Purpose and Meaning
How do both poems view the star?
A symbol of eternity, everlasting, and distant overseer.
"The moving waters at their priest-like task"
Personification
What does giving the star human-like qualities do?
What does "steadfast" being "Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast" mean?
On top of lasting forever, the speaker wishes for his love and emotions to be steadfast and forever unchanging
"Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,"
Imagery
What does Keats' imagery of "ripening breast" and "tender-taking breath" do?
What does Keats seemingly reject within his poem?
Keats rejects the isolation that is entailed with the "lone splendor" that is the star.
"A sweet unrest."
Oxymoron
"Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite*"
"And as steadfast as Keats' Eremite*"
*Hermit
Both quotes display the sun as a hermit. Emphasizing both it's eternal solitude
In Robert Frost's poem, is he really looking for the star to give him straight and clear answers?
No, he seeks guidance but does not expect an answer; he accepts the star's silence and unmovedness
"Since dark is what brings out your light."
Metaphor, (antithesis)
What does Frost's simple conversational diction do?
It reveals the star's uncaring emotions, unchanging for human desire.
What does the star's silence and disclarity in answers show about what the speaker believes humans should do?
The lack of clear answers shows that humans should acknowledge limitations and not demand absolute answers.
"Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.
Use language we can comprehend.
Tell us what elements you blend."
Anaphora (Repetition of words/phrase at the beginning of sentences).
What does the sonnet structure do in "Bright Star"?
It reinforces the theme of controlled emotion as it builds towards the shift in the speaker's realization.