Daniel Im

IB Lang 12

Moosman 4

Design Analysis

Summary: It starts with the speaker talking about a spider and a moth that was found on a flower

and how they came together in order for the spider to earth it. The speaker then thinks and

wonders over this and how it equates it to a witch's brew.Then goes on to discuss design and

creation.

Analysis: Robert Frost uses a unique rhyming scheme that is a skewed pentameter to help

describe the design of nature and how chaotic, yet orderly. One of the notable things is the rhyme

scheme and how it is a mix between shakespearean and italian sonnet. It starts with an octet,

which is the shakespearean, but that ends up resolving with a setet, like in the italian sonnet. This

shows that like the white spider on the white heel, there may be a pattern but how it’s design can

be chaotic. The overall poem’s structure is a demonstration of randomness in the design of life

and how all of it can be a mix of both chaos and order. Another notable structure is the change in

tone. The narrative changes as well as the setting and belief. This is seen in the 12th and 13th

lines in the Shakespearean sonnets but in the Italian sonnet it is between the octet and sestet.

Hence the poem’s title, Design. Another thing to note is how the rhythm is mostly in iambic

pentameter, which is basically that each line has 5 sets of off beats. In addition to having a

unique and quite chaotic and confusing rhythmic pattern to his poem, Frost also uses other

rhetorical techniques. One being Alliteration, which is when words are used in succession and

begin with the same letter. For example, ‘snow’ and 'spider’ or ‘flower’ and ‘froth’ on the

seventh line. This adds a feel to the poem itself making it feel like these things that are
completely random are, in a way, relatable to itself. I guess it is the design of the word how they

relate to each other. Overall, Robert frost uses a lot of uniques techniques and “designs” within

the poem to describe how the design of things in life can be so chaotic yet orderly.