Robert Frost: Poems
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY ROBERT FROST
1. In which line do you find a paradox (Rhetorical device)? What does it reveal about Frost’s theme?
2. Mark the poem up for its rhyme scheme. In “Stopping by Woods” and “Acquainted with the Night”, Frost uses a braided rhyme scheme. Why not braid the rhymes in this poem? [HINT: How might a non-braided rhyme scheme reinforce his point?]
3. Find the alliteration in line 2. Why do you think Frost uses it to such a degree here?
4. What sound devices make the word leaf stand out sonically in line 3?
5. What sound device makes the rhythm more pronounced in line 5?
6. What sound devices make the rhythm more pronounced in line 6?
7. What sound devices make the rhythm more pronounced in line 7? And why is the meter so increasingly obvious over lines 5,6, and 7?
8. Find the one line that has no internal sound devices. Then explain how this is an example of Form Echoing Content.