Examining Robert Frost’s “Design” based on his initial draft “In White”

 This paper is a Poetry Analysis paper. In the paper (6 pages), give your account of how the final poem emerged from its draft version by making a case for the unifying rationale that drives the poem’s revisions. In making your case for the logic that propels the poet’s revisions, pay attention to the verse form the poet has adopted, the tones by which he conveys his feelings, the syntax of his sentences, and the ways in which he makes his poem memorable. Begin by studying the final poem carefully, as if you were preparing to write on it alone. Then, when you think you have a handle on the significance of its form and how its most interesting stylistic features contribute to its meaning, go back and examine the drafts to track the poet’s evolving choices and construct your claim. Here are a few notes of context that may help you: Notice that Frost fussed with this sonnet for over twenty years! Keep in mind that Frost’s poems often address the themes of nature and divinity, contemplating whether or not the universe shows signs of divine order (or intentional “design”). A “heal-all” (or “Brunella” or “Prunella Vulgaris”) is a purplish blue flowering plant that has medicinal properties. Extra props if you can crack the line “(Make we no thesis of the miller’s plight)”.