late love poem analysis essay

By John Frederick Nims

My clumsiest dear, whose hands shipwreck vases, At whose quick touch all glasses chip and ring, Whose palms are bulls in china, burs in linen, And have no cunning with any soft thing Except all ill-at-ease fidgeting people: The refugee uncertain at the door You make at home; deftly you steady The drunk clambering on his undulant floor. Unpredictable dear, the taxi drivers’ terror, Shrinking from far headlights pale as a dime Yet leaping before apopleptic streetcars— Misfit in any space. And never on time . A wrench in clocks and the solar system. Only With words and people and love you move at ease; In traffic of wit expertly maneuver And keep us, all devotion, at your knees. Forgetting your coffee spreading on our flannel, Your lipstick grinning on our coat, So gaily in love’s unbreakable heaven Our souls on glory of spilt bourbon float. Be with me, darling, early and late. Smash glasses— I will study wry music for your sake. For should your hands drop white and empty All the toys of the world would break.

Summary of Love Poem

• Popularity of “Love Poem ”: The ‘Love Poem’ was written by John Frederick Nims, a renowned American poet and academic. This is an anti-ideal love poem, which speaks about the flaws and humanness of the speaker ’s beloved . It also exhibits his devotion and infinite love for the lady who, despite being imperfect, marks the center of his life. Many poems covered the same subject , but this poetic piece gained worldwide popularity for its representation of an anti-ideal love philosophy.   
• “Love Poem” As a Representative of Love:  The poem illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of his beloved and his unshakable love for her. The narrative begins with him discussing the unfavorable characteristics of his beloved, affectionately addressing her as “my clumsiness dear,” and using peculiar comparisons to illustrate the consequences caused by her. Despite this flaw, she provides him the desired comfort of home. Then, the poet highlights how she shows blundering ineptitude when confronting a difficult situation. Obviously, she seems flawed, yet she looks like an expert in words, people, and love. This unique and gentle quality has eclipsed all her shortcomings, making the speaker love her unconditionally. Hence, he wants to embrace her love and believes that life would be joyless and silent without her clumsiness.
• Major Themes in “Love Poem”: Loving someone regardless of imperfections and celebrating love are the major themes of the poem. The poem is a light-hearted and romantic, showing the infinite love of the speaker for his beloved. Following a humorous tone , the poem highlights the imperfections that his beloved shared. Throughout the poem, he talks about the clumsiness of his beloved and the seriousness of his love for that woman. She is not at all perfect and an epitome of ideal love, but he still loves her and adores her.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Love Poem

literary devices are tools that empower writers to use powerful diction to create style within meanings. In fact, these devices help them convey their feelings, emotions and distinct impressively. Frederick Nims also used some literary devices whose analysis is as follows.

• Assonance : Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “You make at home; deftly you steady” and the sound of /aw/ and /o/ in “Our souls on glory of spilt bourbon float”.
• Alliteration : Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ in “world would” and /s/ sound in “the solar system”.
• Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /r/ in “Forgetting your coffee spreading on our flannel” and the sound of /t/ in “You make at home; deftly you steady”.
• Enjambment : It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break ; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

“Except all ill-at-ease fidgeting people: The refugee uncertain at the door You make at home; deftly you steady The drunk clambering on his undulant floor.”

• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate any statement for the sake of emphasis. Nims exaggerates the beauty of his love throughout the poem, such as “Unpredictable dear, the taxi drivers’ terror” and “My clumsiest dear, whose hands shipwreck vases.”
• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.For example, “All the toys of the world would break”, “Shrinking from far headlights pale as a dime” and “Be with me, darling, early and late.”
• Metaphor : It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different in nature. In this poem, the poet compares his beloved with strange things to convey his ideas about love such as; “Whose palms are bulls in china, burs in linen” and “My clumsiest dear, whose hands shipwreck vases.”
• Symbolism : Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The expressions like “shipwreck vases” and “bulls in China” symbolizes the carelessness of his beloved.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Love Poem

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

• End Rhyme : End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. William Blake used end rhyme in this poem, such as “sake/break”, “coat/float” and “dime/time”.
• Quatrain : A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
• Rhyme Scheme : The poem follows the ABCB rhyme scheme in each stanza and it lasts until the end.
• Stanza : A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are six stanzas in this poem, with each having four verses.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines from “Love Poem” are useful to use in a discussion marked by love and the difficulty people face to be with the one they love dearly.

“ Be with me, darling, early and late. Smash glasses— I will study wry music for your sake. For should your hands drop white and empty All the toys of the world would break.”

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A Full Guide to Writing a Perfect Poem Analysis Essay

01 October, 2020

14 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

Poem analysis is one of the most complicated essay types. It requires the utmost creativity and dedication. Even those who regularly attend a literary class and have enough experience in poem analysis essay elaboration may face considerable difficulties while dealing with the particular poem. The given article aims to provide the detailed guidelines on how to write a poem analysis, elucidate the main principles of writing the essay of the given type, and share with you the handy tips that will help you get the highest score for your poetry analysis. In addition to developing analysis skills, you would be able to take advantage of the poetry analysis essay example to base your poetry analysis essay on, as well as learn how to find a way out in case you have no motivation and your creative assignment must be presented on time.

What Is a Poetry Analysis Essay?

A poetry analysis essay is a type of creative write-up that implies reviewing a poem from different perspectives by dealing with its structural, artistic, and functional pieces. Since the poetry expresses very complicated feelings that may have different meanings depending on the backgrounds of both author and reader, it would not be enough just to focus on the text of the poem you are going to analyze. Poetry has a lot more complex structure and cannot be considered without its special rhythm, images, as well as implied and obvious sense.

While analyzing the poem, the students need to do in-depth research as to its content, taking into account the effect the poetry has or may have on the readers.

Preparing for the Poetry Analysis Writing

The process of preparation for the poem analysis essay writing is almost as important as writing itself. Without completing these stages, you may be at risk of failing your creative assignment. Learn them carefully to remember once and for good.

Thoroughly read the poem several times

The rereading of the poem assigned for analysis will help to catch its concepts and ideas. You will have a possibility to define the rhythm of the poem, its type, and list the techniques applied by the author.

While identifying the type of the poem, you need to define whether you are dealing with:

• Lyric poem – the one that elucidates feelings, experiences, and the emotional state of the author. It is usually short and doesn’t contain any narration;
• Limerick – consists of 5 lines, the first, second, and fifth of which rhyme with one another;
• Sonnet – a poem consisting of 14 lines characterized by an iambic pentameter. William Shakespeare wrote sonnets which have made him famous;
• Ode – 10-line poem aimed at praising someone or something;
• Haiku – a short 3-line poem originated from Japan. It reflects the deep sense hidden behind the ordinary phenomena and events of the physical world;
• Free-verse – poetry with no rhyme.

The type of the poem usually affects its structure and content, so it is important to be aware of all the recognized kinds to set a proper beginning to your poetry analysis.

Find out more about the poem background

Find as much information as possible about the author of the poem, the cultural background of the period it was written in, preludes to its creation, etc. All these data will help you get a better understanding of the poem’s sense and explain much to you in terms of the concepts the poem contains.

Define a subject matter of the poem

This is one of the most challenging tasks since as a rule, the subject matter of the poem isn’t clearly stated by the poets. They don’t want the readers to know immediately what their piece of writing is about and suggest everyone find something different between the lines.

What is the subject matter? In a nutshell, it is the main idea of the poem. Usually, a poem may have a couple of subjects, that is why it is important to list each of them.

In order to correctly identify the goals of a definite poem, you would need to dive into the in-depth research.

Check the historical background of the poetry. The author might have been inspired to write a poem based on some events that occurred in those times or people he met. The lines you analyze may be generated by his reaction to some epoch events. All this information can be easily found online.

Choose poem theories you will support

In the variety of ideas the poem may convey, it is important to stick to only several most important messages you think the author wanted to share with the readers. Each of the listed ideas must be supported by the corresponding evidence as proof of your opinion.

The poetry analysis essay format allows elaborating on several theses that have the most value and weight. Try to build your writing not only on the pure facts that are obvious from the context but also your emotions and feelings the analyzed lines provoke in you.

How to Choose a Poem to Analyze?

If you are free to choose the piece of writing you will base your poem analysis essay on, it is better to select the one you are already familiar with. This may be your favorite poem or one that you have read and analyzed before. In case you face difficulties choosing the subject area of a particular poem, then the best way will be to focus on the idea you feel most confident about. In such a way, you would be able to elaborate on the topic and describe it more precisely.

Now, when you are familiar with the notion of the poetry analysis essay, it’s high time to proceed to poem analysis essay outline. Follow the steps mentioned below to ensure a brilliant structure to your creative assignment.

Best Poem Analysis Essay Topics

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Poem Analysis Essay Outline

As has already been stated, a poetry analysis essay is considered one of the most challenging tasks for the students. Despite the difficulties you may face while dealing with it, the structure of the given type of essay is quite simple. It consists of the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. In order to get a better understanding of the poem analysis essay structure, check the brief guidelines below.

Introduction

This will be the first section of your essay. The main purpose of the introductory paragraph is to give a reader an idea of what the essay is about and what theses it conveys. The introduction should start with the title of the essay and end with the thesis statement.

The main goal of the introduction is to make readers feel intrigued about the whole concept of the essay and serve as a hook to grab their attention. Include some interesting information about the author, the historical background of the poem, some poem trivia, etc. There is no need to make the introduction too extensive. On the contrary, it should be brief and logical.

Body Paragraphs

The body section should form the main part of poetry analysis. Make sure you have determined a clear focus for your analysis and are ready to elaborate on the main message and meaning of the poem. Mention the tone of the poetry, its speaker, try to describe the recipient of the poem’s idea. Don’t forget to identify the poetic devices and language the author uses to reach the main goals. Describe the imagery and symbolism of the poem, its sound and rhythm.

Try not to stick to too many ideas in your body section, since it may make your essay difficult to understand and too chaotic to perceive. Generalization, however, is also not welcomed. Try to be specific in the description of your perspective.

Make sure the transitions between your paragraphs are smooth and logical to make your essay flow coherent and easy to catch.

In a nutshell, the essay conclusion is a paraphrased thesis statement. Mention it again but in different words to remind the readers of the main purpose of your essay. Sum up the key claims and stress the most important information. The conclusion cannot contain any new ideas and should be used to create a strong impact on the reader. This is your last chance to share your opinion with the audience and convince them your essay is worth readers’ attention.

Problems with writing Your Poem Analysis Essay? Try our Essay Writer Service!

Poem Analysis Essay Examples 

A good poem analysis essay example may serve as a real magic wand to your creative assignment. You may take a look at the structure the other essay authors have used, follow their tone, and get a great share of inspiration and motivation.

Check several poetry analysis essay examples that may be of great assistance:

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/poetry-analysis-essay-example-for-english-literature.html
• https://www.slideshare.net/mariefincher/poetry-analysis-essay

Writing Tips for a Poetry Analysis Essay

If you read carefully all the instructions on how to write a poetry analysis essay provided above, you have probably realized that this is not the easiest assignment on Earth. However, you cannot fail and should try your best to present a brilliant essay to get the highest score. To make your life even easier, check these handy tips on how to analysis poetry with a few little steps.

• In case you have a chance to choose a poem for analysis by yourself, try to focus on one you are familiar with, you are interested in, or your favorite one. The writing process will be smooth and easy in case you are working on the task you truly enjoy.
• Before you proceed to the analysis itself, read the poem out loud to your colleague or just to yourself. It will help you find out some hidden details and senses that may result in new ideas.
• Always check the meaning of words you don’t know. Poetry is quite a tricky phenomenon where a single word or phrase can completely change the meaning of the whole piece. 
• Bother to double check if the conclusion of your essay is based on a single idea and is logically linked to the main body. Such an approach will demonstrate your certain focus and clearly elucidate your views. 
• Read between the lines. Poetry is about senses and emotions – it rarely contains one clearly stated subject matter. Describe the hidden meanings and mention the feelings this has provoked in you. Try to elaborate a full picture that would be based on what is said and what is meant.

Write a Poetry Analysis Essay with HandmadeWriting

You may have hundreds of reasons why you can’t write a brilliant poem analysis essay. In addition to the fact that it is one of the most complicated creative assignments, you can have some personal issues. It can be anything from lots of homework, a part-time job, personal problems, lack of time, or just the absence of motivation. In any case, your main task is not to let all these factors influence your reputation and grades. A perfect way out may be asking the real pros of essay writing for professional help.

There are a lot of benefits why you should refer to the professional writing agencies in case you are not in the mood for elaborating your poetry analysis essay. We will only state the most important ones:

• You can be 100% sure your poem analysis essay will be completed brilliantly. All the research processes, outlines, structuring, editing, and proofreading will be performed instead of you. 
• You will get an absolutely unique plagiarism-free piece of writing that deserves the highest score.
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As you see, there are a lot of advantages to ordering your poetry analysis essay from HandmadeWriting . Having such a perfect essay example now will contribute to your inspiration and professional growth in future.

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EDEXCEL- Unseen Poetry- Late Love vs. Love and Friendship

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

23 March 2018

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EDEXCEL GCSE English Literature Exam 1ET0/02

Late Love by Jackie Kay and Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte

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EDEXCEL- Unseen Poetry- 10 Practice Papers

EDEXCEL GCSE English Literature Exam 1ET0/02 10 pairs of comparison poems for your students. Includes... - Exam style layout of the poems. I have kept the layout exactly like the exam paper to help students become familiar with it. - Practice question **CREATED TO BE PRINTED ON A3 PAPER** - Mark scheme - Feedback form, including estimated grade boundaries

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16 pages • 32 minutes read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Poem Analysis

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Summary and Study Guide

 “Love Poem” by Linda Pastan appears in her tenth collection, The Imperfect Paradise, published in 1988 by W.W. Norton & Company. The poem is free verse , with no formal meter or rhyme scheme. It consists of relatively short lines. In the poem, which Pastan wrote when she was in her fifties, the speaker voices a plain desire to pen “a love poem” (Line 2) as wild and uncontained as a spring creek overflowing its banks. The speaker metaphorically positions herself and her lover at the edge, watching the rushing water wash over and wash away everything in its flow. As the torrent persists, the speaker tells her partner that they must hold onto one another, or risk being pulled into the current. “Love Poem” offers the perspective of speaker who has seen the effects of many seasons and knows how life can come on as powerfully and unexpectedly as a flood. Two people can hang on to one another through life’s rushing waters, the speaker says, if they remember to hold one another safe.

Poet Biography

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Linda Pastan was born in New York City on May 27, 1932, the only child of Jacob and Bess Olenik. In an interview she did in 2003 with Jeffrey Brown of The PBS News Hour, Pastan said if she had been a boy, her surgeon father would have insisted she become a doctor—“There is no way I would’ve gotten out of it,” she said. Instead, she received a BA from Radcliffe in 1954, and earned her master’s degree from Brandeis University in 1957. In her senior year at Radcliffe, she won the Mademoiselle Dylan Thomas Award for poetry, edging out runner-up Sylvia Plath.

Pastan married immediately after her graduation from Radcliffe. She attended graduate school while raising a family, but abandoned poetry for a decade before committing again to a regular writing practice. Since her first collection, A Perfect Circle of the Sun (1971), Pastan has published fourteen additional books of poetry. Two collections placed as finalists for the National Book Award. Additional honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Di Castagnola Award, the Bess Hokin Prize, the Maurice English Award, the Charity Randall Citation, and the 2003 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, as well as the Radcliffe College Distinguished Alumnae Award.

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Pastan served as Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1991-1985, and she taught at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference for twenty years. “Love Poem,” from her book, The Imperfect Paradise (1988), is emblematic of many of the enduring themes in Pastan’s work, which include the complexities of life and mortality as interpreted through the lens of domesticity, family relationships, and the natural world.

Pastan, Linda. “ Love Poem .” 1988. The Writer’s Almanac .

Pastan’s twenty-three-line “Love Poem” begins with a seemingly simple desire: “I want to write you / a love poem” (Lines 1-2). The speaker’s chosen metaphor is “our creek / after thaw” (Lines 3-4). With that image, the speaker creates a sense of perilousness—a body of water that takes over its landscape, with the speaker and her lover standing by, watching it happen. The force of gravity initiated by the change of season—the melt after winter—pulls everything caught in its rush—“every twig / every dry leaf” (Lines 8-9), even “every scruple” (Line 11). From here the speaker of the poem repeats a directive, saying “we must grab / each other” (Lines 16-17) to keep one another safe from the rush of water that would soak their footwear, and worse—that would pull them apart from one another, that would allow one to be lost to the other.

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Love After Love Summary & Analysis by Derek Walcott

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

"Love After Love" is a poem by Nobel Prize-winning author Derek Walcott, originally published in his collection Sea Grapes (1976). The short poem, one of Walcott's most popular, urges people who have been disappointed in love to get back in touch with their authentic selves. It suggests that this process of self-rediscovery will be at least as thrilling as ordinary romance—and possibly more fulfilling.

• Read the full text of “Love After Love”

The Full Text of “Love After Love”

“love after love” summary, “love after love” themes.

Self-Love After Heartbreak

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “love after love”.

The time will ... ... your own mirror,

and each will ... ... was your self.

Give wine. Give ... ... you by heart.

Lines 12-14

Take down the ... ... from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

“Love After Love” Symbols

• Lines 3-4: “you will greet yourself arriving / at your own door, in your own mirror,”
• Line 14: “peel your own image from the mirror.”

Wine and Bread

• Line 6: “sit here. Eat.”
• Line 8: “Give wine. Give bread.”
• Line 15: “Sit. Feast on your life.”

“Love After Love” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Line 3: “yourself”
• Line 4: “your own door,” “your own mirror”
• Line 6: “sit”
• Line 7: “your self”
• Line 8: “Give wine. Give bread. Give,” “heart”
• Line 9: “to itself, to the stranger,” “who has loved you”
• Line 10: “whom you ignored”
• Line 11: “who knows you,” “heart”
• Line 12: “the love letters”
• Line 13: “the photographs,” “the desperate notes”
• Line 14: “mirror”
• Line 15: “Sit”
• Lines 1-2: “come / when”
• Lines 3-4: “arriving / at”
• Lines 8-9: “heart / to”
• Lines 9-10: “you / all”
• Lines 10-11: “ignored / for”
• Lines 3-6: “you will greet yourself arriving / at your own door, in your own mirror, / and each will smile at the other's welcome, / and say, sit here. Eat.”
• Line 15: “Feast on your life.”
• Line 8: “Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart”
• Lines 9-11: “who has loved you / all your life, whom you ignored / for another, who knows you by heart.”
• Lines 12-14: “Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, / the photographs, the desperate notes, / peel your own image from the mirror.”

Alliteration

• Line 2: “when,” “with”
• Line 6: “say,” “sit”
• Line 7: “stranger,” “self”
• Line 8: “bread,” “back”
• Line 9: “loved”
• Line 10: “life”
• Line 12: “love,” “letters”

“Love After Love” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• (Location in poem: Lines 2-3: “with elation, / you will greet yourself”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Love After Love”

Rhyme scheme, “love after love” speaker, “love after love” setting, literary and historical context of “love after love”, more “love after love” resources, external resources.

A Reading of the Poem — Watch poet Linton Kwesi Johnson's recitation of "Love After Love" via the BBC.

The Poet's Biography — Read about Derek Walcott's life and work at the Poetry Foundation.

A Recitation by Oprah — Listen to a reading of "Love After Love" by Oprah Winfrey.

An Interview with the Poet — Watch a 2010 interview with Derek Walcott that includes readings of some of his poetry.

The Poet as Nobel Laureate — Read a biography of Derek Walcott, his citation for the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature, and his Nobel lecture at the Nobel Prize website.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Derek Walcott

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A Late Walk by Robert Frost: Easy Summary, Analysis and Meaning

The magic of poetry is that it subtly touches your heart, without even you knowing it. Sometimes it strikes a similar chord and plays music that reminds you of a song that you’ve heard before. It brings out empathy, happiness, agony, and a mix of other feelings. This is what makes poetry so powerful. And Robert Frost’s “A Late Walk” is the prime example of such poetry.

“A Late Walk” is a poem that progresses linearly, with each word and sentence meaning exactly what it is, and that is until you come to the final two sentences. Frost has a very unique way of twisting and changing the meaning of an entire poem with just one or two sentences. In this poem, he does not change the entire meaning of the poem but makes it a metaphorical poem from a literal one.

We think it is very important that readers should understand the tiny complexities of this poem to truly appreciate how beautiful “A Late Walk” is, along with Frost’s writing. So here’s an article with the entire meaning of the poem “A Late Walk”, along with its summary, analysis, and all the literary devices used. Before we get into the meaning, take a look at the poem.

A Late Walk by Robert Frost

When I go up through the mowing field, The headless aftermath, Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew, Half closes the garden path.

And when I come to the garden ground, The whir of sober birds Up from the tangle of withered weeds Is sadder than any words.

A tree beside the wall stands bare, But a leaf that lingered brown, Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought, Comes softly rattling down.

I end not far from my going forth By picking the faded blue Of the last remaining aster flower To carry again to you.

Meaning and Summary

“A Late Walk” is a poem that seems to describe the changes we see in our surroundings when autumn arrives, and the pleasant colors of the spring turn into dull colors of dying leaves and withering flowers. On the surface level, that is exactly what this poem means. But this meaning is taken to another context when the last two lines are presented.

We have seen many people assume that the meaning of this poem is just that it is too late to walk during autumn and Frost, being a lover of nature and everything that comes out of it feels sad and depressed by seeing the barren scenes. While it is true that Frost’s poems are almost always influenced by nature and the environment, this poem holds more than what “meets the eyes”.

The poem is a metaphor for the inevitable loss that is certain in everyone’s lives. We all know from the very moment that we get something that one day, we will lose it. It could be something as small and insignificant as a pen, or a toy, to something invaluable like friends, family, and loved ones. No matter what or who we have in our lives, one day we will lose them. This applies to our own lives as well.

This complex idea is portrayed with the help of the coming of autumn. As Frost walks and looks around him, all he sees is a mere hazy remnant of what used to be. Bright, colorful flowers, lush green trees, chirping birds, etc. All of that is gone, and just a faded memory remains.

This is an allegory to life, where once everyone has everything at some point in their lives, it is certain that they will lose it all. That’s just life. Every person that you love, know, everything that you call yours, all are bound to be taken away from you. The coming of autumn is used to portray this inevitable event.

But as with most of Frost’s poems, these complex ideas are not presented simply. One must look at his works carefully to find them out. Let’s do a line-by-line analysis and see how the poem turns from a literal description of coming autumn to an allegory for life and all its complexities.

Analyzing A Late Walk by Robert Frost

The poem is divided into four stanzas. The first three stanzas are just used to describe the entire scene that the poet is seeing. We’ll look at each stanza separately and see what purpose they serve in the poem.

The first stanza is used to set up the scene and describe what the poet is seeing. The way Frost describes the scene leaves no need for conveying what he is feeling. The line “headless aftermath” alone is capable of doing that. Here, “headless aftermath” means the mowed fields that were once covered with lush crops. The season has come to harvest the field and after the harvest, we all know what is left.

The field looks like a smooth-laid thatch with heavy dew, as only the bottom part of the crop that’s not needed remains. These hollow straws are the “headless beings” that remain after the aftermath. Even the garden path is half closed due to the remnants of the field.

Here’s an interesting line that grounds the readers to reality. The scene that Frost is describing is not meant just to describe his feelings. This is actually what he is seeing and it is serving as a parallel to what’s going on in his life. When he mentions “the whir of sober birds”, it is meant to show that these birds are now looking at the world around them, and the joy of spring is gone. The “drunkenness” of spring can only last so long, and now they have to get back to surviving.

So not just the sight is depressing, even the sounds are depressing as well. Withered weeds, dry, dead grounds, and the depressing sounds of sad birds all just make walking around the scene more and more difficult.

Two things are beautifully conveyed in this poem using just one sentence. As Frost walks ahead, he sees a bare tree that has lost all its leaves. That is a depressing sight in itself, but it gets more depressing. There is just one, brown leaf that was remaining on the tree, and even that falls slowly.

Frost thinks that it was his thought that made the leaf fall. What this line tells us more about the scene is how quiet the whole scene is. There’s hardly any wind blowing, everything is just dead. And it also shows how strongly Frost is affected by this scene that even the leaf could sense his thoughts.

This is the last stanza of the poem and the only stanza that does not describe what the poet is seeing, rather it tells what the poet is doing. The reason why he came on this “late walk”. After seeing all these depressing things, Frost decides to cut his walk short and return home. This comes just as he sees a faded blue aster flower, one of the last remaining flowers. He picks it up and then ends the poem by saying “To carry again to you”. This is the most powerful sentence in the poem as it completely changes the meaning of the poem. This is the line that makes this poem from a literal description of the scene to a metaphor for life.

Just like the scene Frost saw, life is very similar. Death approaches slowly and soon our lives become dull and empty. Frost did not want to walk anymore, signifying he did not want to think about the end that would come one day, and his walk was interrupted by this blue aster flower.

The blue aster flower which is described to have a “fading” blue color represents the moments in our lives that make us happy. These are the moments that become memories, something worth holding on to, something that takes away the fear and pain of a dwindling life. And that’s how this poem turns into a metaphor for life.

So in summary, Frost is taking a walk out in the open and sees all the signs of fading spring on oncoming autumn. The fields are harvested, the flowers are gone, trees are brown and bare, and the birds are dull. All this reminds him of the life that slowly leads to such sadness. When all the happiness fades away slowly but surely.

But then in the end his thought (and walk) is interrupted when he finds a fading blue aster flower, which he picks and takes back to someone he loves. This represents the moments of happiness that you need to find to feel good while life marches towards a sad and dull end.

Who was this Poem for?

The last line introduces a question that is irrelevant to the poem, yet it is something worth finding out. Who was this poem for? Who is the “you” that Frost is bringing the flower to? If we were to place our best guesses, it would be his wife.

Frost was married to Elinor Frost in 1895. She died in 1938 of breast cancer, but she had suffered from a heart condition her entire life. Perhaps this was the reason Frost felt about the inevitable end. Having a prolonged heart condition could lead to many problems. Perhaps Frost knew that something might happen to his wife, and yet he walked to collect fading blue flowers.

Literary Devices in the Poem

Metaphors: There is no dearth of metaphors in the poem. Let’s take a look at all of them,

The headless aftermath – refers to the harvested crops The whir of sober bird s – The dull sound of birds Is sadder than any words . – Again, the dull and sad sound of birds A tree beside the wall stands bare , – A tree that has no leaves Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought , – Moved due to being dry Of the last remaining aster flower To carry again to you . – Bring back something beautiful even when everything is fading into sadness.

Alliteration : Here are all the examples of alliteration used in the poem:

And when I come to the g arden g round, Up from the tangle of w ithered w eeds But a l eaf that l ingered brown, D isturbed, I d oubt not, by my thought

Rhyme Scheme: The rhyming scheme of the poem “A Late Walk” is ABCB , meaning that the second line rhymes with the last line of each stanza. The meter ranges from dactylic to iambic.

Imagery : The entire poem is supported by imagery. All the stanzas except the last one use imagery. Imagery is used powerfully here, showing the bareness and dryness of the world around. Imagery is used to convey the meaning of the poem properly.

There are many hidden meanings in Robert Frost’s poems. From the ever-popular “The Road Not Taken” to “A Late Walk”, all these poems used imagery, metaphors, and other literary devices to tell us a deeper meaning usually connected with human emotions and behavior. This poem delivers a strong message on the reality of life, and the poet’s way of coming to terms with it. It is accepting a bitter truth, but not losing hope or the will to find happiness, even when everything else is falling apart. “A Late Walk” is a poem worth reading, and with such an important meaning behind it, the poem becomes even better.

• The Sound of Trees by Robert Frost: Complete Analysis and Meaning of the Poem
• Stars by Robert Frost: Meaning and Complete Analysis
• 10 Best Robert Frost Poems that are as Good as The Road Not Taken

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Late March by Edward Hirsch: poem analysis

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This is an analysis of the poem Late March that begins with:

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