Robert Frost's "Design"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that heal-alls are known for their deep violet- blue color but, in Robert Frost's "Design", the heal-all is described as a white flower, which signifies that the heal-all is "out of its natural order". The author points out that the heal-all in "Design" serves as a literary device which creates an ambiguous tension between the flower's conditional characteristics and the part it plays in the poem. The paper relates that the stylistic device of ambiguity is used to represent and to convey the thematic message of the poem regarding the complexity in our daily reality.

From the Paper:

"David Kann suggests that the reason the heal-all is white is because it is blighted; "In a sense, the flower is no longer a heal- all; it possesses no healing, nurturing potential." (27). Together with the OED definition of "froth" this explanation provides us the answer to the crucial question, why the heal-all in "Design" plays a part different from what we expect of it.It is actually very simple now; the heal-all is dead because it has been blighted. Therefore, its color had changed from deep violet- blue to white and its healing powers are lacking, of little worth. This is the reason why it allows such an incident to occur."

More papers on Robert Frost's "Design":

• Essay # 73657 : "The Poetry Of Robert Frost"
• Poem Review # 115460 : "Robert Frost's Poetry"
• Poem Review # 73852 : "Design"

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