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can someone please help me analyze "canis major" by robert frost?

S

steph90

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 13, 2008
1
0
The great Overdog
That heavenly beast
With a star in one eye
Gives a leap in the east.

He dances upright
All the way to the west
And never once drops
On his forefeet to rest.

I'm a poor underdog,
But to-night I will bark
With the great Overdog
That romps through the dark.

I am a little confused, I know this is talking about star gazing...the underdog is the person watching canis major with a star in its eye (Sirius). Why does it spend a whole stanza (stanza #2) talking about how it moves? Why will the "poor underdog" bark "tonight"?
 
You may be overanalyzing it. It's a very simple, plainly descriptive work, no deeper or hidden references; it is just what it appears to be.

Stanza #2 just describes the movement of the constellation across the night sky, seemingly on its hind legs, never to fall forward as it moves from the east to the west. He used a whole stanza to do so because (a) it balances the work, and (b) he felt like it.

In stanza #3, he describes himself as a mere mortal, spending his evening out with the stars instead of more mundane pursuits.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. ;)
 
he spends stanza two describing movements since he refers back to it in the third stanza by the reference of him barking along side.

the 'poor underdog' is basically going to have an all nighter full of fun since the Overdog spends all night up in pose and moving. the underdog joining him plans to stay up all night too.

the underdog is 'poor' since he is a mortal. and the overdog is immortal placed in the sky.

at least this is what i've always gotten from the work. one of Frost's more straightforward poems imo.
 
steph90 said:
The great Overdog
That heavenly beast
With a star in one eye
Gives a leap in the east.

He dances upright
All the way to the west
And never once drops
On his forefeet to rest.

I'm a poor underdog,
But to-night I will bark
With the great Overdog
That romps through the dark.
Click to expand...



Nice Poem.

It sounds like its about stargazing. Watching the constellations, namely canis major, soar thru the heavens. He is just "an earth bound misfit" watching the "Overdog" glide by.
 
Iscariot said:
Sometimes... sometimes it's also.... a penis.
Click to expand...

Now that you say it, and after re-reading the poem, I have to agree. The whole poem is, to put it bluntly, quite obviously a masturbation fantasy put into verse. As we have many young readers here on MacRumors, I will only touch upon a few more innocent elements:

At night the author lets out the one eyed beast, which "gives a leap in the east". Note the double metaphor with east=sunrise and west=sunset mirroring the stages of excitement in the process. The exploding orgasm of his idolized member described in the second stanza ("And never once drops / On his forefeet") is immediately countered with the more realistic assessment "I am poor underdog" at the beginning of the third stanza. Nevertheless, the author is determined to continue in his obsession as he promises "to-night I will bark" with his imaginary über-organ which "romps in the dark".

I must say I am deeply worried at the thought that young students are confronted with such a vulgar piece of third-rate poetry.
 
ribbonthecat said:
Going to a Mac forum and asking for poetry analysis is like going to a poetry forum and asking for Mac advice.
Click to expand...

except that some of us do have degrees in english or are well versed individuals. or you might just want to see other's people's take on a piece of work...
 
ribbonthecat said:
Going to a Mac forum and asking for poetry analysis is like going to a poetry forum and asking for Mac advice.
Click to expand...

PlaceofDis said:
except that some of us do have degrees in english or are well versed individuals. or you might just want to see other's people's take on a piece of work...
Click to expand...

Besides, where else could you get a mix of poetry, penises, and masturbation fantasies? Certainly not a Windows forum. :D
 
The point of the second stanza is, first, that the speaker is awake to observe this entire process. He is able to watch the "Overdog" leap from the east and dance across the whole sky before setting in the west. Second, the speaker is expressing a feeling of kindred spirit with the "Overdog." He, too, intends to romp, to dance all night without pausing to rest. The characteristics with which the speaker imbues this constellation are reflective of his own state of mind.

On further examination, yes, I agree it would be quite easy to read something rather phallic into this poem, but if this is high school English homework, I'd probably leave that bit out. In college, depends on the professor. You might get a roll of the eyes or brownie points for mentioning penises.
 
Canis major - As I see this poem

When I first came upon this poem I had only four lines.
I was searching on the internet for the word "underdog"
and found in dictionaries:

I'm a poor underdog
But tonight I will bark
With the great Overdog
That romps through the dark.

[from "Canis Major," Robert Frost, 1928]

I didn't know Robert Frost and I didn't know Canis Major,
but soon I found out that it was a poem.

After I had read this poem I wrote in another forum:
I'm wondering what R. Frost wanted to say.

Then I found this forum and the views:
One shouldn't overanalyse this poem, it's just a simple
poem, and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Sometime later, I read the poem a second time
with title and three stanzas set off clearly from each other.
And while I was reading this short poem of the poor underdog
looking up to the overdog (the star constellation
Canis major) I suddenly see a man looking up
at the stars at night, feeling how little he is
on this planet Earth compared to the immense vastness
of the universe and he feels something of the greatness
of the cosmos and perhaps even of the maker of this wonder.

My personal feeling - and everyone can see this poem as he likes.
For some a cigar is a cigar. For others a litte poem can lead
to great ideas.
 
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