Essay Questions

How does the image of the pond in "The Pond" reflect the human soul?

Church dedicates the entire second stanza of "The Pond" to the description of this very relationship. He argues that the situation of the pond reflects that of the soul of a man who has been betrayed by his friends. The coldness applied to the pond by its environment is equivalent to the coldness with which the man's friends have treated him. This man "hardens at this lack of charity / And to the world presents a rigid face, / Offended love fast-frozen at its source." He presents a firm façade of stability to the world, which is paralleled by the frozen surface of the lake, which seems impenetrable. The water in the lake shows no movement, as it did in summer days, reflecting the changing of the man's face (laughing, smiling, etc.) in the days when he trusted his friends. Like the warm wind, moreover, Church argues that something will always come and thaw the man's frozen heart.

What is the message of "Be Frugal?"

Unlike what the title may seem to imply, the message of "Be Frugal" has nothing to do with saving money. It actually concerns itself with the extravagance with which one bestows his love on others. The message of the poem is a warning: do not give away your love too quickly or too freely. If you do, then it might accidentally create an unfortunate situation where your love fades away, while the other person's reciprocal love might not do so; as Church writes, "Lest you should kindle in return / Love like your own, that may survive / Long after yours has ceased to burn."

This scenario is an unpleasant one for many reasons. Church pretty well summarizes these perils in the closing stanza of the poem:

"For in life’s later years you may
Meet with the ghost of what you woke
And shattered at a second stroke.
God help you on that fatal day."