Naturalism and Symbolism in the Poem Design by Robert Frost

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Naturalism and Symbolism in the Poem "Design" by Robert Frost

The poem "Design" by Robert Frost is a sonnet written about man's relationship with nature. Frost deliberately uses the form of a sonnet, using the octave for a discussion and the sextet for questioning the fact that there is a force that controls our existence. There are natural characters and some degrees of irony also that give this poem a naturalistic feel.

Frost uses the style of a sonnet in "Design" to present a philosophical problem - who controls our destiny. The octave is a single, smooth flowing sentence full of description. We are introduced to three things the narrator happened upon one day. There is a scene of contradictory pictures. The color of the white heal--all, the white spider, and the white moth all suggest purity and innocence. These are the, as the speaker describes them, "characters of death and blight." The octave has a lighter tone than the sextet. Even thought the tone is lighter there still seems to be a tension and seriousness that flows evenly to the sextet, which seems to bring chills to the reader's spine.

The sextet is a series of questions that reveals a blend of emotions. The sextet brings about an unexpected change in tone. The poet is no longer observing, but questioning. The first question sounds like he is questioning something that doesn't fit in. The next question brings about a harsher image. The last question is the revelation into the speaker's torment. In the sextet, where the issues are raised, they should be solved in the following octet. They are not.

Frost poses three unanswerable questions. The speaker seems reluctant to asks these questions and face them openl...

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...ting there. It may be considered fate. The fate of the moth lay in the spider eating it. It was born to fly near that white flower and feed the spider.

There is also a third reason that could be addressed. Naturally, a white moth would be attracted to a white flower as camouflage from predators. The white spider would use the flower as concealment from prey. There is a design at work but not a "design of darkness." It is simply an order of nature. It can be attributed to survival of the fittest. The final verse however calls to doubt not just evidence of natural darkness but the entire epistomogical basis of the poem. Is there someone or something controlling us or are we so small that is doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. "If design govern a thing so small" questions the result and method of the rest of the poem.

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