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Poetry And Literary Analysis Of Birches By Robert Frost

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“Birches”, written by Robert Frost in 1913 and published as part of his Mountain Interval collection, is a poem of childhood naivety. The euphonic piece explores the use of abundant writing techniques, all of which contribute to its layers of complexity. The speaker of this poem is focused on birch trees, hoping that they have been bent by a young boy swinging them; however, the speaker is fully aware of the “Truth”, knowing that they have indeed been bent down by an ice-storm. Wishing to go back in time to the days in which he himself would “swing” birch trees, the speaker contemplates more profound meanings of this swinging. A tendency found in Frost’s writing is an implementation of nature, often utilized as either the focus of the work or just an auxiliary motif, resulting in quasi-transcendental themes. Being one of his most beloved works, Robert Frost’s “Birches” is a poem which, upon analysis of its complex use of poetic and literary devices, reveals a culmination of distinct themes. “Birches” is a poem open to many themes and interpretations, some of which only require the poem’s most direct, nominal meaning. Others interpretations require a more in-depth, holistic approach, analyzing its structure and devices. Neither of these approaches are more correct than the other. A holistic interpretation of this work instills the motif of balance, putting forth the idea that life is a constant pursuit to achieve balance between equal, yet opposite concepts. Another

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