Robert Frost's Poetry
Robert Frost said that a poem should begin in delight and end in
wisdom Do you think that is true of the poems of Frost and the other
nature poets you have studied?
Frost's statement in the title is certainly true in some of his later
poems and most nature poems, but in some cases, the wisdom comes first
and delight is found at the end or, there is no delight only wisdom
or, just delight or just wisdom. Not all poems abide by Frost's rule!
'The Pasture', being one of Frost's earlier poems, possibly was
written before he made the statement in the title, as I am unable to
find any wisdom hidden amid the lines, only a great deal of delight.
The poem is written using iambic metre, with a clear rhythm. In the
eight lines he uses, he creates clear delightful images for the
reader. The poem gravitates around the theme of a country farmer's
duties, except reading between the lines; this farmer enjoys carrying
out these duties. He says that he will 'only stop to rake the leaves
away' which gives the impression of him really wanting to 'stop' for
longer and perhaps do some other jobs. After cleaning the 'pasture
spring' he considers waiting 'to watch the water clear', this can be
interpreted in different ways. Perhaps he wanted to make sure he had
done the job properly, or it could be that he takes delight in
watching the waters clear and wants to wait watch 'it clear' or
perhaps it could be simply that he wants the moment to last, as he
enjoys it so. In life I generally find that things I do not enjoy drag
on and on, seemingly taking longer that they actually are, yet things
that I enjoy seem to go faster. 'I shan't be long' indicates that he
knows that he is going to enjoy his tasks an...
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...poem,
in fact that it surrounds the poem, with the delight vocabulary in
amongst it. I consider the wisdom of this poem to be that we should
all earn our life. Frost has demonstrated how the bird earns his, but
it has raised the question what do we do to earn ours. This is an
interesting angle to look at life from and must not be over looked; we
should all give something back to the Earth, and earn our living
space.
After studying all these poems, I am now far more aware of plenty of
points of view, thoughts and feelings. Each poem showed a different
aspect on life, even though the message in some was similar. In
conclusion, I deem the poets I have come across, highly calculated,
intelligent individuals, wishing to share their ideas on the world
with others. Their use of poetry as their line of communication to
express themselves, is incredibly good!
Frost first presents this idea by metaphorically discussing the spectacular abilities his daughter possesses but refuses to use. In the first quatrain, the poet suggests that his da...
The first example in poem is the wise man. Wisdom is often associated with age and maturity. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word wisdom means "the accumulated philosophic or scientific learning, the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships". It also means "good sense, generally accepted belief, a wise attitude or course of action and the teachings of the ancient wise men". If that is true then what does one so keen, so aware of how living things must cease to live, have to fix?
Frost writes in a facetious tone when describing God through the star that is seen. "It will not do to say of night, Since dark is what brings out your light", this quote describes how the star only shines when the sky is dark, meaning that God seems to only come when something bad arrives. The sincerity that is shown in Wilbur's poem is quite evident leaving no room for misinterpretation. He doesn't mock the glory of a spiritual presence, but writes wholeheartedly . At the end of each poem both authors agree on the same tone.
In these two poems, Frost does a wonderful job of making it seem, at first glance, like wonderfully simple poems, but after taking a deeper look, one can see the deeper and darker meanings of the poems. Although these poems both deal with the gloomy, unhappy theme of suicide, Frost always leaves the character with hope and life. Neither of the characters in the poem actually commits suicide and both realize that it is not their time yet to leave the world. In one, the man realizes that time will decide when he will die and the other knows he has responsibilities in the world to attend to and take care of before he can go. So, although both people are hoping for death, Frost redeems them by having them take the higher road and leaving thoughts of death for another time.
“Some say the world will end in fire,/ Some say in ice./ From what I’ve tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favor fire./ But if it had to perish twice,/ I think I know enough of hate/ To say that for destruction ice/ Is also great/ And would suffice.” This poem by Robert Frost is an excellent example of how even though people tend to think that Frost’s poems are just fun easy to read poems, a lot of them actually have dark themes to them. The poem “Fire and Ice” quoted above is a poem all about death and his prefered way to die/ destroy the world. So, although the average reader will quote Robert Frost as being a poet of positivity, yet many of his poems actually point out the dark side of human existence.
Frost uses a religious allusion to further enforce the objective of the poem. Whether Frost's argument is proven in a religious or scientific forum, it is nonetheless true. In directly citing these natural occurrences from inanimate, organic things such as plants, he also indirectly addresses the phenomena of aging in humans, in both physical and spiritual respects. Literally, this is a poem describing the seasons. Frosts interpretation of the seasons is original in the fact that it is not only autumn that causes him grief, but summer.
Instructor Mendoza English 1B 22 July 2015. Robert Frost: Annotated Bibliography. Research Question: What are the common themes in Robert Frost's work? Robert Frost is a very successful poet from the 20th century, as well as a four time Pulitzer Prize winner.
During the 18th century, two great companions, William Wordsworth, collaborated together to create Lyrical Ballad, one of the greatest works of the Romantic period. The two major poems of Lyrical Ballad are Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” and Coleridge’s “Frost at Midnight.” Even though these two poems contain different experiences of the two speakers, upon close reading of these poems, the similarities are found in their use of language, the tone, the use of illustrative imagery to fascinate the reader’s visual sense and the message to their loved ones. The speaker of “Lines Composed of a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” is Wordsworth himself. He represents Romanticism’s spiritual view of nature.
When you think of poetry what comes to mind? Do you think of the abstract thoughts of Emily Dickinson, the intense illusions of T.S. Elliot, or the vengeful stories of Sylvia Plath? Most people do think of poetry’s complexities and think that it does not relate to them because they cannot understand the meanings of the poetry. On the other side of things, there are poets who write goofy rhymes to make people laugh such as Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. While it is easy to understand these goofy poems, they do not really relate to real-life. Then there are poets like Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost, who really know how to capture the essence of life. When poets do this, readers can easily relate to what the poets are talking about. They have made a connection with the reader about something the reader can understand. In particular, Frost and Sandburg’s “Out, Out –“and “Chicago,” respectively, are poems that offer a connection to readers because they focus on the everyday or “working class” side of life. Frost and Sandburg use their “blue collar” connection along with diction and imagery to create poetry that will be adored for many years to come.
I agree with David Orr on his analysis of Frost’s Road Not Taken that is presented in his article, The Most Misread Poem in America. One point of agreement is when he says, “...his decision made “all the difference” only because this is the kind of claim we make when we want to comfort or blame ourselves by assuming that our current position is the product of our own choices.” Frost’s poem describes a decision made by the traveler that depending on which one he chose, the result would be different. Sometimes, as readers, individuals tend to read the ending as something that it’s not, to make it appear alright in their minds, or to create an idea that is relatable to them. Which goes against the writer”s plan for their poem, and it takes away
Nature is an important theme in every frost poem. Nature usually symbolizes age or other things throughout Frost’s poems. In lines 5-10 it says, “Often you must have seen them loaded with ice a sunny winter morning after a rain. They click upon themselves as the breeze rises, and turn many-colored as the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shells.” This demonstrates how nature can sometimes symbolize something. Also in lines 29-33 it says, “ By riding them down over and over again until he took the stiffness out of them, and not one but hung limp, not one was left for him to conquer. He learned all there was to learn about not launching too soon.” In lines 44-48 it says, And life is too much like a pathless wood where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs broken across it, and one eye is weeping from a twig’s having lashed across it open. I’d like to get away from earth for a while.”
Robert Frost is known for his poems about nature, he writes about trees, flowers, and animals. This is a common misconception, Robert Frost is more than someone who writes a happy poem about nature. The elements of nature he uses are symbolic of something more, something darker, and something that needs close attention to be discovered. Flowers might not always represent beauty in Robert Frost’s poetry. Symbolism is present in every line of the nature’s poet’s poems. The everyday objects present in his poems provide the reader an alternative perspective of the world. Robert Frost uses all the elements of poetry to describe the darker side of nature. After analyzing the Poem Mending Wall and After Apple Picking it is clear that nature plays a dark and destructive role for Robert Frost. This dark side of Frost’s poetry could have been inspired from the hard life he lived.
“I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference” (Frost 19-20). Many famous lines like these have been written at different periods of Robert Frost’s life. Most of his poems can tie back to a specific time and place in Frost’s lifetime. Different poems convey various emotions as Frost writes about many personal struggles and successes that he encountered in his lifetime. Robert Frost portrays his childhood, marriage, and adulthood through his various poems, like “A Peck of Gold,” “Birches,” ”The Thatch,” and “The Birds Do Thus.”
Robert Frost’s poems are well liked because they work on so many different levels; on the surface they are stories about the beauty of nature, while deeper down they are journeys in finding ones self and more. Robert Frost is an American poet who was born in San Francisco. His poems reflect rural life and is one of America's best known poets. Through his works he uses symbolism and nature to show man in search of self.
Robert Frost is an amazing poet that many admire today. He is an inspiration to many poets today. His themes and ideas are wonderful and are valued by many. His themes are plentiful however a main one used is the theme of nature. Frost uses nature to express his views as well as to make his poetry interesting and easy to imagine in your mind through the detail he supplies.