Design By Robert Frost Meaning

Zeinab Wasfy

Engl 343-01

Prof. David Hadbawnik

23rd of May 2016

Designing Meaning: An Analysis on Frost’s “Design”

The term “religious” is not an adjective ordinarily used to describe Robert Frost’s poetry, however, “Design” mediates an old philosophical question of whether or not evidence of conscious design indicates the existence of a deity(whether evil, good or benign). The transcended self in poetry is usually associated with creativity and emotion rather than the concern over the existence of divinity, or more so, evil divinity. The poem details an event of nature intricately and attempts to interpret its meaning for humanity. Within “Design” the speaker sustains the idea that the existence of higher power controlling and inspiring purpose will eventually breakthrough humanity and reveals itself in subtle ways. In attempt to explore the idea of searching for meaning, purpose and order within religion; “Design” by Robert Frost will be used to interpret the different ways in

Once again, some other force designing the situation has placed them together. The partly ambiguous, “what but design of darkness to appall” (Frost 13) comes as something taken for granted, a relief almost, in its mere statement and generalization, after the almost unbearable actuality and particularity of what has come before. Frost expands on the idea that perhaps life was made to “appall” but if that’s the case then life seems to be heavily embedded with evil and misfortune. Perhaps this poem is not questioning religion but merely questioning meaning behind the essence of life. In this line Frost tries to allow the reader to experience what it’s like for life to have an impending notion to