Poem #3

A Prayer in Spring

Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

To which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends he will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

*Reflection
This work is about the author welcoming spring and what his desires are for the upcoming spring. He wants the flowers in his garden to grow and not let him worry about the uncertain harvest. He just wants to be happy with the bees flying around the flowers in his garden. He thinks that God has plans for everyone, so what we only have to do is putting it to action. Robert Frost basically wants us to enjoy our live in the present and not worry about the future. In the bible, God said there are enough things to worry now so don’t you worry ahead. God planned out our lives and blessed our lives so be happy now instead of worrying about tomorrow. I certainly agree with the author’s message and intention throughout the poem. This poem made me realize the existence of God and how he had planned out things for each one of us. After reading this poem, I felt like I was worrying too much about my future and didn’t enjoy what I was in the present. The author used hopeful tone to convey his message overall. The message taught the readers how to live better lives by providing tips referring to God’s words. I think harvest symbolizes our future and the flowers are symbolizing the present. He starts this poem by stating “give us pleasure in the flowers today and give us not to think so far away.” I think this part reveals the symbolisms as well as the theme of this poem. He uses a lot of imageries in this poem. “The swarms dilating round the perfect trees.” This helps us to image the scene in our heads. It is such a beautiful picture that the bees are flying around the trees and flowers. This image also contains important meaning inside it. The author evokes our feelings with his beautiful imagery and wonderful language. I think that’s what makes this poem so valuable.

Poem #2

Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes'

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

*Reflection

First, I picked this poem mainly because of the title inspired me.

When I first saw the title, I thought this poem is going to about what

mother wants to tell to her son. The poem is about Mother telling

her son about her life experiences. She tells him about the
hardships that she went through and how she reacted toward those.
She never stopped trying and trying even though it wasn't a easy time for her.
She warns her son not to follow the path that she went in the past.
Mother's life was not wonderful at all. She uses a clear metaphor

"crystal stair" to her "life" and shows how the stairs are related to her life.

The author's attitude and tone is very loving and caring. The part

after "Bare" is where the shift is. After telling her son about the difficulties

she had to go through in her life, she tells her son that she never

stopped trying and gave up even in that bad situation. This poem really touched

my heart because I felt like my mom was talking to me and I could understand
how Mothers not wanting to let their child go through difficulties.
Also, the part where the author writes "So,boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps" shows that the Mother advices her son
not stop trying or give up but to challenge himself through the struggles.

The title was not just about what Mother wanted to tell her son, but there

was more into it. It was about Mother's love towards her son that is

not measurable. She wanted to give advice to her son and wanted her son

to live a better life by not relinquish but to get through those hardships that

he will have to experience during his life like her mother.
I really enjoyed reading this poem; I think this will become one of my favorite poems.