A
Summary of “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
The poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” written by Robert
Frost, has many hidden meanings and literary devices you might not realize or
recognize. I found meaning in every line
that isn't apparent at first glance.
Take
the first line for example: “Nature’s first green is gold.” Robert Frost uses a metaphor here, saying
that “green is gold.” I also see a
hidden meaning in this line that is apparent in pretty much the rest of the
poem as well. Robert Frost adds
chronology to nature in an elegant form only apparent in poems. He doesn’t merely say “The green went away,”
but instead uses lines such as “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue
to hold.” Not only is the progress of
time apparent in these lines, but also personification, making an inanimate
object act as a human, and alliteration, the repetition of the first consonant
sound.
Another
literary device present in the poem is a form of iambic meter. Saying the poem aloud gives a rhythm similar
to a heartbeat. As the poem carries on, nature’s degradation continues. Later lines give more examples of the passage
of time, and the poem ends with the most memorable line, not to mention the
title of the poem, “Nothing gold can stay.”
Clearly,
this poem is full of hidden meaning and the passage of time in nature. Frost’s literary devices fit well with the
overall sad mood of the poem. I can see
why he is a beloved American poet.
by Top Lee, 8th grade
by Top Lee, 8th grade
