The 'belonging' discussed in line one immediately establishes that there is some type of relationship between the land and the people. Furthermore, the land is treated as something that is material and can be owned because "the land was ours"(Frost 1). The second half of this line, "we were the lands"(Frost 1) establishes that things happening in a certain definite order with us owning the land "before we were her people"(Frost 3). Although all of this can be gathered, the second half of the line leaves the reader wondering what it means, "we were the land's"(Frost 1). In the following lines, Frost names specific states portraying possession. At this point of the poem the reader is still reflecting on what Frost means by being the land. We do however get the answer once Frost states, "we were England's, still colonials"(Frost 5). The reader now understands why "the land was ours before we were the lands"(Frost 1). This is because the English colonists were not Americans when they first lived on the land. The colonists were still under English culture and beliefs.
Diction plays a crucial part in the following couple of lines of this poem, as Frost uses the word 'possess'. The word 'possess' has different meanings throughout this section. In the beginning of the line "Possessing what we still were unpossessed by"(Frost 6), the word 'possessed' refers to the way the colonists lived on and worked on the New World land. But in the second half of the line, one learns that the colonists were 'unpossessed' by the land. In this context 'unpossessed' means that the colonists owned the land, but they did not have an overwhelmed feeling of responsibility towards it as an independent nation. In the line "Possessed by what we now no more possess"(Frost 7), the first term possessed refers to the way that colonists were consumed by English and European tradition. It was only after the Americans gained independence that they could no longer be ruled by England, and could work towards being "no more possessed"(Frost 7). Working towards being free from European culture and forming a strong American nation sets the central theme for the rest of the poem.
In the next few lines we discover that the colonists were 'withholding' something from the New World. The poem states that "it was ourselves we were withholding"(Frost 9) and this "withholding made us weak"(Frost 8). In other words, these lines explain the colonists were 'withholding' their capability to create a New World colony because they were still 'possessed' by the European culture. The colonists were withholding from starting fresh and creating a new identity, as they were still 'possessed' by England. It was only after the colonists realized that withholding their abilities and efforts in order to build a New World made them 'weak', could they give themselves 'outright' for their country. The way in which "we gave ourselves outright"(Frost 12), means that each citizen applied their strengths towards the common good of the country. Saying that Americans "found salvation in surrender"(Frost 11) is very paradoxical. Although the citizens sacrificed their talents, 'the salvation' and gain for America as a country was far more monumental. What Americans 'outright' gave their abilities to, was a country that was expanding its boarders 'westward.' Not only was the American culture not specifically defined, neither was the reach of the American land.
Frost also makes a parallel between physical and cultural American growth. Although the early country was growing in land and although the Americans had surrendered their talents, Frost says that Americans were still "unstoried, artless, and unenhanced"(Frost 15). This final statement of the poem seems to imply that Frost saw that unity of the American people was really created by 'the gift outright' of talents and work, but that the American culture they were seeking to make is still unfulfilled.
In conclusion, although Frost realizes that America is still "unstoried, artless, and unenhanced"(Frost 15), he presents Americans again with the persistent goal of giving themselves 'outright' in order to continue to build a distinctive American culture.
