Palumbo, Fred, [Robert Frost, half-length portrait, seated, facing left], 1941, photographic print, New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/98506674/.
This primary source is a valuable tool to use in a poetry unit or as a complement to a novel study of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Robert Frost, an American poet, spent his life capturing the human experience in a body of work that is relatable to all ages. Notably, nature, isolation, and the loss of innocence are topics addressed in Frost’s poetry that transcend time and exemplify the human condition.
Portrait of Robert Frost, American poet, photographed by Fred Palumbo. The photo is part of the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress).
Robert Frost was a beloved twentieth-century American poet who captured rural life in New England and moments in the lives of ordinary people. Frost not only won four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry but also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960. In 1961, Frost, the first poet to read at a US presidential inauguration, was chosen to recite a poem at President John F. Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony. Kennedy lauded Frost for reminding humanity of the “richness and diversity of [its] existence” and that when “power corrupts, poetry cleanses.”
- What do you notice or wonder about the photograph?
- In what time period was this photograph taken? How do you know?
- Why is it important to learn about famous poets and the messages that they relay through their poetry?
- How does poetry affect the way people view the world?
Common Core State Standards
6-8.4 Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
- Analyzing how specific word choices shape meaning: students will be able to analyze Robert Frost’s poems, particularly “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” for figurative language, literary devices, themes, and vocabulary. The poem study allows students to explore vocabulary, including hue and subside, investigate allusions to Eden, and explore alliteration in poetry.
8.6 Craft and Structure: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
- Evaluating varied points of view: students will be able to make inferences and draw conclusions between Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders.
Students will be able to analyze the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost for figurative language, literary devices, and themes related to The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Have students discern the meaning and symbolism of first, green, and gold in nature, in society, and in related events in the novel. Explore vocabulary including hue and subside. Students will be able to investigate allusions to Eden, alliteration in the poem, and the overall theme in relation to that of The Outsiders. Finally, if students are studying Robert Frost’s poems independently of the novel study, they can analyze for figurative language, literary devices, and connections to other literary works.
- Considering that The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is a banned book, teaching “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost alongside the novel study can be a roadblock. However, Robert Frost and his poetry can be taught independently of the novel, and students can form their own connections between the poet’s work and other literary texts.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- The National Council of Teachers of English and other associations offer insight and support for teachers, students, and school districts in Freedom to Teach: Statement against Banning Books, which addresses the importance of promoting rich literature in our educational environments.
- Photograph: William Butler Yeats
- Printed material: Songs of Innocence by William Blake
- Library of Congress Blogs: “In Defense of Close Reading with Robert Frost”
- The Poetry Foundation: Robert Frost
- ReadWriteThink: “Robert Frost Prompts the Poet in You”
- National Council of Teachers of English Blog: “The Legacy of Robert Frost”