The Ice Storms of Life and the Birches that Survive them
             After reading "Birches" by Robert Frost through many times the main thing I see is the comparison between the consequences of growing out of childhood and whether birches will survive through the harshness of winter. I kept getting a feeling of the inevitable and the feeling of carefreeness of childhood. The first image is one of birches bending towards the ground and there are straight, dark trees by these sad trees. At first there was no feeling of sadness because there are all these images of childhood. Then when there is a realization that these trees are representing life and its trials and tribulations, there is a feeling of being beaten down to the ground, or reality. There is no obvious feeling of this; it is just an image of reality and how there is a fondness of childhood.
             The characteristics of the birch and the speaker are alike because before the birch was light colored and carefree in the world until childhood comes along and subdues it, or the ice storm in reality. The boy is carefree and feels in control at play, as an adult he realizes life is not always that way. The straight, dark trees around the birch represent life to me because it is unbending and you cannot see what is going to happen you can only hope. The speaker's yearning to believe a boy bent the tree represents to me that he wants to go back to childhood to be able to bend life the way he wants it to go like he did with the birches and be in control.
             I also get the feeling that once life is bent a certain way there is no going back. In the speaker's case, to boyhood, so he can start life all over again. I also think the bent birches represent how once we grow out of the innocence of childhood there is no going back to that same innocence. The comparison of the leaves trailing on the ground and the girls throwing there hair over their heads on their hands an...