The Outsiders
PART 1: PREDICTION
Read just the title of the poem. What general impressions do you have? What do you think it will be
about? What will be the general mood? Why do you think this?
Nothing gold can stay I think that is a negative poem that will be about nothing good and happy
will stay forever. My impressions is that gold mean positive. I believe that it is positive that maybe is
nothing perfect for them but they get a long and are good friends, but just when everything was good
everything starts to fall down.
Nothing Gold Can Stay
By: Robert Frost
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
PART 2: REACTION
What is your overall opinion of the poem? Why?
In some verses I don’t understand it. But overall I think the poem is very deep and I like that
because it gives me something to think about. Many people and I can relate to this poem because it is
true. Nothing gold can stay.
What lines stand out to you most? What does it make you think about?
The line that most stand up to me is “But only so an hour” “So Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes
down to day, nothing gold can stay”. It makes me think about how Eden was in paradise and in the
book everyone was happy. Then Eden does something wrong, and in the book everything starts to go
wrong, and that’s what I think about it.
PART 3: CLOSE READ ANALYSIS
What does the color green symbolize?
Good Things and Positive things in life.
What does the color gold symbolize?
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Happiness is that the Greasers have no conflict.
Who or what does the poem refer to when it says “her”? How do you know?
I think that by her it refers to THE GREASERS. I know this because nature tries
hard to hold the colors, while the Greasers hardest thing to hold is happiness,
good things and peacefulness.
What type(s) of figurative language do you notice in these lines?
Metaphor, “Nature first green gold”
What do you think the speaker means by “early leaf”?
I think it means NEW BEGGINGING for the Greasers.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
What does a flower symbolize?
I think that the flower means PEACFULNESS.
What comment is the speaker making about time?
The speaker is saying that good things don’t stay for long. In this case the
peacefulness won’t stay for long, and that is exactly what happens.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
What does the author most likely mean by “subside”? What tone does this
word create?
That the happiness/peacefulness/positive things fall down and collapse
What do you think “Eden” refers to?
I think Eden is Johnny because Johnny is now crying in grief
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Why might Robert Frost have decided to make this reference in this poem?
I think he did this reference to the poem because Eden is in grief because he
lost paradise because he did something wrong and God took paradise away.
What mood or feeling does this image create?
The mood that is creates is a sad and negative mood because all good things
are lost. It creates an image of all good things disappearing and night
overpowering the day.
What is the message that the speaker seems to be communicating here?
Nothing gold can stay.
The speaker is saying that nothing good and happy will stay forever but instead
will appear and disappear when you list think it will do.
PART 4: DISCUSSION
Why does the author include the word “gold” in the title, line 1, and line 8? What purpose
does it serve?
I think that the author included the word “gold” three times because the author wants to
make clear and to restate his words and thoughts, and that the message get’s to you and
will stay in your mind.
Select the three most important words in the poem. Why did you choose each of these?
(These words do not have to be in order of importance)
Gold: because it represents how nothing good can stay.
Flower: because it represents how flowers can be really fragile and delicate
Eden: because the author is comparing Eden to his words in the poem and sets mood and
images to the poem.
What feelings or emotions does this poem create? How does the author create this mood?
In the beginning the mood was happy and positive as early spring is happy and colorful, but
as dawn goes away and Eden cries in grief the moos became sad and negative, as all good
things want away. I believe that the author create this mood by having comparisons to
stories and making objects symbolize things.
What is the theme or message of this poem? Do you agree with it? Why or why not?
The message of this poem is that nothing gold/good can stay. I disagree with it because
many good things can happen without getting worse later. And also because good things
can happen without being in a good situation
How does the theme or message of the poem connect to Johnny and Ponyboy’s situation in
The Outsiders? What is the context (what is going on in the book at this point? Why is the
poem referenced at this point in the story?
Because Johnny and Pony boy were all happy until Johnny killed the guy and ran away and
cried in grief in the church.