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Analysis of The Gift Outright

The document provides an analysis of Robert Frost's poem "The Gift Outright". It summarizes that the poem was published in 1942 during World War II and takes a notably different tone than Frost's other poems. The poem gained significance when it was recited by John F. Kennedy at his 1961 presidential inauguration instead of his planned poem. The analysis examines the poem's themes of manifest destiny and patriotism, its structure of 16 lines of blank verse, and symbolism around the paradox of owning land through war.

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450 views15 pages

Analysis of The Gift Outright

The document provides an analysis of Robert Frost's poem "The Gift Outright". It summarizes that the poem was published in 1942 during World War II and takes a notably different tone than Frost's other poems. The poem gained significance when it was recited by John F. Kennedy at his 1961 presidential inauguration instead of his planned poem. The analysis examines the poem's themes of manifest destiny and patriotism, its structure of 16 lines of blank verse, and symbolism around the paradox of owning land through war.

Uploaded by

raj k
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Analysis of

“The Gift Outright”


By Emily Murphy and Anna Shah
Robert Frost
 1874-1963
Lived in both the United States and
in England (1912)
Forced to leave England in 1915
Background of Poem
 Published in The Virginia Quarterly
In 1942
World War II
Drastically different from many of his
other poems
Recording of Poem
Significance of Poem
Kennedy Inauguration 1961
Planned to read “Dedication”
Instead, recited “The Gift Outright”
(“Poetry”)
Aroused patriotism & reflected upon
America’s history
Main Idea
Founding and history of America
Suppression of colonists by British
“Frost's characterized the poem as
being "about Revolutionary War"
(Von Frank 22)
Themes
Manifest Destiny:
“Frost is celebrating manifest destiny,
but history is kept in decidedly soft
focuses. . . .” (Perelman).
 Patriotism:
He compared the poem to “The Star-
Spangled Banner” (Von Frank 22).
Structure
 16 lines blank verse
Exceptions: lines 6. 10, 11
Instances of end-stopped and
enjambment
Caesura line 3
Enjambment: lines 2-5, 8-9, 12-13
One Pair of line=one thought
Stand out lines
 13
Parentheses
Ominous
Isolation in tone and grammar compared to
other lines (Von Frank 22).
15
Vague
Refers back to unpossession
Shows that the country is still developing
(Mordecai)
Diction
Formal
Anastrophe: 6, 12, 13
Possessive pronouns repeated: 'our’
and ‘we’
Religious terms
Indirect reference to colonialism
Sound
 Lines 6-7: repetition of possess
‘We’ sound repeated
‘Un’ sound (line 15)
‘S’ sound (line 16)
Tone
Initially melancholy and morose (1-
5)
 Patriotic and proud (8-15)
Optimism and hope (16)
Paradox
 Line 1 and 6: owning the land
Line 13: irony of gift and war
Works Cited
Von Frank, Albert J. The Explicator. 1st ed. Vol. 38. N.p.: n.p., 1979.
Modern American Poetry. University of Illinois. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/gift.htm>.
Perelman, Bob. The Marginalization of Poetry: Language Writing and
Literary History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1996. Web.

"Poetry and Power: Robert Frost's Inaugural Reading." Poets.org.


Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20540>.

Marcus, Mordecai. The Poems of Robert Frost: An Explication. Boston,


MA: G.K. Hall, 1991. Print.
Works Cited (cont’d)
"The Year 1942 From The People History." People History. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1942.html>.

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