This is a picture of Rocky, our faithful, old puppy, he left us today on the anniversary he came to live with us. He was a good boy and kept his family safe for seven years. I thought of this poem when we said goodbye.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Nothing Gold Can Stay
I have just done some of the homework on Robert Frost's poems, specifically "Nothing Gold Can Stay." I love this poem, it has always been a favorite of mine. The meaning behind it is so beautiful and melancholy. "Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower, but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." This poem has come to mean so many things to me throughout the years, the first time I read it I was probably 11 years old. The poem really stuck with me all these years, but the thing I love about literature is how much it "changes", or rather the way we interpret it changes, as we grow and mature through the years. When I was young I actually thought the poem sounded hopeful, now I have a hard time getting past "Nothing gold can stay". But it makes me appreciate the beauty of the "gold" while I can.
This is a picture of Rocky, our faithful, old puppy, he left us today on the anniversary he came to live with us. He was a good boy and kept his family safe for seven years. I thought of this poem when we said goodbye.
This is a picture of Rocky, our faithful, old puppy, he left us today on the anniversary he came to live with us. He was a good boy and kept his family safe for seven years. I thought of this poem when we said goodbye.
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Emma,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very touching blog post. I remember when you were telling Zach and I about your dog passing away in English class. It really is lovely that you have carried this poem with you through all of these years, and also an amazing coincidence that your dog passed on the same day that he became a member of your family.
This makes me think of my own dog, Spike. He is a miniature pinscher and he is currently twelve years old. He is nearing the latter portion of his life, and I have been capturing his life over the years in a collection of over 500 pictures stored on both my Facebook page and my flashdrive. I can't say that I have any special connection to a poem as you do with "Nothing Gold Can Stay," but I'm sure I will find one soon.
It is very true that our interpretations of literature change throughout the years, based on our experiences. The most meaningful works seem to be those that have a focus on nature, like the above poem.
I hope to read more of your posts! Keep up the good work!
I agree that interpretation changes, not just through the years, but it also changes when your roles in life change or your thought processes change. Sometimes a life event can jolt your way of thinking into something completely different. For instance, as I am typing this, a funeral service for a fallen police officer is happening just down the road from our campus. One of my best friends has been touched by this personally as her son is a member of the Indianapolis police department and she fears for his safety every day. That makes me think of other mothers, including Mrs. Fleming, who might be affected by the death of her son, Henry, during the war in Red Badge. While my heart breaks for Mrs. Koontz and her infant son who will now never have clear vivid memories of his father, I wonder what the elder Mrs. Koontz is feeling to have lost her son in the line of duty. I haven't heard any mention of her. She gave birth to him. She watched him grow. She may have questioned his decision to join the force, fearful that this might some day happen. That makes me think too about Mrs. Fleming and why she was so resistant to Henry's leaving home and enlisting. Connections...
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