Question

source: robert frost, new hampshire, 1923 note: “eden” is a biblical reference. in the book of genesis, god creates adam and eve and places them in the garden of eden, that is, paradise. adam and eve are expelled from eden after eating “forbidden fruit.” nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. her early leaf’s a flower; but only so an hour. then leaf subsides to leaf. so eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down to day. nothing gold can stay. document analysis 1. a couplet consists of two rhymed lines in a row. how many couplets are in this poem? 2. each couplet can be seen as a unit. look at the first couplet. during what time of year do we see “nature’s first green”? why is this “her hardest hue to hold”? 3. does the second couplet present a new idea or reinforce the idea of the first couplet? explain. 4. the word “subsides” (in line 5) means to sink to a lower level. find two other words or phrases that repeat this same idea. what feeling do these words create? 5. what comparison (or metaphor) is introduced in the third couplet? explain. 6. the final couplet ends with the poem’s title. what metaphor is at work in this line—and throughout the poem? explain.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the rhyming lines in the poem to count couplets. The poem has 4 couplets as lines 1 - 2, 3 - 4, 5 - 6, 7 - 8 rhyme in pairs.
2. "Nature's first green" is seen in spring as it's when new growth starts. It's the hardest hue to hold because the fresh, tender green of new - growth quickly changes as plants mature.
3. The second couplet reinforces the first. The first couplet talks about the fleeting nature of the first green, and the second couplet shows how the early leaf (like the first green) is short - lived as it quickly becomes a regular leaf.
4. Words like "sank" and "goes down" repeat the idea of subsiding. They create a feeling of sadness or loss as they imply a decline or end.
5. In the third couplet, the comparison is between the fall of Eden and the natural process of a leaf changing. Just as Eden sank to grief, the leaf subsides to a regular leaf, showing a parallel between a biblical event and a natural phenomenon.
6. The metaphor throughout the poem is that of "gold" representing something precious, beautiful, and fleeting. Gold is associated with value and rarity, and the poem uses it to symbolize the precious, short - lived moments in nature and life, like the first green of spring or the initial state of Eden.

Answer:

1. 4
2. Spring; because the fresh green of new growth quickly changes as plants mature.
3. It reinforces the idea of the first couplet as it also shows the short - lived nature of something (the early leaf).
4. "sank", "goes down"; a feeling of sadness or loss.
5. A comparison between the fall of Eden and the natural process of a leaf changing.
6. "Gold" represents something precious, beautiful, and fleeting.