Robert Frost Essay Example

advocates for individuality and choosing a path which may differ from the majority. Similarly notable use of visualization is seen in "Nothing Gold Can Stay." A clear demonstration is from the verse, “Nature’s first green is gold/ her hardest hue to hold. / her early leaf’s a flower; / but only so an hour.” This vividly paints a picture of the spring's fresh green leaves and the emergence of beautiful flowers following a long winter. The message in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” encourages us to cherish small treasures in life which may be fleeting.

"Out, Out" uses vivid imagery to portray a boy sawing wood, where the saw symbolically springs to life and "attacks the boy's hand," resulting in its amputation. The takeaway from "Out, Out" is the acceptance of what's lost. In the poem, the boy's refusal to accept losing his hand leads to his demise. Frost's use of imagery aids in making such lessons apparent to the reader. In the same vein, the poem "Acquainted with the Night" boasts potent imagery. Here, the visuals revolve around the concept of night. A quote demonstrating this is, "I have walked out in rain - and back in rain. I have out walked the furthest city light. / I have looked down the saddest city lane."

In the given poem, it appears as if the narrator is engulfed by solitude. However, this does not deter him. The poem conveys the message that even when one feels entirely isolated, they are never truly alone. According to Beachan's views on Frost's poems, each piece relates on diverse levels, enabling almost anyone to identify their own

life views mirrored in his poems (Beachan 367). Robert Frost employs vivid imagery to enable readers to immerse themselves into the poem, engaging them in similar dilemmas. Essentially, it’s the fear of experience that engenders the characteristic nonchalant shrug or casual wisecrack that manifests towards the end of many of Frost’s works (Waggoner 174). Emotions play a crucial role in shaping our moral compass. In the absence of emotions, distinguishing between right and wrong becomes daunting. Hence, Frost's poems often have a wealth of emotional content as it infuses life into his work.

Readers will feel more engaged with the narrative when they share the sentiments experienced by the characters. For instance, in "The Road Not Taken", emotions are revealed at the conclusion. It closes with: "I shall be telling this with a sigh/ somewhere ages and ages hence:/ two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- / I took the one less traveled by,/ and that has made all of the difference." This evokes a sense of achievement and the exhilaration of making an unconventional choice, which has brought fruitful results. Emotions are also central to "Nothing Gold Can Stay". Here, initial feelings of joy or vitality may gradually give way to melancholy towards the end.

The initial joy is highlighted in the first couple of lines, “Nature’s first green is gold/ her hardest hue to hold.” One might experience a sense of exhilaration or renewal as the trees regain their green vitality, looking crisp and rejuvenated. However, melancholy is reflected in the concluding lines. “So Eden sank to grief,/ so dawn goes down today. / Nothing gold can stay.” These lines

impart a dismal aura towards the close, stirring feelings of sorrow, and imparting the moral lesson to value the little things in life. Emotion emerges as a central theme in “Out, Out”.

Throughout the entirety of the poem, one can perceive emotional aspects not just in the boy, but also in an ordinarily emotionless entity. The saw within the poem is ascribed with human-like attributes, comprising emotional features. This personification of the saw becomes evident in the lines, “To tell them ‘supper’. / At the word, the saw, as if to demonstrate its understanding of supper, lunged at the boy’s hand.” These lines imply that the saw comprehends what supper signifies and responds animatedly upon its mention, resulting in it springing out and wounding the boy's hand.

It might seem like the poem blames the saw rather than the boy. However, when delving into the emotional side of this poem, it's possible to conclude that the moral is about accepting one's own actions instead of shifting blame elsewhere. The sentiment conveyed in "Acquainted with the Night" is notably somber. From the lines, "When far away an interrupted cry/ came over houses from another street,/ but not to call me back or say good-bye;" it appears that the narrator feels desolate due to a lack of company. Yet in reality, the narrator is completely comfortable with solitude.

In the final sentence, Frost penned "I have become familiar with the night." Frost's merits are indeed exceptional. There is no living poet who has so skillfully portrayed the deeds of ordinary individuals. His impressive dramatic monologues or scenes are birthed from an understanding of people

possessed by few other poets. Moreover, they are articulated in verse that masterfully mirrors the cadences of real conversation on occasion; (Rosenthal 110).

Different perspectives in Robert Frost's poetry are brought to light by drawing comparisons between two disparate entities, which then reveal a certain moral to the reader. According to Frost, an artist's work, including his own, involves forging a brief connection between two individuals, establishing links between human and nature, corporeal and spiritual, and displaying the magnificence of reality through the interplay of its separate aspects (Frost 174). In "The Road Not Taken", Frost presents various viewpoints by juxtaposing mankind with nature. The human perspective is depicted through the decision-making process of choosing a path, whereas an autumnal scenery represents the natural world. Through Frost's illustrative images, readers can infer that more fallen leaves litter the path chosen by the narrator, further accentuating Frost's varied perspectives.

The narrator chose to follow a path least taken by others due to its uniqueness. In the poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” the readers are offered contrasting perspectives of winter and spring. The poem opens with the depiction of spring as it states, “Nature’s first green is gold/ her hardest hue to hold. / Her early leaf’s a flower;/ but only so an hour.” Subsequently, the poem shifts from showcasing spring to illustrating the winter season in its concluding lines.

It's plausible to interpret the conclusion of the poem as referring to winter, given that it concludes with the phrase "nothing gold can stay." From multiple interpretations, readers consistently glean the lesson of valuing small joys. Another poem illustrating diverse perspectives is “Out, Out.”

In this piece, observers can see a juxtaposition between human and non-human elements where the saw, an inanimate object, seems to possess traits akin to a human. This gives readers the impression that the boy's hand was severed due to the saw's actions.

Not only boys, but everyone should learn to reflect and not lay blames on others, while understanding their own accountability in situations. The perspectives presented in the piece "Acquainted with the Night" are more nuanced. Some might argue that it presents two distinct views: solitude and darkness. Although one would expect a city to be teeming with light and people at night, this is not the case in "Acquainted with the Night" where the protagonist is alone in the dark. These various interpretations suggest that familiarity with the night actually mitigates the feelings of loneliness for the narrator.

Frost believes it's fundamentally important to interlink various dimensions: life and death, past and present, outer and inner, spring and fall, lake and forest (Frost 174). Symbolic representation is prevalent in most or possibly all of Robert Frost's poems. Without the use of symbolism, it would be difficult to convey morals. In the poem "The Road Not Taken", the reader is introduced to a symbolic situation where the narrator is in a forest, confronted with a fork in the path. The path in this work is a metaphor for choices made in life. It questions whether one should conform to the majority or choose the path less trodden.

The lesson is simple: make decisions based on your own perspectives, not influenced by the opinions of others. Listen to your own heart

rather than those around you. In the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay," short-lived blooming flowers are used as symbolism, dying away as season shifts from spring to summer. This represents constant transformation. The reader is encouraged to recognize that circumstances will not remain constant, and adaptation is necessary although it might be challenging.

The poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" embodies the themes of cherishing small joys and embracing change. Similarly, the saw in the poem "Out, Out" has an emblematic significance. At the onset, the saw is simply a tool, but as the poem unfolds, it progressively takes on a power beyond its initial form, is personified almost. The saw represents people's inability to take accountability for their actions, ever ready to put the blame on others or inanimate objects. In "Out, Out", readers are led to believe that the saw is at fault.

The lesson imparted here is the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions instead of transferring the blame onto others or external factors. The poem "Acquainted with the Night" employs solitude as a symbolic element. It narrates the experiences of a man who walks back and forth in the rain, through the most deserted street. When he hears someone weeping, he realizes that their tears are not meant for him. Despite feeling utterly hollow, he discovers solace in the dark night. This suggests that no matter how difficult a situation may be, there's always a silver lining. It mentions another aspect to Frost which is seldom recognized or discussed by anyone.

Robert Frost, widely recognized as the common man's poet, has uniquely crafted accessible and easily comprehensible poems

appreciated by a wide audience (Jarrell 109). Frost employs symbolism to enhance understanding and connectivity, providing depth to his writings. His imagery is akin to a walk in the woods; it envelopes the reader with an array of trees, occasionally revealing clearings that hint at a final destination. This journey prompts the reader to continuously seek enlightenment, only to realize that similar to the endless expanse of woods, the journey does not have a definitive endpoint.

The initial intent of our stroll, to be precise, is now behind us” (Frost 174). The poetry of Robert Frost bristles with vibrancy in our consciousness. “He recounts his observations precisely as he witnessed them” (Lowell 222). Frost has an impressive ability to depict nature. A large portion of his poems incorporates elements of nature in some form. Robert Frost extracts lessons from nature in his work. In his verse “Road Not Taken,” he artfully employs various facets of nature. The opening line speaks of an autumn season; “Two roads diverge in a yellow wood.” The term 'yellow wood' indirectly suggests that it's autumn and leaves have turned yellow and fallen.

In the second stanza, Robert Frost emphasizes the theme of nature with the line “Because it was grassy and wanted wear.” This implies that the path is not often tread upon. This imagery instills the true essence of the poem in the reader's mind. The narrator is confronted with a choice, a fork in the road; the reader makes the thoughtful decision to take the less traversed path, with no intention of reconsidering. Nature also plays a prominent role in Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,”

which is wholly about the natural world. Phrases like “Nature’s first green is gold/ her hardest hue to hold./ Her early leaf’s a flower/ but only so an hour/ then leaf subsides to leaf./ so Eden sank to grief,/ so dawn goes down today./ Nothing gold can stay” encapsulates a vivid portrayal of an early spring bloom transitioning into summer with just leaves, progressing into autumn and winter as these leaves fall. This poem exhibits extensive transformation, mirroring nature's inherent capacity for change.

Should the reader grasp the underlying ethical lesson, they will observe that it primarily deals with transformation. This notion of change inherently implies progression and moving forward. “He is an expert illusionist whose maneuvers are so subtly crafted that audiences often fail to perceive his seamless transition from one topic to another; even as they are entranced by the result, they cannot cease marveling at how they have been enticingly duped” (Beacham 367). In the verse “Out, Out,” the reader encounters a divergent form of nature. It refers not to the nature encompassing trees or lakes but rather pertains to one's behavior. The said verse, “Out, Out,” depicts a young boy laboriously chopping wood for earning.

When it's time for supper, his sister shouts to notify him. Upon hearing the meal is ready, he accidentally wounds himself with the saw. Despite the severity of the cut, he didn't want to lose his hand, resulting in his death. While perusing this poem, it seems like the poem personifies the saw being responsible for jumping onto the boy's hand and causing the injury. It presents a glimpse into human nature resembling

the boy's actions. Instead of accepting his part in hurting his hand, he shifts the blame onto the saw. His refusal to amputate his hand results in excessive blood loss and eventually his death. The poem "Acquainted with the Night" is abundant with nature's presence. In this poem, readers can imagine images like rain drenching city streets, darkness engulfing the city and an eerie solitude. The initial sensation of despair upon reading fades away as readers discover an underlying comfort that the narrator finds in the night.

Robert Frost, a prominent poet of his era, has left a significant legacy of poems that appreciate fundamental feelings and interactions, thereby illustrating how much can be accomplished with the adept use of simple tools. This belief suggesting that there's always a silver lining in every adverse situation is apparent in his work. Many of Frost's poems revel in encounters with nature, according to Magills 717. Even today, Frost's poetry continues to be read and often serves as an inspiration. His creative writing makes readers confront choices and repercussions, almost as if they were experiencing the events narrated in the poems themselves. Frost employs various themes such as imagery, emotions, diverse perspectives, symbolism, and even nature to conjure visualizations in the reader's mind as they navigate his poetry.

Every single theme is pivotal to provoke thoughts within the reader. They establish ethical lessons that can be applied daily. Robert Frost, the renowned poet, has been labeled numerous roles including a symbolist, a spiritual wanderer, a down-to-earth philosopher, a lyric poet, a moral teacher, an evangelist, and even a verse-penning farmer. What possibly enables diverse critics to

ascribe their individual interpretations of his identity to his work is the apparent simplicity of his poetry; (Jennings 172).

Several of Robert Frost's verses, such as “The Road Not Taken,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” “Out, Out. ” and “Acquainted with the Night,” contain significant moral teachings. In “The Road Not Taken,” we confront a moment of choice. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” personifies the natural processes of change. “Out, Out. ” shows a boy who fails to accept accountability for his behavior, whereas in “Acquainted with the Night,” the speaker confronts solitude and despair, only to discover solace in darkness. Each verse embraces unique themes to deliver moral lessons.