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Sara Robinson
Dr. Stephen Mooney
English 2406
October 14, 13
The Draftsman Behind Life’s Blueprint
A spider traps its prey in its web. The prey soon faces a slow, painful death as it
knowingly squirms to remove itself from the sticky, complicated web. Is there pride as the spider
masters survival, or is there sadness as the prey meets its final hour? According to Robert
Frost’s, “Design” and James Still’s, “Pattern for Death,” we should be less wary about this
microscopic phenomenon and more wary about what this means macroscopically. If this predetermined murderous side of nature happens regularly to a spider’s prey what is the dark fate
that we face as humans?
When exploring Frost’s “Design,” the poet tells of witnessing a spider eating a moth on
top of a flower (Frost 1-8). This summary sounds like a simple occurrence, however, the further
details within the poem prove otherwise. First, it is important to notice that the color, white,
plays a prevalent role in this poem. The spider is, “fat and white” (Frost 1), and the moth is, “like
a paper kite” (Frost 8). The flower is a heal-all, which is a typically blue flower. However, in this
poem the heal-all is a rare white (Frost 2). Frost even notices this rarity when writing, “What had
that flower to do with being white” (Frost 9). Contrary to the normality of white representing
purity and goodness, Frost used the color white to create a paradox between innocence and
malevolence (Brower 1). Frost sums up the dark undertone of this poem in stanza 1, line 4, when
he writes, “Assorted characters of death and blight” (Frost 4).
By using microscopic subjects such as the moth, the spider, and the heal-all, Frost alludes
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to a more macroscopic pondering of life’s occurrences in the final stanza (Mooney 3 Oct. 2013
1). Frost completes the stanza in writing, “What but design of darkness to appall?−/If design
govern in a thing so small” (Frost 13014). These lines sum up the poem’s idea, “finding evil in
innocence.” (Student Academic Help 1) “Design of darkness” (Frost 13) asserts the beauty yet
danger behind the situation. The reader is evoked to think of the “design” (Frost 13) in the poem
as a beautiful spider web- the home of a handsome, fat spider. However, writing “of darkness”
(Frost 13) to describe the web changes the delicate connotation. The web appears beautiful but is
actually a trap leading to a horrific death. The final line uses the strong verb, “govern” (Frost 14)
to show that a higher power is ruling this situation hence ruling all of nature. The ending of this
poem leaves readers with worrisome thoughts: is a higher power malevolent, what if we are just
playthings for higher powers, is there any sympathy for Earth’s creatures? (Mooney 3 Oct. 2013
1).
James Still, known as the Dean of Appalachian Literature (West 1), explicitly connotes
the dark meaning behind his poem in the title, “Pattern for Death.” Like Frost, Still also
concentrates on the subject matter of a spider, while also conveying paradoxes to the reader (Still
1-12). In the poem the spider is described as being beautiful but a killer. Still portrays the beauty
of the spider in describing how he delicately, “puzzles his legs” (Still 1) around his web, and also
in deeming the spider, “clever,” “fastidious,” and “intricate” (Frost 5). The spider’s sadistic side
is only displayed in brief facades. He makes a web of, “cords of hate” (Still 6) and quickly kills
his prey with, “lust”- also being a known sin (Still 10).
James Still ventures from the image of the spider in order to ask readers insightful
questions in the final lines of the poem (Mooney 16 Oct. 2013 1). “Who reads the language of
direction” (Still 11). By using “Who” (11), Still acknowledges a human higher power (Mooney
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16 Oct. 2013 1). “Reads” and “direction” (Still 11) convey an image of a higher power following
a blueprint for all life on Earth. This image leads readers to wonder if the future, both personal
and global, is predetermined. The poem ends with, “Where may we pass/ Through the immense
pattern sheer as glass” (Still 11-12). The use of “sheer as glass” (Still 12) conveys the image of
an unseen screen- the barrier between life on Earth and the higher world where the creator
resides (Mooney 16 Oct. 2013 1). “Where may we pass” (Still 11) carries a sense of traveling to
the life of the higher power once our blueprint is complete. This is a reference to death.
It evident that in both poems the synonyms, “pattern” (Still 1) and “design” (Frost 1)
contain microscopic literal occurrences yielding macroscopic abstract meanings. The usage of
spiders in both poems provides imagery of complex webs, further verifying the usage of,
“pattern” and “design” on a small scale. However, as signified by the final stanza in “Design”
and the final couplet in “Pattern for Death,” it is also evident that the imagery of design is also
used to conjure deeper thoughts of universal meaning (Mooney 16 Oct. 2013 1).
Robert Frost’s, “Design” is in the form of the oldest type of Italian sonnet: the Petrarchan
sonnet. As in all sonnets, “Design” has 14 lines. In a Petrarchan sonnet the first stanza is an
octave, and the second stanza is a sestet. Since the subject of “Design” is a spider, there is a
noticeable correlation between the number of legs on a spider and the number of lines in the first
stanza (Mooney 25 Sept. 2013 1). It is not until the second stanza, that Frost dabbles in asking
his readers reflective questions beyond the physicality of the spider and its surroundings. Unlike
“Design,” Still’s “Pattern for Death” contains 12 lines: the first stanza being a sestet, the second
stanza being a quatrain, and the final stanza being a couplet (Mooney 8 Oct. 2013 1). Akin to
Frost’s poem, “Pattern for Death” saves the reflective, worrisome questions for the readers until
the final stanza.
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Lastly, it is important to note that “Design” (1936) (Mooney 25 Sept. 2013 1) and
“Pattern for Death” (1937) (Mooney 3 Oct. 2013 2) were both published during prime years of
the modernist era. Robert Frost was known as a poet stuck between the changing times of the
nineteenth century and the new revelations and discoveries coming from times of modernism.
Frost is known for having a conventional poem style, but practicing erratic rhymes within his
works, dealing with imaginative thoughts that attempt to get his peers to think and act wisely. As
representing in the conflicting ideas in “Design,” it seems that Frost himself was facing issues
choosing between nineteenth century conventionalism and accepting modernist theories and
practices (The Poetry Foundation 1). This is also further explored by the use of the simile, “Like
the ingredients of a witches’ broth” (Frost 6). It is known throughout history that classic
medicinal women during colonial times were accused of being too modern or magical in their
practices. This ultimately led to the Salem witch trials, which killed many innocent women. This
historical reference in “Design” serves to reiterate the confusion and mal-acceptance of new
ideals (Mooney 25 Sept. 2013 2).
Knowing the time period and ironic similarities between Still’s, “Pattern for Death” and
Frost’s “Design” it is observant to say that Still was facing a sort of identity crisis as well when
dealing with modern times and values (West 141). In “Pattern for Design” Still writes:
“He is clever, he is fastidious, and intricate;
He is skilled with his cords of hate
Who can escape through the grass: The crane-fly
Quivers its body in paralytic sleep;” (Still 5-8)
These lines lead one to think that Still recognizes the good in modernist theories. However, the
ill feelings of abandoning nineteenth century life and ideals (West 141) could be traced through
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stills use of, “hate” (Still 6) and “paralytic sleep” (Still 8). It is possible that Still regards
modernists as the complex spiders: smart but vicious, while regarding those with nineteenth
century ideals as simple crane flies (Still 7): set in their ways but ultimately coming to a
terrifying end.
Key words and phrases in both poems can reflect the poets’ mixed feelings regarding the
changing times, hence leading into their final thoughts on a higher power’s control found in both
works. For example, as previously mentioned, Frost notes the rareness of seeing a white spider,
heal-all, and moth (Frost 9-12). However, he gives the innocence of the color negative
connotations when describing their surroundings with distinct, menacing adjectives such as
“rigid” (Frost 3), “witches’ broth” (Frost 6), and “thither” (Frost 12). Still’s poem also pairs the
fragility of his surroundings with thoughts of death and darkness. He contrasts phrases of
wholesome connotation such as, “quiet design” (Still 3), “ladder of silk” (Still 4), and “no winds
stir” (Still 2) with paradoxical phrases such as, “quivers its body in paralytic sleep” (Still 8),
“cords of hate” (Still 6), and “speeds his lust” (Still 10).
The modernist era proved worrisome for many living during this time of rapid change.
Robert Frost and James Still use examples from nature to convey both beauty and destruction
that can come from every day occurrences. What may seem as a success to one being can yield a
threatening sense of terror to another being. Reading of the moth’s death leads readers to ask
themselves questions about their own lives. If something this natural yet sadistic happens
regularly in nature then is this phenomenon a small-scale representation of our own lives? Is our
fate already sealed by a higher power from the moment we are born? According to Frost and Still
the answer to these questions is “yes”.
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Works Cited
"A Critical Analysis of Robert Frost's "Design"" Web log post. Student Academic Help. N.p.,
28 Oct. 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
<http://studentacademichelp.blogspot.com/2010/10/critical-analysis-of-robert
frosts.html>.
Brower, Reuben A. "On "Design"" On "Design" University of Tennessee Press, 1993.
Web.
16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/design.htm>.
Frost, Robert. “Design.” Class Handout. English 2406: Introduction to Critical Reading. Dr.
Stephen Mooney. Fall 2013. Virginia Tech. 8 pages.
Mooney, Stephen. English 2406: Intro to Critical Reading. Virginia The 2013. 25 Sept. 2013.
Mooney, Stephen. English 2406: Intro to Critical Reading. Virginia The 2013. 3 Oct. 2013.
Mooney, Stephen. English 2406: Intro to Critical Reading. Virginia The 2013. 8 Oct. 2013.
Mooney, Stephen. English 2406: Intro to Critical Reading. Virginia The 2013. 8 Oct. 2013.
"Robert Frost." : The Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2013. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-frost>.
Still, James. “Pattern for Death.” Class Handout. English 2406: Introduction to Critical
Reading. Dr. Stephen Mooney. Fall 2013. Virginia Tech. 8 pages.
West, Robert M. "James Still: Critical Essays on the Dean of Appalachian Literature."
Books. McFarland & Company Inc., 2007. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
<http://books.google.com/books?id=GHe1aCSKSsYC>.
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