Robert Frost's Use Of Language In 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'

How does the poet use language communicate ideas the reader/audience?

Time controls all. In the poem ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ by Robert Frost, the poet uses language with great efficiency to illustrate that time is far from our reach, hence we must treasure our short lives. The poet uses a diversity of metaphorical language, powerful imagery and simple diction to create emphasis on the idea that eventually, everything will collapse and we must live life to its value.

Metaphorical language plays a vital role throughout the poem. The poet implants devices such as personification to better convey the moral of his piece. In the lines “Her hardest hue to hold, Her early leaf’s a flower” (line 2-3), nature has been referred to and personified as ‘her’, evidently transformed into a female

For example, in line 7 “So dawn goes down to day”, Frost allows the audience to envisage the golden and scenic shades of dawn slowly emerging and subsiding into an ordinary day. Normally, it is only dawn that has the ability to give the unique hue of gold to leaves, and once day reaches, it immediately disappears and transits into a green shade, all traces of gold faded away. This scenery suggests how time is unavoidable and how life can end quickly. Moreover, in the final line “Nothing gold can stay” (line 8), it tells us that all that is gold will not last. ‘Nothing’ sums up the golden hue of leafs, the golden shades of dawn and the Garden of Eden, which will all eventually die out and vanish. Gold is often considered as desirable, valuable and vibrant colour. As a reader, we are able to visualize the beautiful and pure hues of gold fading and corroding into nothing, and thus, nothing gold can stay. This finale undoubtedly delivers a feeling of inevitability to the readers, which allows them to wonder how death is unavoidable and how time is out of our