Poetry Analysis Essay

Ben Phillips

To express themselves, humans regularly turn towards the beautiful, powerful, and

unknown force that is nature. Many of the most influential poems are inspired by nature. In

particular, two poems which utilize nature as a common topic are The Stars are Mansions Built

by Natures Hand by William Wordsworth and Looking for a Sunset Bird in Winter by Robert

Frost. In these two poems, Wordsworth emphasizes the beauty of the wild, while Frost creates

an allegory between a down period in life and a cold winter, but both poems employ similar

rhetorical strategies of personification and intense imagery to convey their message about nature.

Every individual can have a different response to the wonders of the natural world. From

awestruck reverence to introspective revelry, two interpretations may never be similar. This

sentiment can be seen in these two poems. On one hand, Wordsworth is simply astounded by the

beauty and magnificence that is nature. He writes, The stars are mansions built by Natures

hand, And, haply, there the spirits of the blest (ln. 1-2). Wordsworth opens the poem with a

comparison between the stars in the night sky and an expansive mansion in which all of the

planets can live happily. Wordsworth paints the image of the largest possible mansion in the

universe, and through this shows his awe and respect for the natural world. Frost, on the other

hand, uses a scene from nature to describe a human experience. In Looking for a Sunset Bird in

Winter, Frost draws parallels between a harsh winter and tough times that people face in life.

Humans experience both periods of highs and lows, and Frost turned to the image of a fierce

winter to describe his feelings during such a low time, No bird was singing in it now. A single

leaf was on a bough, And that was all there was to see (ln. 9-11). In this particular section,

Frost demonstrates how during a low point in the speakers life, the world around them appears
grey and lifeless. When Frost mentions the birds leaving during the winter and the leaves

falling from the trees, he is directly alluding to the barren feeling felt during tough times. Both

poets use the common topic of the natural world to convey very different ideas to the reader.

In describing nature, both poems share the fact they personify different aspects of the

natural world. Humans sometimes see themselves in nature. Even beginning in the early era,

humans turned towards what they saw in nature to explain their world. The complete pantheon

of Greek Gods is an example of this phenomenon. Poseidon is the Greeks explanation for the

oceans, Zeus is the explanation for the skies, Ares for war, etc. This phenomenon can be seen in

both poems. Wordsworth writes, The stars are mansions built by Nature's hand, And, haply,

there the spirits of the blest Dwell, clothed in radiance, their immortal vest; Huge Ocean shows,

within his yellow strand (ln. 1-4). Wordsworth personifies the creation of the world as Nature,

and furthers his portrayal of the wonders of nature. Comparing nature to a divine creator (aka

god), Wordsworth immediately conveys his amazement about the world him the reader.

Wordsworths personification serves to further his optimistic tone and his appreciation for the

wonders of nature. Frost uses personification as well to further his theme writing, The breath of

air had died of cold (ln. 2). In Frosts harsh, winter scene, even the air had died of cold! Frost

effectively communicates the kind of desolation that people experience during their lowest

moments through this personification. Through employing personification, both poets help make

their subject matter more understandable and relatable to the reader, and thus effectively

communicating their individual themes.

Lastly, both Frost and Wordsworth use intense, vivid imagery in their poems to visualize

to the reader the point of each poem When one is asked about true beauty, a common response

would be of a scene from nature: the Grand Canyon, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Snorkeling in
Hawaii, and countless other wildlife scenes are stunningly beautiful. Wordsworth writes Of

bud, leaf, blade, and flowerwas fashioning, Abodes where self-disturbance hath no part (ln. 13-

14). Describing the conception of a flower in specific detail hammers home Wordsworths point

that nature is truly astounding. How could a flower be made that is so beautiful, yet so resilient?

Wordsworth wells up emotions of amazement in the reader. Frost also uses imagery, but his

scene is yet beautiful I judged that such a crystal chill, was only adding frost to snow, As gilt to

gold that wouldn't show (ln. 13-16). In this passage Frost is metaphorically saying that he could

not see the end of his low period in life. Only adding (frost to snow) more bad things. The

harsh, unrelenting snow seems to keep piling up drifts in the woods, as Frosts life seemed to

continue to take turns for the worst. Losing ones job, a divorce, a disappointment could each

pile another layer of metaphorical snow upon the drifts of life. Frost is trying to knock the reader

over with the sheer starkness of his life situation, and nature is the perfect medium to express

these feelings. Through both poems, the readers mind is used as a canvas to display vivid nature

scenes.

Wordsworth in his poem The Stars are Mansions Built by Natures Hand and Frost in

Looking for a Sunset Bird in Winter both expertly address nature through personification and

intense imagery. Both authors find purpose in the world around them, and send very different

messages to the reader. Wordsworth hopes to show the reader the wonders of nature, while Frost

aims to describe the struggles of life. Through these poems, the reader gains insight into the

powerful affect that nature can have on the human mind.