Monday, December 8, 2008
Project Reflection
Final Project Reflection
Salman Ahmed
For the final project my group chose to create a twitter account for the character William, from “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexei. We chose this piece of work because we felt that out of all of the short stories we covered, “Flight Patterns” was a story we understood well and could relate too. The characters from the story were dynamic and story left much to interpretation for the readers. “Flight Patterns” was also a good fit because it was a more modern story, and as such as students it was easier for us to relate to the main character of the story, William.
We chose to create a twitter account for William because the story did not expand deeply upon his character. Rather, the story focused around the story of the taxi driver and the ordeals that he went through. We felt that through Twitter, we could gain insight to the thoughts and actions of William. Also, because Twitter is a mostly informal, short entry, journal, we felt that it allowed us a great deal of flexibility in expressing William’s thoughts. William himself is not the most conventional character in the story, rather his character was expressed informally. Because of this, we found that Twitter would make a good match for the final project.
Each of us in the group tried to contribute to the Twitter account, making 3-4 entries each. For the entries that I made, I tried to focus on the reaction of William to what the taxi driver told him. I felt that the taxi driver instantly matured William, and thus he cared more for his family than his work. I felt that this was not really expressed in the story, as the end of the story does not expand on how William feels about what he learned, rather it was just a short reaction (in calling his wife). Because of this, I felt that this would be a good topic to write about in the entries as to expand on the development of his character throughout the short story and at the conclusion of it.
Selecting this topic worked well for me as my group mates selected similar, but different topics. This worked perfectly as William is such a dynamic character. In the story, he has a wide range of emotions and actions. At the beginning of the story, he seemed immature and young, naïve to the world. At the end of the story, he transforms and becomes much more mature as he thinks more about how his traveling can affect his family and how he cannot control what happens at home while he is gone. William’s thoughts and actions were all over the map throughout the story, and as such our Twitter representation of William’s thoughts and actions too were random and diverse.
There are several things I think we could have improved upon in our project. Because it was four different people contributing to the Twitter, it was hard to coordinate the direction of the project. Also, I felt that the postings were not exactly chronological, and I wish that Twitter would allow more control over the order of the postings (post-written editing). Overall though, I felt that our project was representative of the character presented in the text and thus was a success.
http://twitter.com/WilliamAmerican
Salman Ahmed
For the final project my group chose to create a twitter account for the character William, from “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexei. We chose this piece of work because we felt that out of all of the short stories we covered, “Flight Patterns” was a story we understood well and could relate too. The characters from the story were dynamic and story left much to interpretation for the readers. “Flight Patterns” was also a good fit because it was a more modern story, and as such as students it was easier for us to relate to the main character of the story, William.
We chose to create a twitter account for William because the story did not expand deeply upon his character. Rather, the story focused around the story of the taxi driver and the ordeals that he went through. We felt that through Twitter, we could gain insight to the thoughts and actions of William. Also, because Twitter is a mostly informal, short entry, journal, we felt that it allowed us a great deal of flexibility in expressing William’s thoughts. William himself is not the most conventional character in the story, rather his character was expressed informally. Because of this, we found that Twitter would make a good match for the final project.
Each of us in the group tried to contribute to the Twitter account, making 3-4 entries each. For the entries that I made, I tried to focus on the reaction of William to what the taxi driver told him. I felt that the taxi driver instantly matured William, and thus he cared more for his family than his work. I felt that this was not really expressed in the story, as the end of the story does not expand on how William feels about what he learned, rather it was just a short reaction (in calling his wife). Because of this, I felt that this would be a good topic to write about in the entries as to expand on the development of his character throughout the short story and at the conclusion of it.
Selecting this topic worked well for me as my group mates selected similar, but different topics. This worked perfectly as William is such a dynamic character. In the story, he has a wide range of emotions and actions. At the beginning of the story, he seemed immature and young, naïve to the world. At the end of the story, he transforms and becomes much more mature as he thinks more about how his traveling can affect his family and how he cannot control what happens at home while he is gone. William’s thoughts and actions were all over the map throughout the story, and as such our Twitter representation of William’s thoughts and actions too were random and diverse.
There are several things I think we could have improved upon in our project. Because it was four different people contributing to the Twitter, it was hard to coordinate the direction of the project. Also, I felt that the postings were not exactly chronological, and I wish that Twitter would allow more control over the order of the postings (post-written editing). Overall though, I felt that our project was representative of the character presented in the text and thus was a success.
http://twitter.com/WilliamAmerican
Antigone
It is hard to critize the actions of Antigone in the play, considering what she had gone through. Watching her entire family perish around her dishonorably, I would say that her actions were justified in trying to gain some little honor for her perished brother. Though the rest of society might have critized only one of Antigone’s brothers for his actions, Antigone obviously did not see it this way. She had no personal bias against either brother, and from her perspective Polyneices did not do any more wrong than Eteocles. Thus, she felt that it was unfair that Eteocles was honored with a proper burial while Polyneices was left in the streets to be eaten by the birds.
Antigone felt that she had to right the wrongs against Polyneices by giving him a proper burial, even if it meant her own death. She had nothing left to live for, as the rest of her family had already perished. The only point of criticism is that she was leaving her only remaining family, her sister, Ismene, by herself. Still, Antigone felt that her brother deserved honor with a proper burial and that as his sister, it was her duty to uphold his honor. In Greek culture, family and honor were two very important values, and for her brother, her family, to be dishonored was not acceptable. If I were put in the same situation, I would uphold the honor of my family, even if it meant breaking the law. In Antigone’s perspective, she was only breaking law that she believed was unjust and wrong, and as a result felt justified in her actions. She did not fear death, as opposed to her living sister, and it seemed that she wanted to perish like the rest of her family had. In her actions, Antigone was regaining the honor lost by her father and her brothers, and wanted to die with this satisfaction.
Antigone felt that she had to right the wrongs against Polyneices by giving him a proper burial, even if it meant her own death. She had nothing left to live for, as the rest of her family had already perished. The only point of criticism is that she was leaving her only remaining family, her sister, Ismene, by herself. Still, Antigone felt that her brother deserved honor with a proper burial and that as his sister, it was her duty to uphold his honor. In Greek culture, family and honor were two very important values, and for her brother, her family, to be dishonored was not acceptable. If I were put in the same situation, I would uphold the honor of my family, even if it meant breaking the law. In Antigone’s perspective, she was only breaking law that she believed was unjust and wrong, and as a result felt justified in her actions. She did not fear death, as opposed to her living sister, and it seemed that she wanted to perish like the rest of her family had. In her actions, Antigone was regaining the honor lost by her father and her brothers, and wanted to die with this satisfaction.
Bartleby
Bartleby would have one of the most depressing Facebook profiles you can find. Rather than a social outlet for Bartleby, he would use Facebook as an avenue to channel his own thoughts and expressions – to himself. Because he has no friends, Bartleby could use Facebook to express himself without the concern of others judging him and without having to socialize with the rest of society.
Bartleby would be part of the New York City network, his only sense of belonging in the world. For his occupation, he would list scrivener in New York. He would not list his email address or phone number, as he did not have one nor did he need one, as he did not need to communicate with anyone but himself. He would have one photo, which would be a picture of himself he took using a camera and a mirror in the bathroom. There would be no expression on his face. He would be listed as single, and he would be interested in nothing. He would be looking for friendship, but his lack of friends would suggest that he does not find what he is looking for. His favorite quote would be, “I would prefer not to”, a response made to the Facebook questionnaire when asking him for his favorite quote.
If you look back at his status updates, you would not see much . There would be a couple of references to fresh ginger nuts, and the loss of his eye sight. He would ponder on the uselessness of his life, and one day his status updates would mysteriously stop.
Bartleby would be part of the New York City network, his only sense of belonging in the world. For his occupation, he would list scrivener in New York. He would not list his email address or phone number, as he did not have one nor did he need one, as he did not need to communicate with anyone but himself. He would have one photo, which would be a picture of himself he took using a camera and a mirror in the bathroom. There would be no expression on his face. He would be listed as single, and he would be interested in nothing. He would be looking for friendship, but his lack of friends would suggest that he does not find what he is looking for. His favorite quote would be, “I would prefer not to”, a response made to the Facebook questionnaire when asking him for his favorite quote.
If you look back at his status updates, you would not see much . There would be a couple of references to fresh ginger nuts, and the loss of his eye sight. He would ponder on the uselessness of his life, and one day his status updates would mysteriously stop.
Monday, October 20, 2008
After
Robert Frost’s Design is often regarded as the poet’s affirmation of a classical view of God and intelligent design, cuing in on the innocent design of life and death in nature. From the use of pure, white imagery, Frost paints death in nature as innocent design of God. Further reading of the poem however reveals dark subtleties that allude to certain negative attitudes on life. Analysis of these subtleties lead to an unusual reading of Frost’s poem: that Frost is musing on the inevitable negativity in both nature and life, in particular hopelessness that is found in nature and reiterated in life.
Design begins with describing a scene in nature. A fat, white dimpled spider is on a white heal-all, holding up its prey, a white moth. On first inspection, the repeated use of the color white seems to portray a sense of purity throughout the scene, from the spider to the flower to the moth. Within these three lines however there are several dark undertones that must be noted. The heal-all, a flower that is known to blossom blue, is white. A flower named heal-all is in a way sick. It is not able to even heal itself, yet is called “heal-all”. This irony is extended in the fact that this scene of death occurs on a flower that is supposed to heal, not serve as an accessory of death. Another dark undertone is the depiction of the circle of life. Here, the spider must kill and end the life of the moth in order to continue living itself. Frost seems to be alluding to a certain sense of negativity. Frost brings up the idea of the inherent, unavoidable evil that is apparent in nature.
Through the next five lines, Frost continues his use of negative undertones. The three characters mentioned in the first three lines are describes as being mixed like the “ingredients of a witches’ broth”. The spider is now an ingredient, the flower is now bubbly-froth, and the moth is described as “dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The description of the white moth as dead wings sounds almost like a fallen angel, and the use of “paper kite” makes the moth sound almost like a toy of the spider’s rather than just the sustenance needed to survive. Frost describes the event as being conjured by a witch. We see a shift from white, pure, imagery to a dark, evil imagery. These lines depict a twisted view of nature, where a seemingly “pure” event is evil under the surface. Consequently, these lines expand on the inherent negativity in nature.
In the next four lines, Frost uses pointed questions to paint a bleak picture. Frost asks, “What had the flower to do with being white” (9). With this question, Frost points to the fact that the flower had no choice in the events that occurred. In lines 11 and 12, Frost creates the sense of inevitable coincidence, that the preying of the moth by the spider was a hopeless, unavoidable situation. The moth is mysteriously steered towards the location of the spider, and thus dies in the process. Frost creates a string of events where none of the actors had a choice in – that the events were all a series of hopeless coincidences.
The last two lines of the poem read, “What but design of darkness to appall?--/If design govern in a thing so small”. Ending this poem, Frost states that only the design of darkness should be appalled as it happens even in small things. Even in closing the poem, Frost offers no hope to the readers. He ends the poem saying that darkness is designed – inevitable and unavoidable. While the lines can be read differently depending on the context, in the context of negativity these lines are read as a continuation of the theme of hopelessness in Design.
Another aspect to play close attention to is the pattern of inversion throughout the poem. Instead of a black spider, Frost presents a white one. A white heal-all where a blue one is expected. The design of the poem is itself inverted as well. Though the poem is structured as a sonnet, Frost asks questions in the end of the poem and offers no solution, whereas in classical sonnets a problem is posed and solved in the conclusion of the sonnet. The absence of a solution and the inversion of expectations creates a feeling that what should happen will not. This plays into the theme of hopelessness present throughout this poem.
Frost wrote and published this poem in 1936. It is critical to note that just two years prior to this—in 1934, Frost’s youngest child died after giving birth (Reuben). Because Frost’s life was full of tragedy, it is hard not to conclude that Frost’s personal life was indeed factored into his work. The premature death of Frost’s daughter is mirrored in the negativity in the poem. Like Frost’s daughter, the hopeless moth had no choice to live or die, yet it simply dies as a part of its life. Dark messages like these are repeated throughout the lines of the poem, and lend proof to the idea that Frost’s Design is really a reiteration of what Frost saw in real life: hopeless, bleak, inevitably evil strings of events.
Citation:
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 7: Robert Frost." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL:http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap7/frost.html
Design begins with describing a scene in nature. A fat, white dimpled spider is on a white heal-all, holding up its prey, a white moth. On first inspection, the repeated use of the color white seems to portray a sense of purity throughout the scene, from the spider to the flower to the moth. Within these three lines however there are several dark undertones that must be noted. The heal-all, a flower that is known to blossom blue, is white. A flower named heal-all is in a way sick. It is not able to even heal itself, yet is called “heal-all”. This irony is extended in the fact that this scene of death occurs on a flower that is supposed to heal, not serve as an accessory of death. Another dark undertone is the depiction of the circle of life. Here, the spider must kill and end the life of the moth in order to continue living itself. Frost seems to be alluding to a certain sense of negativity. Frost brings up the idea of the inherent, unavoidable evil that is apparent in nature.
Through the next five lines, Frost continues his use of negative undertones. The three characters mentioned in the first three lines are describes as being mixed like the “ingredients of a witches’ broth”. The spider is now an ingredient, the flower is now bubbly-froth, and the moth is described as “dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The description of the white moth as dead wings sounds almost like a fallen angel, and the use of “paper kite” makes the moth sound almost like a toy of the spider’s rather than just the sustenance needed to survive. Frost describes the event as being conjured by a witch. We see a shift from white, pure, imagery to a dark, evil imagery. These lines depict a twisted view of nature, where a seemingly “pure” event is evil under the surface. Consequently, these lines expand on the inherent negativity in nature.
In the next four lines, Frost uses pointed questions to paint a bleak picture. Frost asks, “What had the flower to do with being white” (9). With this question, Frost points to the fact that the flower had no choice in the events that occurred. In lines 11 and 12, Frost creates the sense of inevitable coincidence, that the preying of the moth by the spider was a hopeless, unavoidable situation. The moth is mysteriously steered towards the location of the spider, and thus dies in the process. Frost creates a string of events where none of the actors had a choice in – that the events were all a series of hopeless coincidences.
The last two lines of the poem read, “What but design of darkness to appall?--/If design govern in a thing so small”. Ending this poem, Frost states that only the design of darkness should be appalled as it happens even in small things. Even in closing the poem, Frost offers no hope to the readers. He ends the poem saying that darkness is designed – inevitable and unavoidable. While the lines can be read differently depending on the context, in the context of negativity these lines are read as a continuation of the theme of hopelessness in Design.
Another aspect to play close attention to is the pattern of inversion throughout the poem. Instead of a black spider, Frost presents a white one. A white heal-all where a blue one is expected. The design of the poem is itself inverted as well. Though the poem is structured as a sonnet, Frost asks questions in the end of the poem and offers no solution, whereas in classical sonnets a problem is posed and solved in the conclusion of the sonnet. The absence of a solution and the inversion of expectations creates a feeling that what should happen will not. This plays into the theme of hopelessness present throughout this poem.
Frost wrote and published this poem in 1936. It is critical to note that just two years prior to this—in 1934, Frost’s youngest child died after giving birth (Reuben). Because Frost’s life was full of tragedy, it is hard not to conclude that Frost’s personal life was indeed factored into his work. The premature death of Frost’s daughter is mirrored in the negativity in the poem. Like Frost’s daughter, the hopeless moth had no choice to live or die, yet it simply dies as a part of its life. Dark messages like these are repeated throughout the lines of the poem, and lend proof to the idea that Frost’s Design is really a reiteration of what Frost saw in real life: hopeless, bleak, inevitably evil strings of events.
Citation:
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 7: Robert Frost." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL:http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap7/frost.html
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The draft I forgot to post
On Design
Salman Ahmed
Robert Frost’s Design is often regarded as the poet’s affirmation of a classical view of God and intelligent design, cuing in on the innocent design of life and death in nature. From the use of pure, white imagery, Frost paints death in nature as innocent design of God. Further reading and analysis of the poem however reveals dark subtleties that allude to a certain idea of a dark, cynical design. The analysis of these subtleties leads to the idea that the poem is musing on the hopelessness of natural life and the lack of choice in destiny.
Design begins with describing a scene in nature. A fat, white dimpled spider is on a white heal-all, holding up its prey, a white moth. On first inspection, the repeated use of the color white seems to portray a sense of purity throughout the scene, from the spider to the flower to the moth. Within these three lines however there are several dark undertones that must be noted. The heal-all, a flower that is known to blossom blue, is white. A flower named heal-all is in a way abnormal—sick. It is not able to even heal itself, yet is called “heal-all”. This irony is extended in the fact that this scene of death occurs on a flower that is supposed to heal, not serve as an accessory of death. Another dark undertone is the depiction of the circle of life. Here, the spider must kill and end the life of the moth in order to continue living itself. A sense of hopelessness is portrayed by Frost in these opening lines.
Through the next five lines, Frost continues his use of negative undertones. The three characters mentioned in the first three lines are describes as being mixed like the “ingredients of a witches’ broth”. The spider is now an ingredient, the flower is now bubbly-froth, and the moth is described as “dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The description of the white moth as dead wings sounds almost like a fallen angel, and the use of “paper kite” makes the moth sound almost like a toy of the spider’s rather than just the sustenance needed to survive. Frost describes the event as being conjured by a witch. This argues the idea of an all-benevolent God, and rather the idea of an evil witch planning this act of nature. The innocent act of nature can now be read as an unnecessary, dark and evil event.
The next lines of the poem pose a series of questions designed to affirm the innocence of the characters in the scene. Since the characters are all innocent in the scene, the questions beg to reader to explore the idea that since the evil act was not a fault of the spider, flower, or moth, then the evil act was the fault of the design. A sense of hopelessness is reiterated in first four lines of the sestet. The flower had no choice in being white, and the moth is somehow driven to where the white spider so happened to prey. Frost is again questioning the idea of choice in life and the dark undertones suggest a bleak view of everyday life reflected in nature.
The structure of the last two lines leaves the couplet completely open to interpretation. The lines can be read in multiple ways. In one reading, Frost could be suggesting that if design is present in such small parts of nature, then darkness should not be questioned and should rather be accepted as it is in nature. Another reading is that we should not be shocked by darkness in life as it is apparent even in nature. A third, and more plausible reading given the negative undertones in the poem, is simply a sarcastic musing of Frost, that the darkness apparent in nature can also be reflected in things that are not so small.
Another aspect to play close attention to is the pattern of inversion throughout the poem. Instead of a black spider, Frost presents a white one. A white heal-all where a blue one is expected. The design of the poem is itself inverted as well. Though the poem is structured as a sonnet, Frost asks questions in the end of the poem and offers no solution, whereas in classical sonnets a problem is posed and solved in the conclusion of the sonnet. This absence of solution and the inversion of what the reader would normally expect plays into the theme of hopelessness.
Frost wrote and published this poem in 1936. It is critical to note that just two years prior to this—in 1934, Frost’s youngest child died after giving birth. Frost’s life was actually full of tragedy, and the reader cannot help but wonder if Frost’s personal life was indeed factored into his work. Taking this knowledge into account, Frost’s Design can be read as the cynical comm.;entary of life by Frost. The hopeless moth had no choice to live or die, yet it simply dies as a part of its life. These dark messages are repeated throughout the lines of the poem, and lend proof to the idea that Design is really a commentary on the evil present in the world by using evil present in nature.
Salman Ahmed
Robert Frost’s Design is often regarded as the poet’s affirmation of a classical view of God and intelligent design, cuing in on the innocent design of life and death in nature. From the use of pure, white imagery, Frost paints death in nature as innocent design of God. Further reading and analysis of the poem however reveals dark subtleties that allude to a certain idea of a dark, cynical design. The analysis of these subtleties leads to the idea that the poem is musing on the hopelessness of natural life and the lack of choice in destiny.
Design begins with describing a scene in nature. A fat, white dimpled spider is on a white heal-all, holding up its prey, a white moth. On first inspection, the repeated use of the color white seems to portray a sense of purity throughout the scene, from the spider to the flower to the moth. Within these three lines however there are several dark undertones that must be noted. The heal-all, a flower that is known to blossom blue, is white. A flower named heal-all is in a way abnormal—sick. It is not able to even heal itself, yet is called “heal-all”. This irony is extended in the fact that this scene of death occurs on a flower that is supposed to heal, not serve as an accessory of death. Another dark undertone is the depiction of the circle of life. Here, the spider must kill and end the life of the moth in order to continue living itself. A sense of hopelessness is portrayed by Frost in these opening lines.
Through the next five lines, Frost continues his use of negative undertones. The three characters mentioned in the first three lines are describes as being mixed like the “ingredients of a witches’ broth”. The spider is now an ingredient, the flower is now bubbly-froth, and the moth is described as “dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The description of the white moth as dead wings sounds almost like a fallen angel, and the use of “paper kite” makes the moth sound almost like a toy of the spider’s rather than just the sustenance needed to survive. Frost describes the event as being conjured by a witch. This argues the idea of an all-benevolent God, and rather the idea of an evil witch planning this act of nature. The innocent act of nature can now be read as an unnecessary, dark and evil event.
The next lines of the poem pose a series of questions designed to affirm the innocence of the characters in the scene. Since the characters are all innocent in the scene, the questions beg to reader to explore the idea that since the evil act was not a fault of the spider, flower, or moth, then the evil act was the fault of the design. A sense of hopelessness is reiterated in first four lines of the sestet. The flower had no choice in being white, and the moth is somehow driven to where the white spider so happened to prey. Frost is again questioning the idea of choice in life and the dark undertones suggest a bleak view of everyday life reflected in nature.
The structure of the last two lines leaves the couplet completely open to interpretation. The lines can be read in multiple ways. In one reading, Frost could be suggesting that if design is present in such small parts of nature, then darkness should not be questioned and should rather be accepted as it is in nature. Another reading is that we should not be shocked by darkness in life as it is apparent even in nature. A third, and more plausible reading given the negative undertones in the poem, is simply a sarcastic musing of Frost, that the darkness apparent in nature can also be reflected in things that are not so small.
Another aspect to play close attention to is the pattern of inversion throughout the poem. Instead of a black spider, Frost presents a white one. A white heal-all where a blue one is expected. The design of the poem is itself inverted as well. Though the poem is structured as a sonnet, Frost asks questions in the end of the poem and offers no solution, whereas in classical sonnets a problem is posed and solved in the conclusion of the sonnet. This absence of solution and the inversion of what the reader would normally expect plays into the theme of hopelessness.
Frost wrote and published this poem in 1936. It is critical to note that just two years prior to this—in 1934, Frost’s youngest child died after giving birth. Frost’s life was actually full of tragedy, and the reader cannot help but wonder if Frost’s personal life was indeed factored into his work. Taking this knowledge into account, Frost’s Design can be read as the cynical comm.;entary of life by Frost. The hopeless moth had no choice to live or die, yet it simply dies as a part of its life. These dark messages are repeated throughout the lines of the poem, and lend proof to the idea that Design is really a commentary on the evil present in the world by using evil present in nature.
The draft I forgot to post
On Design
Salman Ahmed
Robert Frost’s Design is often regarded as the poet’s affirmation of a classical view of God and intelligent design, cuing in on the innocent design of life and death in nature. From the use of pure, white imagery, Frost paints death in nature as innocent design of God. Further reading and analysis of the poem however reveals dark subtleties that allude to a certain idea of a dark, cynical design. The analysis of these subtleties leads to the idea that the poem is musing on the hopelessness of natural life and the lack of choice in destiny.
Design begins with describing a scene in nature. A fat, white dimpled spider is on a white heal-all, holding up its prey, a white moth. On first inspection, the repeated use of the color white seems to portray a sense of purity throughout the scene, from the spider to the flower to the moth. Within these three lines however there are several dark undertones that must be noted. The heal-all, a flower that is known to blossom blue, is white. A flower named heal-all is in a way abnormal—sick. It is not able to even heal itself, yet is called “heal-all”. This irony is extended in the fact that this scene of death occurs on a flower that is supposed to heal, not serve as an accessory of death. Another dark undertone is the depiction of the circle of life. Here, the spider must kill and end the life of the moth in order to continue living itself. A sense of hopelessness is portrayed by Frost in these opening lines.
Through the next five lines, Frost continues his use of negative undertones. The three characters mentioned in the first three lines are describes as being mixed like the “ingredients of a witches’ broth”. The spider is now an ingredient, the flower is now bubbly-froth, and the moth is described as “dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The description of the white moth as dead wings sounds almost like a fallen angel, and the use of “paper kite” makes the moth sound almost like a toy of the spider’s rather than just the sustenance needed to survive. Frost describes the event as being conjured by a witch. This argues the idea of an all-benevolent God, and rather the idea of an evil witch planning this act of nature. The innocent act of nature can now be read as an unnecessary, dark and evil event.
The next lines of the poem pose a series of questions designed to affirm the innocence of the characters in the scene. Since the characters are all innocent in the scene, the questions beg to reader to explore the idea that since the evil act was not a fault of the spider, flower, or moth, then the evil act was the fault of the design. A sense of hopelessness is reiterated in first four lines of the sestet. The flower had no choice in being white, and the moth is somehow driven to where the white spider so happened to prey. Frost is again questioning the idea of choice in life and the dark undertones suggest a bleak view of everyday life reflected in nature.
The structure of the last two lines leaves the couplet completely open to interpretation. The lines can be read in multiple ways. In one reading, Frost could be suggesting that if design is present in such small parts of nature, then darkness should not be questioned and should rather be accepted as it is in nature. Another reading is that we should not be shocked by darkness in life as it is apparent even in nature. A third, and more plausible reading given the negative undertones in the poem, is simply a sarcastic musing of Frost, that the darkness apparent in nature can also be reflected in things that are not so small.
Another aspect to play close attention to is the pattern of inversion throughout the poem. Instead of a black spider, Frost presents a white one. A white heal-all where a blue one is expected. The design of the poem is itself inverted as well. Though the poem is structured as a sonnet, Frost asks questions in the end of the poem and offers no solution, whereas in classical sonnets a problem is posed and solved in the conclusion of the sonnet. This absence of solution and the inversion of what the reader would normally expect plays into the theme of hopelessness.
Frost wrote and published this poem in 1936. It is critical to note that just two years prior to this—in 1934, Frost’s youngest child died after giving birth. Frost’s life was actually full of tragedy, and the reader cannot help but wonder if Frost’s personal life was indeed factored into his work. Taking this knowledge into account, Frost’s Design can be read as the cynical comm.;entary of life by Frost. The hopeless moth had no choice to live or die, yet it simply dies as a part of its life. These dark messages are repeated throughout the lines of the poem, and lend proof to the idea that Design is really a commentary on the evil present in the world by using evil present in nature.
Salman Ahmed
Robert Frost’s Design is often regarded as the poet’s affirmation of a classical view of God and intelligent design, cuing in on the innocent design of life and death in nature. From the use of pure, white imagery, Frost paints death in nature as innocent design of God. Further reading and analysis of the poem however reveals dark subtleties that allude to a certain idea of a dark, cynical design. The analysis of these subtleties leads to the idea that the poem is musing on the hopelessness of natural life and the lack of choice in destiny.
Design begins with describing a scene in nature. A fat, white dimpled spider is on a white heal-all, holding up its prey, a white moth. On first inspection, the repeated use of the color white seems to portray a sense of purity throughout the scene, from the spider to the flower to the moth. Within these three lines however there are several dark undertones that must be noted. The heal-all, a flower that is known to blossom blue, is white. A flower named heal-all is in a way abnormal—sick. It is not able to even heal itself, yet is called “heal-all”. This irony is extended in the fact that this scene of death occurs on a flower that is supposed to heal, not serve as an accessory of death. Another dark undertone is the depiction of the circle of life. Here, the spider must kill and end the life of the moth in order to continue living itself. A sense of hopelessness is portrayed by Frost in these opening lines.
Through the next five lines, Frost continues his use of negative undertones. The three characters mentioned in the first three lines are describes as being mixed like the “ingredients of a witches’ broth”. The spider is now an ingredient, the flower is now bubbly-froth, and the moth is described as “dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The description of the white moth as dead wings sounds almost like a fallen angel, and the use of “paper kite” makes the moth sound almost like a toy of the spider’s rather than just the sustenance needed to survive. Frost describes the event as being conjured by a witch. This argues the idea of an all-benevolent God, and rather the idea of an evil witch planning this act of nature. The innocent act of nature can now be read as an unnecessary, dark and evil event.
The next lines of the poem pose a series of questions designed to affirm the innocence of the characters in the scene. Since the characters are all innocent in the scene, the questions beg to reader to explore the idea that since the evil act was not a fault of the spider, flower, or moth, then the evil act was the fault of the design. A sense of hopelessness is reiterated in first four lines of the sestet. The flower had no choice in being white, and the moth is somehow driven to where the white spider so happened to prey. Frost is again questioning the idea of choice in life and the dark undertones suggest a bleak view of everyday life reflected in nature.
The structure of the last two lines leaves the couplet completely open to interpretation. The lines can be read in multiple ways. In one reading, Frost could be suggesting that if design is present in such small parts of nature, then darkness should not be questioned and should rather be accepted as it is in nature. Another reading is that we should not be shocked by darkness in life as it is apparent even in nature. A third, and more plausible reading given the negative undertones in the poem, is simply a sarcastic musing of Frost, that the darkness apparent in nature can also be reflected in things that are not so small.
Another aspect to play close attention to is the pattern of inversion throughout the poem. Instead of a black spider, Frost presents a white one. A white heal-all where a blue one is expected. The design of the poem is itself inverted as well. Though the poem is structured as a sonnet, Frost asks questions in the end of the poem and offers no solution, whereas in classical sonnets a problem is posed and solved in the conclusion of the sonnet. This absence of solution and the inversion of what the reader would normally expect plays into the theme of hopelessness.
Frost wrote and published this poem in 1936. It is critical to note that just two years prior to this—in 1934, Frost’s youngest child died after giving birth. Frost’s life was actually full of tragedy, and the reader cannot help but wonder if Frost’s personal life was indeed factored into his work. Taking this knowledge into account, Frost’s Design can be read as the cynical comm.;entary of life by Frost. The hopeless moth had no choice to live or die, yet it simply dies as a part of its life. These dark messages are repeated throughout the lines of the poem, and lend proof to the idea that Design is really a commentary on the evil present in the world by using evil present in nature.
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