post from diana

Nothing Gold Can Stay

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.

Robert Frost


1.What do you think the tone of the poem is?

The tone of a poem often contributes a lot to its overall effect. Here, I want my students to understand that the essence of a poem sometimes lies not in the words but in something deeper ie. its tone.

2.What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? Do you think it contributes to the flow of the poem and its overall effect?

Here, I’d like my students to see the link between rhyme and tone, where a particular rhyme might contribute to the tone of the poem.

3.Frost describes Nature in his poem. What season do you think he’s describing? Do you think his imagery is representative of anything more abstract?

This question should lead to students linking the imagery that Frost uses to more abstract universal concepts. This will be expand their “text world” and help them to envision a scenario that is outside of the immediate text.

4.What do you think this poem is really about?

All the above questions should lead to this one. By understanding the tone, rhyme scheme and the imagery used in Frost’s poem, I want my students to figure out that the poem is about change and loss of innocence, and to be able to relate to it on a more personal level, as they might be going through the same changes / loss of innocence / gain of experience in their own lives as they navigate through their adolescence years.


Siti Nurdiana