GOING FOR WATER

BY

ROBERT FROST

Summary of Going for Water

The poem ‘Going for Water’ has been written by a well-known poet Robert Frost. It is about why the people/children
had to go very far to find water and where they went. The poem begins with people/children having to cross the
fields behind their house to find out if the river is still running as the well outside their door has dried out. The people
are quite happy to have an excuse to go outside because it’s a beautiful autumn evening.

The people/children, overjoyed, run forward as if to meet the moon which slowly rises behind the trees. The trees in
the autumn are bare and devoid of the songs of the birds, and there is no breeze to sway the leafless branches.

Once they enter the wood, the people/children stop believing that the moon will not be able to see them for at least
some time. When the moon finds them, they run away, laughing happily to a new hiding place. The reference to
gnomes adds to this evening’s magic quality. Even daily work is transformed into an enjoyable experience. When the
people/children hear the river, they pause and hold each other’s hands as if to warn the other not to make a sound.
They could hear the sound of the river, the tinkling sound of running water, in the silence and quietness of the
evening. The poet paints a beautiful picture of the pearl-like drops of water that glow in the bright moonlight of the
pool which in turn makes the slender brook look like a silver blade.

The rhyming scheme of the poem is abcb. Every line has 8 syllables, except for the first line of the 5th stanza. That has

The poem begins with a reference to the well “beside the door” being “dry” and ends with an image of water drops floating
on the “pool” until they freeze into a “silver blade”. The story arc progresses from the comfort of the speaker’s home,
signified by the “door”, to the more dangerous and exotic woodland.

The characters in the story are children who are eager explore the world and their imagination through play. Even though
fetching water is often considered a chore, the speaker is “not loth to have excuse to go”. It is worth noting that the poem is
written in loose iambic tetrameter with a abcb rhyme scheme. There is a child-like rhythm created by these short lines of
eight syllables with the rhyme always pushing towards the end of each stanza with a tone of excitement and anticipation.

The speaker must venture into this new world because there is no longer any water available in the old well. This could be
an analogy for childhood – we can only learn so much at home and we need to leave that safe space behind to find
ourselves in the world.

This is a story describing the children going for water so the title positions the reader’s attention towards the journey rather
than the poem’s ambivalent conclusion. Perhaps, Frost wants us to consider the importance of the past rather than the bleak
present. This is especially true since he wrote the poem for his wife to celebrate the wonderful moment they shared when
they explored Hayla Brook.

However, the poet sets up the ambivalent ending with the inclusion of several hints. For example, the “well was dry beside
our door” would imply its source might also be dry. In fact, the speaker questions “if” the brook is “still” flowing. If the fourth
line is delivered in iambic tetrameter, then the stress falls on the adverb “still”:

To seek | the brook | if still | it ran

Notice how Frost manipulates the syntax of the clause by shifting the word “still” to emphasise the uncertainty. The line
could easily have been written as “to seek the brook if it still ran” but the rhythm would not achieve the same impact. In this
context, the word refers the idea of the “brook” continuing to flow, but it can also mean to be motionless when used as an
 adjective or verb. In this way, the poet creates an interesting paradox between “still” and “ran” and foreshadows the poem’s
conclusion.

Of course, the third foot in this example could be a spondee so the stress also falls on the adverb “if”. Again, this would
reinforce the speaker’s doubt.

Other examples are not as subtle. In the second stanza, the speaker describes the “autumn eve” as “fair”, but they also
include “though chill” in parenthesis. It is a pleasant evening and the colder weather goes almost unnoticed. It is as if the
speaker wants to ignore the threat of winter and focus on the exciting journey into the woods.

“The Intruder”
Maurice Maeterlinck

I.                   Introduction
“The Intruder” drama by Maurice Maeterlinck took place all in one night in a single room. Six
characters felt enormous tension one Saturday evening between shortly after nine o’clock and
midnight. The grandfather, the father, the uncle, and three daughters hopefully awaited the visit
of the father’s and the uncle’s eldest sister and the doctor to check on their sickly mother and
baby in the room. Their discussion concerned the mother’s health, the Father thought she was
improving, but the Grandfather disagreed. The Uncle tried to smooth things over and created a
more relaxed atmosphere. The mood changed when the grandfather announced that he no longer
heard the nightingales. Ursula believed that someone had entered the garden, although she saw
no one. The father and the uncle disbelieved her, but she persisted since the nightingales
suddenly fell silent and the swans became frightened. As it grew darker inside and silent outside,
the infant cried offstage and the sister of mercy came in to tell them she had died. They all
rushed off to her room, leaving the grandfather alone.
II.                Analysis
“The Intruder” by Maurice Maeterlinck is a drama that explores the theme of death. Death
that will be experienced by every human and one of them is the character of this drama. The
death of a mother who shows a tense atmosphere, full of worry and anxiety. The fear being left
behind is experienced by the family, especially the grandfather on the day of his daughter’s
death. Death is something that frightens both those who leave or are left behind. However “The
Intruder” is the death itself. In the middle of the night, grandpa hears the voice of someone
sharpening a sickle, which means related to death. The grandpa believed it could happen because
she married his cousin. It shows the insularity of the family which is contrasted with the
exclusion of the grandpa’s opinions regarding the unseen intruder. There is also the concept of
duality, namely the existence of twos who are all together in life. In this drama there are several
dualities of duality such as light, dark the father says “lighter than here” and the grandfather
says “I should like to pierce this darkness” noise can be seen in the dialog of the grandfather
says “I can hear a noise on the stairs already” and silence when the father says “there is a
silence of the grave, men and women” life while the uncle says “it is now several weeks since he
was born” and death that can be seen from the last page as follow “bows as she makes the sign of
the cross, to announce the death of his wife” as in the last scene where the baby cries loudly and
the mother who dies.
In this drama play there are eight characters appear on stage in “The Intruder”: the
grandfather, the father Paul, the Uncle Oliver, three daughters: Ursula, Geneviève, and Gertrude,
sister of mercy and the servant. In the offstage, there are also the Mother and the newborn infant.
There is actually a physical intruder in the garden or around the house, the character may be a
metaphor for illness or death. The Grandfather is the main character because he plays in a whole
conversation. He is blind but sees the truth more clearly than the younger people around him. He
says exactly what he discerns. His persistent questions about who is in the garden and the sitting
room or why the lamp burns less brightly. He assumes that his family is keeping important
information from him. Other characters think that his mental capabilities have declined, perhaps
along with the blindness. The Father, a supporting character who is called Paul by The
Grandfather. He feels anxious and worried about his sickly wife and wishes that his eldest sister
who never arrives, would appear and end his anxious waiting. He is worn out from his wife’s
childbirth and subsequent illness. He becomes irritated by his father-in-law’s questions and
anxieties.
The Uncle, who is called Oliver appears to be an urban man, he is a supporting character that
a bit uneasy in the rural environment and the stressful circumstances because of a very ill sister-
in-law and her newborn baby, who never cries. He also stirs up trouble in criticizing the
grandfather. While the three daughters act in silent, Ursula stands out for having more action,
such as opening windows, and more dialogue, in speaking with the grandfather. Overall, they
seem submissive to the male characters. The Sister of Mercy, who appears on stage only at the
end, takes care of the mother in her room. She enters to inform the family of the mother’s death.
The servant accused of making the noises heard or leaving the door open, staunchly defends
herself. She has a strong character and stands up to the others’ accusations. The death is a
constant presence but never seen or even confirmed as actually existing and it creates an
atmosphere of mystery that gradually escalates into full of terror.
Setting in this drama there are in the old country-house and in the room. In the old country-
house that can be seen from page one as follows "A dimly lighted room in an old country-house.
A door on the right, a door on the left, and a small concealed door in a corner. At the back,
stained-glass windows, in which the color green predominates, and a glass door opening on to a
terrace. A Dutch clock in one corner. A lamp lighted." that is when their family didn't know
about condition of the mother and the grandfather really feels anxious about the condition of his
daughter because he blind. And the next place is in the room, the room that is the place who the
mother live because the mother was sick and she cannot be seen by anyone. That can be seen
from page two as follows the grandfather says "why could I not see my poor daughter to-
day?  And the uncle says "you know quite well--the doctor forbade it." Anyone cannot see the
mother because of the doctor's command.  Setting time in this drama is one night because this
drama only happened in one night and this drama describe the suspence atmosphere that occurs
in an old house about the death of the mother.
The plot of “The Intruder” is chronological with the elements of “The Intruder” are
exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, resolution, and ending. Exposition is the beginning of
the play the drama opens when The family enters the sitting room, disagreeing with their father,
uncle, and grandfather, three young women hopefully await the visit of the father’s and the
uncle’s eldest sister, a nun who is the mother superior of her convent, and of the doctor who is to
check on their sickly mother in the room on the left and the silent baby in the room on the
right.  Rising action is what happens in story leading up to the most important exciting part of the
drama when the grandfather announce that he no longer hears the nightingales, they believe that
someone has entered the garden, although Ursula who check into the window did not see anyone.
She reports that the avenue is moonlit and the weather fine, and that the trees stir a little in the
 wind. Conflict when Grandfather felt a bad feeling would happen to his sick daughter.
Grandfather also heard the sound and footsteps under the ground, he felt someone was entering
the house, but the other characters did not feel it. Climax when one of the terror and foreboding,
door open by themselves and the rays of the moonlight pierced through the corner of the stained
glass, and threw strange rays here and there in the room.  The clock struck midnight; at the last
blow there is a very faint sound, when someone goes up in a hurry but they don't know who it is.
Falling action when the when problem of the drama resolves. The Uncle, Father, Three Daughter
went to the child's room to see what was happening. Resolution when they saw Sister of Mercy
on the doorway with her black clothes bent over to make the sign of the cross to tell that the
mother had died or the condition of the sick mother had died.
Point of view in this drama to be third person limited because in drama the narrator is not
omniscient and does not know what the characters are feeling or thinking or their intent or good
or evil nature. Such things are only revealed by action or dialogue. This drama use pronoun “He”
for indicating the Grandfather, the Father, Uncle. Seen from “He is asleep?” the Grandfather
says “I suppose so” the father answered. And use “She” for indicating Three Daughters, the
Servant and Mother it can be seen from “She is certain to come. This will be the first time she
has been here?” the uncle says “She has never been into the house” the father answered. It
proves that the drama uses a third-person point of view.
The style used in “The Intruder” is binary opposition. Binary opposition such as male by the
Grandfather, the Father, Uncle and female by the Three Daughters, the Servant and Mother.
Sensitive by the Grandfather and ignorant by the Uncle. Healthy by the all characters accept the
Mother because the Mother unhealthy she could only lie weakly on the bed. Wife by the Mother
and husband by the Father.
III.             Conclusion
“The Intruder” drama has a main character namely grandfather who made this drama have
the theme of death. A bed feeling that grandfather experienced became the main conflict of this
drama.  Supported by other characters who do not feel like grandfather touching internal conflict.
The setting at night is also very supportive in the theme of death in drama. Until finally answered
about the death of the theme and make other characters believe that the oddities in the
grandfather they almost ignored occurred