Astronomy And Religion

For many ages, astronomy has had a considerable impact on the thoughts and dreams of man. The Mayan society was one where the stars and constellations were deeply rooted in the foundations of their culture. Many works of literature also have had this impact of astronomy. The poem “A Star in a Stoneboat” is one such work of literature that has this impact. Through this poem, Frost argues that astronomy is essential to the progression of culture. He reinforces his argument via astronomy’s effect on the development of the arts, society, and religion. In Frost’s poetry, there is a clear connection between astronomy and his major themes. One example of this relationship is between this poem and the study of the stars. The name of the poem directly
Throughout the poem there are many images of beauty, David Shaw notes this when he states,”The meteoric stone used to build the wall is fancifully described as the ‘star’ slipped from ‘heaven’”(164). The fanciful diction shows the beauty of stars. For example, in the poem, Frost writes,” And burning to yield flowers instead of grain,” linking the idea of beauty and stars through metaphor(l. 22). The contrast between grain and flowers is one between ugliness and beauty. Compared to flowers, grains appear to be lackluster, dry, and without life. Further evidence of stars depicted as beauty is seen through the phrase,” And a long Bird of Paradise’s tail,” which is a comparison between the path of a comet and tail of a bird(I. 16). The tail of a Bird of Paradise is one of much beauty, moreover, establishing the elegance of stars. About a similar poem,Fireflies in a Gardens, Judith Oster
In the poem, the meteorite becomes a part of a wall, which serves a beneficial purpose to humans. Additionally, having the meteorite become a part of this wall also serves a symbolic purpose that stars help create or lay the foundations for society. A wall is most commonly used to keep things out but can also be used to keep people in. In other words, walls can be used to bring people together to create a society. In this poem, the wall is one that is used to band people together because of the first stanza,”Never tell me that not one star of all / That slip from heaven at night and softly fall / has been picked up with stones to build a wall”(ll. 1-3). The tone of the first stanza is clearly derogatory toward walls, therefore, this wall Frost is referring to at the beginning is one that separates people because of the negative connotations that comes with a wall meant to separate people. However, the meteorite is not a part of this detrimental wall. Since the narrator rejects walls as separators, the narrator is not talking about a dividing wall, therefore, establishing the wall with the meteorite as a