Comparison of Dylan Thomas Fern Hill and Robert Frosts Birches Essay

Comparison of Dylan Thomas' Fern Hill and Robert Frost's Birches Poets often use nature imagery to comment on the relationship between humans and the natural environment surrounding them. Traditionally, this relationship is portrayed in a positive manner as it places emphasis on the concept that nature is representative of beauty; consequently, embracing this representation will enlighten the human experience. The facets of that relationship are represented within Dylan Thomas' "Fern Hill" and Robert Frost's "Birches". Both poets invoke an image of nature that is picturesque, serene and innocent in order to convey a message that one can have a fulfilling life if they focus on the beauty that exists within the primary world. Conversely, Coleridge's "Dejection: An Ode" contains a different interpretation of what one's relationship with nature should involve. The speaker feels that a simple appreciation of beauty is insufficient; one must identify with that beauty through the soul in order to be enlightened. Despite the fact that "Fern Hill" and "Birches" initially appear to express satisfaction about the value of superficial human experiences, when analyzed in conjunction with "Dejection: An Ode", the meanings of these two poems are altered. Frost's "Birches", Thomas' "Fern Hill" and Coleridge's "Dejection: An Ode" all convey different levels of dejection upon initial examination; however, when contrasting the expressions of the speaker and the imagery patterns of the poem, these levels of dejection become increasingly ambiguous. The relationship between the... ...rly, all three poems contain elements of dejection at one point; however, the presence of that dejection is tested in Coleridge's case, and increased within the Frost and Thomas poems. It is incredibly ironic that the one poem that was an ode to dejection turned out to be the most positive of the three. WORKS CITED Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. "Dejection: An Ode." The Broadview Anthology of Poetry. Eds. Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones. Peterborough: Broadview P, 1993. 183. Frost, Robert. "Birches." The Broadview Anthology of Poetry. Eds. Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones. Peterborough: Broadview P, 1993. 410. Thomas, Dylan. "Fern Hill." The Broadview Anthology of Poetry. Eds. Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones. Peterborough: Broadview P, 1993. 632.