Oven Birds by Robert Frost

Text:

There is a singer everyone has heard,
Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,
Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.
He says that leaves are old and that for flowers
Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.
He says the early petal-fall is past
When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers
On sunny days a moment overcast;
And comes that other fall we name the fall.
He says the highway dust is over all.
The bird would cease and be as other birds
But that he knows in singing not to sing.
The question that he frames in all but words
Is what to make of a diminished thing.

Initial Reaction:

I believe the poem is describing the agony an “oven” bird has because of the nature that is destroyed due to industrialization. An example occurs in the lines, “When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers.” In the end, with all of nature’s beauty is destroyed, the bird is wondering “what to make of a diminished thing.”

Paraphrase:

There is a singer that we have all heard,
The bird that sings loudly in the middle of summer,
Who makes the trees sound with its songs.
He said that the leaves are getting old and that to flowers,
Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.
He says that the early fall of the leaves is gone
Where the pears and cherry blossoms fell down in showers
On sunny days there will be an overcast;
And then the fall comes that is different from when the leaves fall.
He says the dust from the highway covers everything.
The birds will stop acting like other birds
But he will know not to sing.
The question that he asks without using words
Is what to make of the things lost

SWIFTT:

{SW} Syntax/ Word Choice:

                 The poem is written in an iambic pentameter format. The poem’s word choice conveys the idea of beautiful, peaceful things being torn away. For example in the lines, “He says the early petal-fall is past. When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers. On sunny days a moment overcast,” Frost shows that instead of flowers falling beautifully, entire trees are falling because of industrialization.

{I} Imagery: 

                 Aside from the obvious earthly imagery, the poem also contains examples of dismal imagery. An example of earthly imagery occurs in lines such as, “petal-fall” and “the solid tree trunks sound again. An example of dismal imagery occurs in the lines, “leaves are old” and “what to make of a diminished thing.”   

{F} Figurative Language: 

                 The poem is an extended metaphor for the idea that no matter what, everything will eventually perish, even nature. Even the most peaceful and pleasing things in life will eventually fade away. In this poem, nature was becoming industrialized and covered with “highway dust.”Additionally, the bird symbolized the negative aspects of life, which is evident in the line, “Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,” which portrayed the bird not enjoying the joys of summer. The bird is described telling stories of “pear and cherry bloom went down in summer” and how there was overcast on sunny days. Lastly, the bird finally questioned “what to make of a diminished thing.”

{T} Tone: 

           The tone of the poem was very dismal and dreary, as the poem conveys the idea that everything in this world will perish.

{T} Theme: 

            The theme of the poem is that nothing in life will last forever. The narrator of the poem depicts scenes from a negative point of view. Because of industrialization, the narrator is unable to enjoy the beauty of nature and the world.

Conclusion:

After analyzing “The Oven Bird,” my concluding thoughts are similar to  my initial view. I still believe that the bird is describing how industrialization caused nature to fade away.  Now, the bird sees “pear and cherry bloom went down in showers” and “the highway dust is over all.”