Life and Death in Poetry

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Life and death are two things that we as humans must all face. The road from one to the other, from life to death, is a long and at times, both joyous and painful one. Robert Frost’s poems are a prime example of these times and trials. The poems I chose for this paper highlight them, and with Frost’s allegory, they present a sort of silver lining to the string of dark and dreary words he’s pieced together for these poems. The depressing tone to the poems “Acquainted with the Night”, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, and “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowing Evening” could be attributed to the death of many of Frost’s family members, and how despite this he overcame it all, and at the end of his life, was a successful writer. These poems to not go into great explanation of the details of Frost’s life, however, I believe that they are representations of the things path that he’s walked, and how he viewed his actions and death in general. The first line in the poem, “I have been one acquainted with the night.” (Frost) – suggests that Frost, or the personified character in the poem states that he has met darkness. This does not describe death, more so trials and tribulations in life that we have all faced. There doesn’t need any specifics to this, simply because not everyone’s life goes along the same track or path. The second stanza, “I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.” – is letting us know that Frost has been in and out of sadness and depression. A metaphor for such sadness could be likened to rain. The next two lines give a better description of how this poem is a better representation of how difficult life can be for us all. “I have outwalked the furthest city light. I have looked down the saddest city lane.” (Frost) I belie... ... middle of paper ... ...Cited Doyle, John Robert, Jr. 1988. The Literature Resource Center. 3 August 2010 . Frost, Robert. New Enlarged Anthology of Robert Frost's Poems. New York: Washington Square Press, 1971. Hotchman, Jhan. "An overview of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Literature Resource Center. 3 August 2010 . Klinkowitz, Jerome and Patricia B Wallace. The Norton Anthology of Americal Literature. Seventh. Vol. Volume D. New York City: Norton, 2007, 2003, 1998, 1994, 1989, 1985, 1979. 5 vols. Murray, Keat. Literature Resource Center. 1 August 2010 .

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