Nothing Gold Can Stay Paper

True Value of Gold Ever since man was given the gift of emotions; it is said that happiness and joy are necessities for common life. It gives great definition to life, because most of the cherished memories that are held dear by most are memories of great bliss and enjoyment. Yes, these feelings of merriment are what give us our humanity, but like a double-edged sword, bliss and happiness do not last forever. This thought is best portrayed through Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” This poem goes to great lengths to emphasize it’s message; that each line of this piece strengthens the idea that bliss, and life itself are truly “golden” with the use of metaphors, but inevitably these feelings fade away. Throughout this piece Frost uses the aid of metaphors to convey his message, and these metaphors were comparisons with nature. “Nature’s first green is gold”, now when the thought of nature’s first green comes to mind, it can only be assumed that Frost is talking about spring (1.1). During the winter everything is colorless and dead, so when spring arrives everything blooms and fills with life; everything is beautiful. “Green is the first mark of spring, the assurance of life; yet in fact the first flush of vegetation for the New England birch and the willow is not green but the haze of delicate gold.” (Ferguson). Spring is a time of happiness, love, and joy; truly making it the “golden” time of the year because of the joyous feeling that it gives off. After making this statement Frost adds in the line, “Her hardest hue to hold.”, which contrasts the first line of the poem (1.2). Yes, spring is a glorious time of the year, but it is only one part of the year. Spring fades to summer, summer fades to fall and so on. This is when the point is established that nothing can stand the test of time. “Her early leaf’s a flower;/But only so an hour.”, this further supports Frost’s message by his use of nature as a metaphor; comparing life and all

Cited: Ferguson, Alfred. "On "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Modern American Poetry. University Press of Mississippi., n.d. Web. 29 Sept 2011. . Frost, Robert. "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Poets.org from the Academy of American Poets. Henry Holt and Company, n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2011. . Tennyson, Alfred. "In Memoriam." Poets ' Corner-Bookself. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct 2011. .