Essay - Poems: Dickinson, Frost, Auden the Three Poems Share a Common...

Poems: Dickinson, Frost, Auden

The three poems share a common literary device: irony. In all *****, the major theme seems to be human life and all three view it in an ironic way. The poems are liable to different ********** as well, and the authors use irony in a way that could induce ***** reader to understand the texts in the opposite *****. Thus, in all three works, irony is *****d with such craft that it can lead to an ambiguous reading.

*****'s famous poem, Because I Could not Stop for Death, ***** at first glance to regard life and de*****h ***** a certain detachment. Death is represented as a friend or ***** lover that kindly passes by the author's house, to carry her somew*****e in a symbolic carriage. ***** irony is however obvious: the fact that the author "***** not stop for death" implies that it wasn't actu*****y her w*****h to die, ***** that ***** came leav*****g her with no choice but ***** follow: "***** I could not stop for Death --/He ***** *****ped for me --/The Carriage held but just/ Ourselves --/And Immortality."(Dickinson, 78) The situation is very ironic precisely *****cause Dickinson speaks about ***** 'kindness' of death that actually stops at e***** man's gate to take them on a one-w*****y journey. The fact that eternity itself seems "shorter than a day" is again ironic, since immortality seems no different than life: "Since then -- 'tis Centuries -- and yet/ Feels shorter than the Day/ I first surmised ***** Horses'/ Heads/ Were toward Eternity -"(Dickinson, *****)

***** Frost's poem, The Road not Taken, the irony is used ***** the same subtlety. At first sight, the poem seems to be a testimony in f*****vor of *****dividuality, ***** the poet symbolically makes a choice between two roads, one more trodden and ***** less *****: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— /I took the one less traveled by, /And that has made all the difference."(Frost, 122)

However, it pla*****ly appears that, in fact the ***** ***** had been traveled the *****: "Though as for ***** the p*****sing there /Had worn them really about the same..." (Frost, 122) Thus, the poet ironically observes that, in *****, one can***** make ***** perfect choice. Th***** is emphasized by h***** regret that he *****not take both roads and be one traveler: "Two roads diverged in a yellow *****, /And sorry I could not travel both /***** be one *****..."(*****,*****) Also, when he decides for one road, he hopes he can take the other later, but afterwards realizes that this is no longer possible since one decision *****s to an*****, and there is no going back. Frost thus discusses life *****, realizing that ***** decision can change one's whole *****, without the possibility of going ***** and taking a different road.

***** *****'s *****, ***** Unk*****wn Citizen, ***** irony is even plainer to see. The death of the citizen who ***** lived like a saint in the "modern sense" of the word ***** very