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An Analysis Of 'Reluctance' By Robert Frost

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Reluctance Many humans give up before even trying something. However there are also those who will fight endlessly showing great reluctance to accepting an end that he/she have no chance of winning. The poem “Reluctance” is told from the first person point of view and describes the change in seasons which the speaker is unwilling to accept. This behavior of reluctance reveals a human characteristic that the writer chooses to emphasize. In the poem “Reluctance” by Robert Frost it is emphasized that humans should be reluctant to accepting change with unfavorable endings even if it is difficult as not doing so may lead to an empty life. Frost’s use of an extended metaphor induces the emphasis of reluctance by comparing seasons to love. Frost …show more content…

The poem itself is called “Reluctance” thus the poem is probably related to the unwillingness to do something and it is in this case unwilling to adhere to the seasonal change. The title gives us a very basic opening to the topic but does not explore why it is important but the title compels readers to begin analyzing about reluctance right away displaying its significance. Furthermore, the contrast between the first stanza and the third displays the darkness enshrouding giving up. The first stanza use of imagery creates a relaxing and joyous scene in “I have climbed the hills of view and looked at the world, and descended” (3-4). The imagery shows he has reached the top of the world or is at a great point in his life and is very positive but then it ends as readers move further into the poem since he has “descended”. However in the third stanza it says “the dead leaves lie huddled and still no longer blown hither and thither” (13-14). This line is a scene of emptiness and gray. Life is gone and it gives an aura of boringness. The contrast against the first stanza shows how his life feels meaningless and unsatisfying which builds up to the importance of reluctance since one should not “bow and accept the end” (23) before even trying to change a situation for the

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Moreover, she shows that seasons are changing; more specifically that fall is changing into winter. For example, in the first stanza, the author states that “the world descends into a rich mash” (2-4), meaning that she is comparing dead leaves to the whole “world” which is massive. She does this in order to show how depressing it is that the leaves are falling and mixing together like compost, and to emphasize that the world is so precious and when things die, it feels like the whole world is falling; but it is all a part of a change in a cycle. Similarly, Oliver also adds the image of a “crisping day” (19), which connotes a cold, icy day. This is because during the winter, the dead leaves have a crunchy consistency, which is because of a cycle.

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Also in line 19, the word “autumn” appears, and it gives the image of the fall of life, and a time that is near death. Even more, “shroud” which is used to describe people’s heart, originally means a piece

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