In “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost, the narrator goes through his night saying where he is and how he is alone. Considering the fact that he doesn’t make eye contact, it shows that he is incapable of interacting with other people. Unfortunately, we never find out what makes the narrator so dejected, but Frost lets us know in his writing how the narrator handles things throughout his late night walking in the city. This poem articulates depression, loneliness, and isolation.
Robert Frost's poem, "Acquainted with the Night," expresses depression. The first line says, "I have been one acquainted with the night" ("Acquainted"). This first line shows that night is a metaphor for depression. The narrator has been acquainted with unhappiness, not just a night. "Against the cityscape the persona sketches the street and the watchman as symbols of potential safety. But against the dark night of the city they produce nothing but despair" (Murray). It is evident that Frost is trying to display the narrator’s battle with sadness and hopelessness. The night could also represent death; therefore, it can make you assume that his depression is a result of losing someone he knew. Something is keeping him awake while others usually would be sleeping at this time. Another line, "I have walked out in rain - and back in rain" ("Acquainted") has the phrase "in rain" twice. This repetition is to set a dismal tone and make you think how awful walking in the rain at night would actually be. It shows how his misery stays constant. "It is the fear of discerning little or nothing in the rainy night. He yearns for an approachable order that societal institutions (the watchman), constructions (the city), and conventions cannot offer and have no...
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...ses such themes as sorrow and aloneness, basically all negative feelings associated with the gloomy night.
Works Cited
"Acquainted with the Night." Poetry for Students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 1-21. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.
Frost, Robert, "Acquainted with the Night," in Complete Poems of Robert Frost, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1967, p. 324; originally published in West-Running Brook, Henry Holt, 1928.
Keat Murray, "Robert Frost's Portrait of a Modern Mind: The Archetypal Resonance of ‘Acquainted with the Night,’" in Midwest Quarterly, Vol. 41, No. 4, summer 2000, pp. 370-84.
Kyoko Amano, "Frost's ‘Acquainted with the Night,’" in Explicator, Vol. 65, No. 1, Fall 2006, pp. 39-42.
Melodie Monahan, Critical Essay on "Acquainted with the Night," in Poetry for Students, Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010.
Gerber, Philip L. Robert Frost. Ed. Kenneth Eble. Boston: Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1982. The. 124-125 Lentricchia, Frank.
Selected Poems by Robert Frost, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2001 3.Graham, Judith, ed. Current Biography Yearbook Vol. 1962, New York: The H.W Wilson Company, 1993 4.Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, New York: Penguin Group, 1962 5.Weir, Peter. Dead Poets Society, 1989
Our speaker seems a solemn individual. One, whom explores a city alone and by night, a favorable past time for anybody who does not want to be bothered. Yet, as evidenced in the form of the poem, our speaker seems to feel a spark of excitement when human interaction becomes a possibility within our story. However, it seems that our poet, Robert Frost, displays an uncanny knack for misdirection throughout the entirety of this poem, and unless we meticulously pick this poem apart, we may miss the real meaning behind Frost 's words. Case in point: At first glance, this poem, about a lonely individual, appears to focus on their desire for human companionship, but, just perhaps, our speaker is actually loath to admit his true feelings, that companionship is what they desire the least.
Frost is far more than the simple agrarian writer some claim him to be. He is deceptively simple at first glance, writing poetry that is easy to understand on an immediate, superficial level. Closer examination of his texts, however, reveal his thoughts on deeply troubling psychological states of living in a modern world. As bombs exploded and bodies piled up in the World Wars, people were forced to consider not only death, but the aspects of human nature that could allow such atrocities to occur. By using natural themes and images to present modernist concerns, Frost creates poetry that both soothes his readers and asks them to consider the true nature of the world and themselves.
Frost’s application of diction in “Acquainted With the Night” expresses the meaning that hard times provides isolation through key words that provide the audience with proof that the speaker is communicating a detached mood. In line 1, “acquainted,” is a vital use of diction to show the meaning. The word acquainted means to know very well. When the speaker is saying he is “acquainted with the night” in line 1, he is indicating that he is familiar with the lonely night. By being “acquainted” with darkness, or the night, in his life, the speaker is illustrating how being in an isolated state of life is not new to him. The meaning of detached feelings because of hardships is revealed
In this poem, the speaker stopped by the woods on a winter evening observing its beauty while wrestling with himself about the idea of returning to the warmth of the village he lives in or stay and watch the snow fill up the freezing woods. “This poem illustrates many of the qualities most characteristic of Frost, including the attention to natural detail, the relationship between humans and nature, and the strong theme suggested by individual lines” (Explanation of: 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening). The speaker’s tone appears to be pensive as he wants to stay in the woods longer, but concedes that he has certain responsibilities to fulfill like travelling before resting. It is as if this outdoorsy person adores nature and needs to be a part of the
In the poem “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost, the Romantic poet explores the idea of humanity through nature. This sonnet holds a conversational tone with a depressing mood as the man walks in the dark city trying to gain knowledge about his “inner self”. The narrator takes a stroll at night to embrace the natural world but ignores the society around him. His walk allows him to explore his relationship with nature and civilization. In “Acquainted with the Night”, the narrator emphasizes his isolation from the society by stating his connectivity with the natural world.
Waggoner, Hyatt H. "A Writer of Poems: The Life and Work of Robert Frost," The Times Literary Supplement. April 16, 1971, 433-34.
- Frost, Robert. “Acquainted With the Night.” Robert Frost: Selected Poems. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 58-59
The poem consists of an undeniable narrative structure. Told from the third person, Poe also uses symbolism to create a strong melancholy tone. For instance, both midnight and December symbolize an end of something and the hope of something new to happen. Another example is the chamber in which the narrator is placed, this is used to show the loneliness of the man.
Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7Th Ed. Nina
Frost, Robert. “The Birds Do Thus.” Singspirations. Singspirations, 3 March 2012. Web. 20 March 2014.
Robert Frost is one of America’s most loved and respected poets. He did a great job capturing the hearts of his readers with his natural imagery and ability to use metaphors to reveal the truths that he was trying to convey. Frost’s life was filled with many struggles including several losses in his family. His early struggles would continue through his educational period, as he wouldn’t graduate from college. Frost traveled to Great Britain to gain some ideas on poetry, and then returned the America to begin writing again (Famous Poets and Poems 1). He would have great successes, and would win numerous awards and honors for his work. The purpose of this research project is to educate the reader of Robert Frost’s biographical information, his career as a writer, the awards and honors that he was able to obtain, and Frost’s writing style.
1. Frost, Robert. Robert Frost’s Poems. Ed. Louis Untermeyer. New York: Washington Square Press, 1968. 194.
New York: Henry Holt, 1999. Print. Richardson, Mark. The Ordeal of Robert Frost: The Poet and His Poetics.