Download TheOutsidersNothingGoldCanStayRobertFrostMidtermPoetryLessonProject-1

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“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Outsiders Poetry Lesson
1. Read through “Nothing Gold Can Stay” just once, and write down what you think it
is about.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
By Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
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2. What do you think the theme is? (Remember, a theme is a message that the writer is
communicating to you. It should not be one word, that would be a topic. It should be
a statement.)
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3. Now, let’s do a Close Reading of the poem! A Close Reading involves close analysis of
the poem line-by-line, word-by-word, translating what the poem is saying beneath
the surface, or reading in between the lines.
Line
#
Nothing Gold Can Stay
By Robert Frost
1
Nature's first green is gold
2
Her hardest hue to hold.
3
Her early leaf's a flower;
4
But only so an hour.
5
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
6
So Eden sank to grief,
7
So dawn goes down to day.
8
Nothing gold can stay.
Words/Phrases to
define/translate
Line Summary
4. Now that we’ve done a line-by-line analysis and translation, what do you think the
theme is?
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5. How does this relate to The Outsiders?
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6. Brainstorm things that are temporary: (for example, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” talks
about seasons)
7. Write your own 10-line poem conveying the same theme as “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”
Try to use a similar style as well, using metaphors and analogies rather that stating
outright what your theme is.
8. Find a short poem from a book, a website, etc. that really speaks to you that is
metaphorical and uses analogies. Write down or print the poem and attach it to this
assignment. Do a close reading on that poem like we did for #3, defining words,
phrases, ideas, etc. and providing a line-by-line translation.
9. Next, write about why this poem spoke to you, how you can relate to it, what it
means to you, etc. You must have at least one paragraph.
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10. Provide an illustration of either “Nothing Gold Can Stay” or the poem that you found.
You can do it on this page or a separate piece of paper. This must have a good amount
of effort to get full credit. You can illustrate the poem literally, or you can illustrate
the theme.