Design by Robert Frost

There are various images within this classic fourteen-line poem that describe the overall theme of design Robert Frost wanted to pick out. One word that pops up over the course of the poem would be the color white. White is used to put a definite color in the objects Frost discusses over other colors. On the other hand there is an image that is contrasted to the frequently used white, which is death that also plays the role of a characteristic held by some objects. A subtle image is the flower used for the web, giving it a lovely appearance to all who see it. The constantly used color description takes on the same action as an adjective throughout the poem connecting the idea of a spider’s web to a deathly design.
The word white plays a critical role within the dissecting of this poem because of the visuals it gives the reader. While I was reading this, the word white pops up again and again showing the contrast between the main white objects and the darkness of night. For the title, design pertains to the spider’s web, where the web holds some kind of intriguing beauty of white that captivates insects within its grasp. In this poem, the first three lines all contain the word white, setting up the overall idea of the poem. From the first three lines, the reader obtains the images of a spider with its web, holding up a moth trapped within a cocoon ready to be consumed for dinner. This poem seems to be divided to show the first part planning out what the characters are doing with numerous accounts of simile use.
In the latter half of the poem lays the meaning of the characters actions and also how the web has power in the darkness. That “flower” is an image given to the spider’s web where the spider had to get up to a certain height to spin its web. After this feat, the moth was pushed towards the web and caught in its hold ultimately to the moth’s death. The last two lines question how the web contains such a darkness contrasted with its white color where design is the goal of the spider.

Pictures URL:
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