can, in a way, blind you with its beauty and make you forget about your troubles. Winter for me is a time of silent reflection. I could sit for hours and gaze at the blowing snow. Robert Frost creates two winter scenes with different outcomes. The first, Desert Places is a sad poem about loneliness and lost enthusiasm. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a rather uplifting poem about enjoying simple things in life. Frost seems to draw upon his experiences from living in rural New England and converts those experiences into beautiful rustic, pastoral poetry. http://www.dreamessays.com/customessays/Robert%20Frost/3320.htm

To What Extent Did the American Revolution?

DbKatie Gordon APUSH Mr. Vieira September 24, 2012 DBQ: To what extent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American society? In your answer, be sure to address the political, social and economic effects of the Revolution in the period from 1775 to 1800. After the American Revolution, Americans, who were free of British control, started to reevaluate politics, the economy and society. After breaking away from what they thought was a corrupt and evil government, Americans changed how they wanted to govern their society, even though they ultimately reverted to a more centralized government similar to Britain.The uneducated masses, as viewed by the elite, didn’t experience a lot of change though the ideals from the revolution still guided some to seek better financial opportunities. Women, slaves, and loyalist experienced a considerable amount of change in society as women experienced more freedoms, some slaves were set free, and loyalist left America. Overall, Americ a didn’t experience a lot of economic change, but it did experience, to varying degrees, political and social change. Politically speaking, the Americans did not want their government to resemble that of the British government.Which brings about the development of the Articles of Confederation. However, there were many holes in the Articles: there was no executive branch, the federal government could not implement taxes and overall the government did not have much centralized power. Everyone knew that a change needed to be supplemented and quick. This brings about the writing and ratification of the Constitution. In order to persuade states to ratify the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton wrote and circulated the Federalist Papers.James Madison also writes, â€Å"ambition must be made to counteract ambition† (Document I), insinuating the system of checks and balances that the Constitution insures. This active separation of power was pivotal in the ratification of the Con stitution, which contrasted the American government from the British government. Americans did not experience much change economically. The Philadelphia society for the promotion of agriculture in 1786, handed out a medal, which said, â€Å"venerate the plough† (Document F). This demonstrates how the elite were still â€Å"rewarding† the common people who weren’t financially better off than before the revolution.Similarly, in Shay’s Rebellion farmers led by the ex-military officer â€Å"[stopped] the courts of justice in several counties†¦crying out for a paper currency, [or] for an equal distribution of power† (Document G). A particular example of the downfall of American economy was Shay’s rebellion. This represented economic strife that the common people were enduring and ultimately rebelled. Two important socio-economic issues the founding fathers discussed were the rights of women and slavery. Women’s roles increased greatly during the revolution. While me were away fighting or running the country, women were at home running and defending the farm.This can be seen in the woodcut (Document A) and in Abigail Adam’s letters to Thomas Jefferson (Document G). Women had, for a time, the right to vote in New Jersey. The revolution also increased the education of women and encouraged them to be more involved in public life. However, all women were not content to go back to their household chores after the revolution as seen by Molly Wallace who says â€Å"if [taught] to read, why not speak? † (Document J), illustrating how some women wanted to further their domestic roles and play a larger role in society.Women were not ultimately granted the right to vote until many years later, but that foundation started during the American Revolution. The practice of slavery was common during the time period of the American Revolution in the colonies and in Europe. At the time, it was the primary economic eng ine in the south and Caribbean. American revolutionaries thought about the morals of slavery, but were unable to change much at this time. However, slavery could be banned in the Northwest Territories, where it wasn’t too important to that region’s economy.The Northwest Ordinance specifically says, â€Å"There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory† (Document H). Although the revolution was not directly able to ban slavery, it cased the issue and allowed future generations to solve it. The revolution also enabled religious freedom to be written into the fabric of our nation. Many European nations had state religions of this time. Some of the first settlers to the colonies came in search of religious freedom. However, some of them instituted theocratic governments once here. But the revolution showed that America was a melting pot of ideas and people.They believed that our government should not sponsor one particular religion. Virgin ia enacted such a law in 1786. Politically Americans experienced some change by forging a new government even though they revised it in the end. Economically, the common people, who fought for better lifestyles, still lived under the heel of the elites. However a significant amount of change occurred for women, slaves and loyalist, although the loyalist position in changed in society in a very negative manner. In these ways American society experienced change in respect to political and social life, but not economically.

Building a Bridge to the 18th C

Chapter one and two of the book â€Å"Building a bridge to the 18th Century† by Postman Neil is talking about the progress of man through the time he has inhabited the earth and what has been the catapulting force to great heights that has seen him achieve much in little time.Progress is described as a brainchild of enlightment which then releases vitality and inspiring confidence like the one that is seen in the 18th century. Much of what is seen as great achievement of 20th century is as a result of great work and thinking of people in the middle ages. This then transfers enormous credit to the philosophers and scientists in middle ages for starting the progress back then.The 18th century has been depicted as a period of great thinkers who invented things virtually in all spheres of life and for mankind to progress; the answer does not lie in the future or the current times but going back to that great century.The progress being advocated for is scientific or technological a dvancement which requires no moral authority as opposed to moral progress that can be attributed to enlightment coupled with poetic imagination.The two forms of progress happen concurrently and it is hard to separate them throughout the ages that man has sought to tread in footsteps of enlightment.The idea of rationality, materialism and deconstruction have been discussed at length but not well understood owing to the fact they are mainly articulated from a Christian perspective of philosophers who were mainly Christians.Therefore their fundamental understanding of rationality is through idealism advanced in those times of insurgency and revolt against the orthodox running of the Christian faith. It follows that rationality has radical expression through progress.ReferencePostman, N. (1999). Building a Bridge to the Eighteenth Century: Ideas from the Past That Can Improve Our Future. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Incorporated

Natural Law Theory Essay - 6453 Words

According to Jenkins, â€Å"The natural law theory begins with theories about the nature and purpose of the world and moves on to ask about the purpose of every action or object. The right thing to do is that which fulfils the natural purpose.† Natural law was developed by Thomas Aquinas, in which he believed that there is such a thing as natural moral law. Natural law ethics depends on the belief that the world was designed by a creator, God. It teaches everything God made has a purpose, including every aspect of human life, and everything should work towards the purpose assigned to it. If we fulfil this purpose we do ‘good’, for example it is good to preserve life (â€Å"Do not kill†). If we frustrate the purpose for which something has been†¦show more content†¦Human nature is generally good and therefore if we do wrong it is because we are in pursuit of an apparent good, e.g. abortion, can seem like at a good thing at times. According to Vardy and Grosch, â€Å"Humans seek apparent good, but this is not true good; only apparent good because it does not conform to the perfection of human nature which all humans share.† A historical example would be that of Hitler and Stalin, who did not seek out evil but sought what they thought, was right. The theory of natural law states that you are only responsible for the immediate consequences of your actions – not for the secondary or unintended effects of your action. This adds flexibility to the theory of natural law in such areas as just war and etopic pregnancy. According to Thompson, â€Å"Natural law is based on nature as seen by human reason enlightened by Christian faith. In the light of Jesus’ teaching and belief in God, reason can decide, by looking at nature, what is right.† Natural law however has some faults. It depends on the belief that the world was designed by a creator. 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