Thursday, February 20, 2020

Analysis of Three Selected Poems by Robert Frost Research Paper

Analysis of Three Selected Poems by Robert Frost - Research Paper Example After his death, life became tough for the family and they moved to live with their grandfather who used to live in Lawrence, Massachusetts. His mother then supported her children by working as a teacher in a school. In the year 1892, Frost completed his graduation from the Lawrence High School where he developed a liking for poetry. His poems were published in his school magazine. His first official work was ‘My Butterfly: An Elegy’ which appeared in the New York Independent in the year 1894. This was the beginning of his career as a poet. In the following year, Robert Frost got married to Elinor Miriam White. Frost took up different professions which included farming as well as teaching. He was unsuccessful in these and he finally sold the farm for a journey to England. In 1912, he settled in Beaconsfield, a small town outside London. This is where he found the fascination for rural life and nature, which became the chief ingredients for his poetry. After a year of his arrival in England, he started walking towards the path of success as his poems became successful. He published his first book of poetry ‘A boy’s will.’ The book was welcomed by the public and notable poets of the time. He has written many famous poems which include the Oven Bird, The Road Not Taken and The Gift Outright. An analysis of these poems assists in understanding the theme of the poems (Francis 2004; Thompson 1959). The Oven Bird In this poem, Frost uses the sobriquet of the Oven Bird that sings beautifully in the jungle, sending the message of the changing seasons. But a point comes when the bird stops singing. The poem follows two important themes. It presents the theme of modernism and the destruction of nature owing to this. He also uses the different seasons to explain the life of a man and the aspect of ageing. With the assistance of the poem, Frost tries to convey the message that modernism had sucked out all the simple joys of life. Everything is losing its natural gleam and machines are taking over, making life fast and self-centered. For the poet, the lofty purpose of life is lost. For him, the height of life’s purpose existed in the classical era. Like many poets of his time, Frost believed that life’s joys were lost as man moved away from nature. Frost was a true admirer of nature and he believed that nature was not being preserved. The second idea that is presented in the poem is that of ageing and death. The seasonal changes depict the changes in the life of the people. The season of spring is indicative of the youth of an individual which serves as the peak in every human beings life. But despite of all these changes, ageing and death are unavoidable. The word â€Å"diminished† in the last line of the poem clearly reveals the fact of mortality and explains that everything has to end and death is the ultimate end. Robert Frost, thus, shows the different phases of life with the assistance of the seasons. A student of Robert Frost Sydney Cox used to refer to Frost by calling him â€Å"The Oven Bird.† It was implied by him that the poem was indicative of the life of Robert Frost himself. Cox believed that Frost had reflected his personality in the poem and at the same time he had discussed the issue of the damage that was being brought to nature. He indicated that Frost was actually

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Post devolution, do separate or dual identities exist in England and Dissertation

Post devolution, do separate or dual identities exist in England and Britain - Dissertation Example Such assumptions were based on the esoteric understandings of the two labels, British and English, and tended to affect the framing of the concept of a so called national identity that were based on territorial differentiation and the respective identities, nature of citizenship, and social inclusion. The nationalistic identity of any state which is dependent on its socio-political characteristics, may go through various transformations (like devolution); and under pressures from the changed local, political, and social conditions, may undergo differentiation. Under changed circumstances the nationalistic identity of ‘Britishness’ may take a back seat, with the regional identity of ‘Englishness,’ eclipsing the former. ... The Existence of Separate or Dual Identities in England and Britain post devolution period 1 Introduction 1.1 Background History â€Å"The history of England [is] not in England but in America and Asia† J.R. Seele Since 1997, United Kingdom has been undergoing devolution as regards to its 4 member states, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. England has been ‘eventually promised’ a new and ‘Greater London Authority,’ with a separate and Assembly and mayor, while separate regionally elected assemblies are also on the annals for England; while the remaining 3 states have been given varying degrees of autonomy in their assemblies. Thus this entire process of devolution spells out into new territorial contours within the realms of United Kingdom. A look at the history shows us that Britain did not quite have a homogenous nature right from the time of its conception, and the then British foreign secretary Robin Cook, ascertained that the concept of this â€Å"homogeneity of British identity that some people assume to be the norm was confined to a relatively brief period. It lasted from the Victorian era of imperial expansion to the aftermath of the Second World War...The diversity of modern Britain expressed through devolution and multiculturalism is more consistent with the historical experience of our islands† (Cook, 2001). The topic or concept of ‘British,’ after being reviewed by various experts has been found to consist of a large and gaping conceptual void (Kumar, 2000, 576). Historical records, in general, are found aplenty, starting with political, constitutional, social, and economic histories of England, yet there has