Robert Frost: A Great American Poet"Rightly or wrongly, Robert Frost has achieved a reputation as a poet of nature..." (Gerber 155). Yes, Frost does use imagery of nature
Kyle Milgram Ms. Gibney English 10 Honors 2 May 2003 Robert Frost: A Great American Poet "Rightly or wrongly, Robert Frost has achieved a reputation as a poet of nature..." (Gerber 155). Yes, Frost does use imagery of nature in his poems, but to say he is a "nature poet" is distorting his poetry by overlooking the poem's darker complexions (Gerber 155). An aspect of his poems that is frequently overlooked is the main character's internal conflict. In "The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" characters are faced with an inner conflict metaphorically described by nature. In these two poems Frost uses nature to hide the reality of how self-conscious the main character actually is. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26, 1874. When his father died in 1885 he moved to Massachusetts with his mom and sister (Sweeny and Lindroth 5). He spent his whole life in the Massachusetts area. "Frost attended high school in that state, and then Dartmouth College, but remained less than one semester" (Michalowski). At the age of thirty-eight Frost decided to move him and his family to England. While in England his first book, A Boy's Will, was published in 1913. A few years later he returned to America where his second book, North of Boston, was published (Michalowski). Although he spent three years of his life in England, "...little of his
Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall”.
Summary Walls are nothing but barriers, which represent differentiation and division. This is the main matter of Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall". A stone wall separates the speaker's property from his neighbor's. In spring, the two meet to renovate the wall. The speaker sees no reason for the wall to be constructed, as there are no cows to destroy each other's possessions (and hence, in the process damage their relationship). There are only apple and pine trees, which of course cannot eat each other. He does not believe in building up walls to share a good relationship, while on the contrary, the neighbor resorts to an old cliché: "Good fences make good neighbors", when in reality, fences create disharmony among people. The speaker tries to convince his neighbor to look beyond the old-fashioned and irrational traditions handed down by his ancestors. But, his neighbor remains unaffected and simply repeats the cliche. The poem is written in blank verse. Frost maintains five stressed syllables per line, but he manages to carry the natural speech-like quality of the poem. There are no stanza breaks or rhyming patterns, but many of the end-words share an assonance (e.g., wall, hill, balls, wall, and well). The language is simple and conversational; no fancy words are used, the words are short and of two syllables (only one word, "another", is of three syllables), and
Choose a poem that deals with childhood death. By close reference to the text, show how the use of poetic techniques has helped you to see the death of a child in a different light.
Choose a poem that deals with childhood death. By close reference to the text, show how the use of poetic techniques has helped you to see the death of a child in a different light. "OUT, OUT - -" by Robert Frost is a poem which I found compelling and sad. It is written with a tone that lacks sentiment or apology, although the main theme of the poem is the death of childhood innocence. The subject of the poem is very engrossing as it tells the story of what happens if a boy is left to do a man's job. Frost achieved this by using personification, symbolism, expert word choice, extremely vivid imagery, cleverly placed punctuation and an interesting title to make this poem vividly alive for me. The subject of the poem is also very engrossing as it tells the story of what happens if a boy is left to do a man's job. All of these techniques have helped me to see the death of a young child in a different light. The personification used in this poem is very unusual and engaging. One of the best examples of personification is: "And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled," This quotation gives the reader the first impression that the 'buzz saw' has animal qualities and that something bad is about to happen. It is also a use of onomatopoeia, which clearly describes the sudden, dramatic sounds that the 'saw' made just like an animal. The 'snarled' suggests a lion,
Explore in detail the ways in which the poet brings out a sense of joy and pleasure in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (by Robert Frost)
Explore in detail the ways in which the poet brings out a sense of joy and pleasure in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (by Robert Frost) This poem describes a tranquil moment of time in nature, it is appreciated by a traveller who does not have time to stay and enjoy the beauty. However the poet brings out a sense of joy and pleasure in the traveller in a number of direct and subtle ways. In the first stanza, we are told that the narrator knows "whose woods are these". They belong to someone whose "house is in the village". This shows that the woods are isolated from civilisation. Therefore the woods must be very special to the narrator for him to stop on a dark and cold night just to watch the "woods fill up with snow". The narrator also says that the owner "will not see me standing here". This evokes a tone of pity for the owner, as he is absent to enjoy the inner joy and clam the narrator is feeling. His horse in the story is a symbol of work and responsibility. It wants to reach their final destination as it felt strange that they were stopping "without a farmhouse near". This implies that the woods are only a resting place and the narrator is taking a break before moving back to his daily routines. The reader can relate to the joy the narrator is feeling as in everyday life, we all feel happy to take a break from school or work. "Between the woods and frozen
Write a Critical Appreciation of 'Birches'.
Literary Studies Coursework Write a Critical Appreciation of 'Birches'. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, United States of America, on March 26th 1874. He was one of America's leading 20th-century poets and a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. An essentially pastoral poet often associated with rural New England, Frost wrote poems whose philosophical dimensions transcend any region. Although his verse forms are traditional - he often said that 'he would as soon play tennis without a net as write free verse' - he was a pioneer in the interplay of rhythm and meter and in the poetic use of the vocabulary and inflections of everyday speech. His poetry is thus traditional and experimental, regional and universal. He died in Boston, on January 29th, 1963. 'Birches' is written in blank verse, presented in the form of a single stanza, emphasizing the narrative chronicle of boyhood memories. The poem illustrates the journey through life, using nature to symbolize his triumphs and disappointments. The opening line stating: 'When I see birches bend to left and right/Across the lines of straighter darker trees,' subtly introduces the theme of imagination coupled with opposing, darker realities. The plosive alliteration of birches bend, suggest the movement of these elegant trees as they sway and groan in the wind, bowed under the weight of their snow-laden crust. The
Coleridge's "Frost at midnight" is Coleridge's chance to reflect on his past while focusing on his current surroundings. In that, he realizes the beauty that he was deprived from living in the city
Splendors of silence In the poem, "Frost at Midnight," Samuel Coleridge uses his creative imagery and fascination with nature to create a beautiful picture. Focusing on the "frost," Coleridge personifies this natural occurrence as it "performs its secret ministry" as though it were a mysterious man lurking in the night. Much like other Romantic writers, Coleridge focuses on the natural elements in his surroundings to reflect upon his past. And thus realizes that he can make changes for his future. Nature as Coleridge recalls nature, "Tis calm indeed!" Coleridge explains, "so calm, that it disturbs/ And vexes meditation with its strange/ And extreme silentness. The only disturbance in this "silent Ministry" is the "owlets cry." With this silence, he is able to reflect, which he does quite vividly. The poem starts out in a slow and somber mood as he talks about the peacefulness and beauty of nature. He uses a style of prose or "free verse", which has no particular rhyme or meter. This could be used to help convey his thoughts in a more story-like manner. The poem is broken down into four paragraphs of varying length and all, primarily, deal with nature. Particularly, how Nature effects the imagination. He communicates how many more freedoms there are out in a natural setting and how one can remain free-spirited, as opposed to one who resides in the city. Coleridge is
Discuss Frost's Attitudes Towards Nature and People in 'Out Out-', 'Two Tramps in Mud Time' and in 'Mending Wall'
Discuss Frost's Attitudes Towards Nature and People in 'Out Out-', 'Two Tramps in Mud Time' and in 'Mending Wall'. 'Out Out-', 'Two Tramps in Mud Time' and 'Mending Wall' by Robert Frost are all alike in that they portray a strong outlook towards nature and people. Using different linguistic and literary techniques, Frost is able to deliver his attitudes and values soundly and captivatingly to his audience. 'Out Out-', with a title taken from an extract from Shakespeare's Macbeth and written in Blank Verse, tells a story of how a young boy has an accident with a buzz saw. Frost begins the poem by introducing the saw, using personification to describe the sound it mades, likening it to an angry snake as it 'snarled' and 'rattled'. This makes the man-made tool sound evil and corrupt, especially as it is used to chop up trees to 'stove-length sticks of wood'. Frost's fierce passion and protection for nature becomes obvious here, even within the first two lines of the poem. As the trees, a dominant part of nature in the outside world, are chopped by the saw, Frost contracts his vivid, wicked description of the saw with positive detail about the wood, calling it 'sweet-scented'. He also uses non-fluency features here, such as the repetition of 'the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled', which makes his thoughts on the evil of the saw destructing nature more forceful
Write a critical appreciation of Robert Frost's 'The Wood Pile', noting to what extent it seems typical of Frost's poetic interests and techniques.
Write a critical appreciation of Robert Frost's 'The Wood Pile', noting to what extent it seems typical of Frost's poetic interests and techniques. "The wood pile" is an ambiguous, enigmatic poem whose meaning cannot be immediately discerned by the reader. Even in the first line of the poem, "out walking in the frozen swamp one grey day", the environment seems to be cold and bleak, adding to this sense of divisive atmosphere. It can even be said the poem might be anticipated to be hard to read with this complex environment. The next few lines start already to show the perplexity of the narrator as he decides on whether to go on or turn back. He first thought that he will "turn back from here". And on the next line he immediately changes his mind to "go further - and we shall see". We, as the reader, wonder why he has this sudden change on mind. Is he finding something, or perhaps trying to escape? As the narrative himself ventures on into the unknown, we as the reader are also implacably drawn in to follow him in his journey. As the writer trudges on in the snow, and continue to see the almost identical landscape of trees, something caught his eye - "a small bird". On one level, it can be seen that the narrator is leveling criticism on the bird for being arrogant, paranoid as well as egoistic because it said "no word to tell me who he was" and "was careful/To put a tree
The poem 'After Apple Picking' by Robert Frost is one the most celebrated and widely read poems of the Romantic Period. The poem was drawn from Frosts' own life, his recurrent losses, everyday tasks, and his loneliness.
Poem Analysis Analyse one of Frost's poems in detail. How does this particular poem conform to the idea that Frost is a poet in the Romantic Tradition? The poem 'After Apple Picking' by Robert Frost is one the most celebrated and widely read poems of the Romantic Period. The poem was drawn from Frosts' own life, his recurrent losses, everyday tasks, and his loneliness. After Apple Picking is the poem that links Frost heavily to the Romantic Tradition as he follows the traditional Romantic model, in which he displays a number of Romantic qualities, mainly a connection with the transcendent and spiritual, Individualism, Primitivism and Nature as a source of reflection and guidance. A characteristic of Romanticism was the belief that emotions and relationships were not just important, but were the very currency of life (Individualism). After Apple Picking focused on ones deep feelings of suffering but also a sense of hope and transcendence. This is conveyed in the quote "Of Apple picking: I am overtired Of the great harvest I myself desired". The dramatic monologue, diction and modality shows the struggles of the man. The persona has too many goals and is regretting his choices in life, showing feelings of regret and exhaustion. Individualism is a major aspect to Romantic poetry and is expressed through the example as it shows a single person and his expression of individual
Post-1914 Poetry
Post-1914 Poetry "Odd Ones Out" A study of some modern poems which share the above theme. Task: To explain, compare and contrast a variety of poems, commenting on the poets' points of view and methods. My Kid Brother-Mick Gower Dumb Insolence-Adrien Mitchell Nooligan-Roger McGough Alsoran-Mick Gower First Frost-Andrei Voznesensky Move On-William Plomer I have studied a wide range of poems, written by a variety of poets. All of the poems follow the theme of Odd Ones Out. From the selection of poems, I have chosen to write about the six poems listed above. In My Kid Brother, Mick Gower is writing a free verse poem in a third person narrative style, about a little boy who was left out in a chasing game, at break-time, in school. The boy , who is probably barely seven years old, sits on a wall only "two bricks high" and pretends that he is not bothered about not having been "picked for chain-he." The boy sits on the wall, "scuffing" a pile of gravel between his feet, and tries to make himself look "absorbed", as though he needs to concentrate while he "picks at the moss". The weak level of concentration the boy has, is also reflected in the irregular punctuation, and the disorganised structure and lay-out of the poem. He then squashes an ant to death, and "throws back his head" and as the bright sunlight shines into his eyes, "water floods" them. The boy now gets very
