The Oven Bird

“The Oven Bird” by Robert Frost
THERE is a singer everyone has heard,
Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,
Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.
He says that leaves are old and that for flowers
Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.
He says the early petal-fall is past
When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers
On sunny days a moment overcast;
And comes that other fall we name the fall.
He says the highway dust is over all.
The bird would cease and be as other birds
But that he knows in singing not to sing.
The question that he frames in all but words
Is what to make of a diminished thing

Initial Impression-
The poem is about a bird that goes through life. In the beginning of the poem, the bird sings with a fierce voice. Then, by the end of the poem, as the seasons change and as the fruits fall, things change. The change in the mood of the poem occurs around line 10, resembling of a volta from a sonnet. The poem is probably about how the seasons have an effect on both nature and all that consists of it. Additionally, it seems that the title of the poem, “The Oven Bird,” is significant to the entire meaning of the poem. Just as an ovenbird will sing until the end of the spring, the narrator is happy until the end of the spring.
Paraphrase-
Everyone has heard this singer
It is a loud mid-summer and mid-wood bird
Whose sound gives life to the solid tree trunks
The bird thinks the trees are aging and that the flowers
Sprout heavily during the middle of the summer.
The bird also says that the petals fall during fall
The flowers of cherry and pear fall in mass amounts
Slight overcast happens on sunny days
Then, the greatest fall of all—the season fall—arrives.
The bird says dryness of summer is all over
The bird would change and be like other birds
But he knows that he is not supposed to always sing when he sings.
The question is not asked in words
The question is about the diminishment of things.

SWIFTT-
SW- The poem consists of fourteen lines, with a few rhyming couplets. It resembles a sonnet with alight changes in traditional structure such as a continuing rhyme scheme with couplets. Frost uses an interesting choice of words , namely “mid-summer” and “mid-wood”. Both give these words contribute to the visual imagery that Frost attempts to create.
I- The poem contains many example of visual imagery. Throughout the poem, Frosts creates various scenes that evoke visual details. For example, Frost says, “When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers/ On sunny days a moment overcast.” The details Frost gives about the day give the readers a visual sense of the season changing while the flowers fall off the tree is large amounts.
F- Throughout the poem, the ovenbird is given a voice, but really, the voice is the Frost’s voice. Therefore, the bird represents Frost. Additionally, the Frost uses an analogy when he says, “mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.” He is expressing the huge difference between mid-summer and spring by using the distinct numbers one and ten to represent mid-summer and spring, respectively.
T- The tone in the beginning of the poem is neutral, as Frost is simply explaining the statements made by the bird. However, as the poem goes on, the tone becomes rather distressing. When Frost starts discussing the dusty highways and the trees losing their flowers, the poems tone naturally becomes gloomy.
T- The theme of the poem is that as the seasons change, everything else also changes. The poem is praises the beauty of spring and summer, while making autumn and winter seem detestable. On a broader scale, the theme of the poem seems to be about enjoying the present, for things will continually change.

Conclusion-
After analyzing the poem, I have realized that my initial response differs slightly from my conclusion. I thought that the narrator was simply trying to express his contempt with autumn. However, now I realize that the narrator, through the voice of the bird, is expressing his concern about the diminishment of his life. The narrator doesn’t like autumn or winter because everything is dead and depressing during those seasons. Rather, the narrator prefers the spring , as it reminds him of his youth and brings him happiness