Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm

1728 Words7 Pages
Literary Analysis Paper #1 In the poems, Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and On His Blindness, James Wright, Robert Frost, and John Milton depict man’s struggle with choice. Although many interpretations lean towards the dark aspects of the poems, the key focus should be about choices. These poems represent a self-revelation about choice: being presented with choices, being tempted by choices, and having to choose. Many of the interpretations for Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and On His Blindness, focus on the dark aspects of the poems. In Lying in the Hammock, numerous interpretations believe the author is representing that he has wasted his life. According to Franz Wright of the Constant Critic, the meaning that Wright was trying to convey is, “You must change your life as I have wasted my life” (Wright, Franz). A popular interpretation of Robert Frosts’ Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is that the author was contemplating death or suicide. According to Jeffery Meyers of Modern American Poetry the poem is implying a “subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy, woods” (Meyers). In On His Blindness, many interpretations focus on the negative mood and resentful tone of the poem surrounding the author’s blindness. According to one interpretation, Milton’s blindness limited his ability to write poetry because, “there was no way for a blind man to put words to paper” (Answers.com). Although these interpretations highlight the dark side of these poems, it’s clear that the authors were presenting a self-revelation about choice. The self-revelation about choice occurs as the main character is presented with choices. The first line of each poem uses a first person format. This format sets
Open Document