Robert Frost

[rglax68]

In the poem In Hardwood Groves by Robert Frost the speaker uses repetition and Certainty when talking about nature. Why do you think he speaks this way

In Hardwood Groves

The same leaves over and over again!
They fall from giving shade above
To make one texture of faded brown
And fit the earth like a leather glove.

Before the leaves can mount again
To fill the trees with another shade,
They must go down past things coming up.
They must go down into the dark decayed.

They must be pierced by flowers and put
Beneath the feet of dancing flowers.
However it is in some other world
I know that this is way in ours.

http://www.ketzle.com/frost/hardwood.htm

[tonyjiangsh1997]

In the poem "In Hardwood Groves", the speaker talks about the cycle of nature because the leaves and trees are mentioned many times in the poem. I think the deeper meaning of this poem is about the cycle of life. "The same leaves over and over again" (1), it represents the births of babies. "Before the leaves can mount again/To fill the trees with another shade" (5-6) this represents the adolescence time which people start to know how the world is like. "They must go down past things coming up./ They must go down into the dark decayed./ They must be pierced by flowers" (7-9) These three lines represents adulthood which shows that everyone will meet obstacles and difficulties in their life. People will feel defeated before they realize the true happiness and it is important to get through these hard times. "Put beneath the feet of dancing flowers" (10) is like it comes to the end of the life. Therefore, in this poem, the structure shows how the cycle of life is like by describing the cycle of natural things.

[Connor Miller]

Thank you for enlightening me with this insightful analysis of "In Hardwood Groves." The repetition that is used in this poem shows how Robert Frost puts emphasis on the theme that the decomposition of leaves goes in a cycle and is responsible for life of nature. 

The trees that shed leaves in the fall, decompose throughout the winter under a thin or thick layer of white snow. These leaves provide for the fertile soil in which new nature grows. But do people really appreciate these leaves after they no longer provide shade. Once they fall they become a key part of why the shade comes back in the summer. So I ask myself, What will Macbeth do next?

[emily appenzeller]

Richard is a scrub. i think the repitition  is used to put more emphasis on the language. what i was more interested in is why must in line 9 is in italics and the other two lines before it do not have must in italics. 

[rita1526106]

Personally I think the poem "In Hardwood Groves" relates to the substitution of human generation. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker says "the same leaves over and over again" (1). Actually the leaves are different each year but they are kind of same as a whole. As for people, generations shift over and over again, they seem familiar with each other for they are all formed by human beings. Besides, the speaker expresses the idea that the old leaves decay before the new leaves grow in second stanza. "They must go down past things coming up/ they must go down into the dark decayed" (7-8) depicts the law of nature, which can be connected to human beings. Old generation is getting senile and approaching the death. "They must be pierced by flowers and put/ beneath the feet of dancing flowers" (9-10) shows that new life is growing on the died leaves. Similarly, as for people, new generations always come following the past ones. I feel like the poem talks about the cycle of human life.

[Chloe Coleman]

I agree with Rita and Tony's analysis of the poem and how the nature of leaves and the cycle of them living, dying, decomposing and being reborn the relates to human nature and our cycle of life as well. Frost is certain in nature because he can relate it so closely to human nature. He refuses to believe he is actually a nature poet and claims he actually writes poems about people. In fact, if you, as the reader, think about humanity and our life cycle and insert it into all the places in In Hardwood Groves where leaves are discussed the poem actually makes a lot of sense.