Analysis of Robert Frosts Poem, Departmental Essay

Analysis of Robert Frosts Poem, Departmental â€Å"Departmental† by Robert Frost is a poem written in rhymed couplets with three beats per line (trimeter). Throughout the poem, Frost uses poetic devices such as personification, allusion, rhyme, and alliteration. The poem as a whole serves as a metaphor for the way humans deal with issues like death. The poem begins with a description of a scene familiar to many, â€Å"an ant on a tablecloth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then the ant bumps into a day drowsy moth that is much larger than him. The ant seems a tad bit jealous that the moth lacks the amount of responsibility that ants are burdened with. The ant thinks that if the moth were one of his own race he’d chastise him and send him back to work. He describes how†¦show more content†¦Laying the body on a flower, wrapping him in a petal, and embalming him with the blood of the gods. These orders had been handed down from the Queen. The â€Å"mortician† ant arrives to carry away Jerry, and no one â€Å"stands a round to stare† because it is not their business to. This type of thing happens every day in the ant world, so there is no use in dwelling or wasting time mourning one of their own. The poem ends by saying that you can’t call the process â€Å"ungentle,† but realizes how detached and overly organized the whole progression is. The poet uses a number of poetic devices to enrich his poem. The most obvious device used is the rhyme scheme. The poem uses the aa, bb, cc, dd†¦ rhyme format. Frost uses personification to draw a correlation between ant life and human life. For example, the line â€Å"he showed not the least surprise,† gives the ant a human quality of emotion such as surprise. The author also uses several forms of allusion. Janizary is an allusion to an elite guard in the 14th century Turkish army, a sepal is an allusion to the outer-protective covering of a flower, and ichor is an allusion to a mythological word meaning the blood of the gods. T his poem uses a few instances of alliteration as well. One example is the line â€Å"†¦ and heaving him high in the air,† with the repetition of the consonant sound â€Å"h.† â€Å"Departmental† may be taken as a humorous poem at first glance, but I feel that its comic elements serve as a means of portraying suchShow MoreRelatedLiterature and South Africa6676 Words   |  27 PagesSTUDENT NUMBER: 46302522 MODULE NUMBER: THL 2601 ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 02 I declare that this assignment is my own, original work. Where I have used source material, it is acknowledged in accordance with departmental requirements. I understand what plagiarism is and I am aware of the departmental policy on it. Signature: Ndumiso Ncube Date: 25 March 2013 CHECKLIST Please tick the appropriate (√) | | YES | NO | 1 | I acknowledged all source material (study guide, tutorial letter, internet, otherRead MoreLiterature and South Africa6682 Words   |  27 PagesSTUDENT NUMBER: 46302522 MODULE NUMBER: THL 2601 ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 02 I declare that this assignment is my own, original work. Where I have used source material, it is acknowledged in accordance with departmental requirements. I understand what plagiarism is and I am aware of the departmental policy on it. Signature: Ndumiso Ncube Date: 25 March 2013 CHECKLIST Please tick the appropriate (√) | | YES | NO | 1 | I acknowledged all source material (study guide, tutorial letter, internet