Design

Calvin DeMott Period 5 Fact Sheet

“Design” by Robert Frost

Written/Published in 1936

“Design” is a 14-line poem, or a sonnet

“Design” was written in the later part of Robert Frost’s poetry. It was written at the height of a period in time where Frost was going through much hardship in life. It is written while he is facing difficulties with his health, he is ordered to move south because of his weak lungs; and two years after the death of his daughter. Perhaps this is a reason why “design” is the focus of a Robert Frost’s poem.

Poem: Narrative Sonnet written by Robert Frost which includes nature, much like many other of his poems.

“Design” by Robert Frost

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white, On a white heal-all, holding up a moth Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth-- Assorted characters of death and blight Mixed ready to begin the morning right, Like the ingredients of a witches' broth-- A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">And dead wings carried like a paper kite. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">What had that flower to do with being white, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The wayside blue and innocent heal-all? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">What brought the kindred spider to that height, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Then steered the white moth thither in the night? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">What but design of darkness to appall?-- <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">If design govern in a thing so small.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Is there a designer that governs all things on Earth, from the biggest and mot complex creatures to the smallet and most simple?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">“Design” is a sonnet written by Robert Frost in which he questions peoples’ beliefs in God, including his own even maybe. To add to this, Robert Frost also implements life and death in his poem, in order to sustain life there must be death.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Themes: God’s involvement in “design,” life and death coexistence, and nature

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Instead of discussing God’s involvement in life’s “design” I feel that life and death coexistence is a better theme to discuss. The way the poem is written by Frost, it sounds like it is impossible for the three features to be coincidentally white, I believe this is a fair understanding. It is part of the design of the spider, the spider is not meant to portray evil in this poem, in fact, this type of camouflage the spider uses in order to sustain life indirectly is part of its design. The spider recognizes the fact that in order to sustain life it needs to prey, and in this case the spider preys wisely, using its environment to its advantage. Also, being that this is another Robert Frost poem, he once again uses imagery from nature in order to make a point. I believe Frost uses nature because of the endless possibilities when it comes to imagery and connections between human behavior and animal behavior.