Three Elements Of Robert Frost Poetry - 1145 Words

There are three common elements that feature in much of Robert Frost’s poetry. The first is a portrayal of nature through vivid imagery (as appears in â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay†), which partially stems from Frost’s life as a farmer in rural New England (Pritchard). The second is a discussion of depression, darkness, and death (as appears in â€Å"Out, Out—† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night†), which issues from Frost’s own experiences after his 3-year-old son, mother, and grandfather died within two years of each other (Burnshaw). The third is a juxtapositioning of opposing ideas or choices (as appears in â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Fire and Ice†). All three elements coincide in what is arguably Frost’s most celebrated poem, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a†¦show more content†¦The season of winter and the darkness and cold it brings symbolizes the gloomy emotional state of depression, while the w oods and frozen lake are two different pictures of death. Even the date is significant—â€Å"[b]y calling the evening ‘darkest,’ the man suggests that he has reached a low point or a moment of crisis† (Monte). Through his use of imagery to craft such a scene, â€Å"Frost captures the essence of depression in the poems understated simplicity, as if depression itself is the ultimate understatement: the inability to see anything beyond a frozen landscape† (Rice). Next, Frost employs alliteration and consonance to show the seductive nature of death within the setting of depression. This is especially apparent in stanza 1: â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here / To watch his woods fill up with snow† (â€Å"Stopping†). Here, Frost mainly repeats the consonant sounds â€Å"w†, â€Å"s†, and â€Å"h†. The â€Å"w† sound is a type of glide, which is â€Å"a sound that is almost a vowel, but that acts like a runway to glide into a vowel† (Shmoop Editorial Team). The â€Å"s† sound is a type of sibilant, which is a consonant that â€Å"usually involves the pointiest part of [the] front teeth to make sounds†. Glides and sibilants help form gentle and fluid phrases that sound pleasing to the human ear. When assessed collectively, the consonance of â€Å"w†, â€Å"s†, and â€Å"h† evokes a sere ne and lulling mood associatedShow MoreRelatedThe Road Not Taken By Edgar Allan Poe And Robert Frost1081 Words   |  5 PagesEdgar Allan Poe and Robert Frost influenced my thorough love of different styles of literature, particularly poetry. To the masses, Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Frost only share job titles, but the two poets share many similarities within their writing. Personally, I read pieces from both authors over the course of my schooling experience. I admired Robert Frost’s poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† from a young age, and that particular stole my heart since the first read. â€Å"The Raven,† became one of my favoriteRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem My August Guest By Robert Frost Essay1378 Words   |  6 Pagesanalysis of two distinct poems, written by different authors. The emphasis will be on the physical elements, or structure of the poetry, less on the meaning. In the first poem â€Å"My November Guest† by Robert Frost, we will discu ss the formal analysis, which includes the style, metre, rhyme, figurative language, etc. In the second poem â€Å"You Called Me Corazon† we will discuss the formal analysis as well. In Robert Frost’s â€Å"My November Guest†, the first thing you will notice about the poem is that it consistsRead MoreSuide in The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost and Dreams of Suicide by William Meredith 1062 Words   |  4 PagesJanice Mirikitani, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost, and â€Å"Dreams of Suicide† by William Meredith are the three poems that connect together in several different ways. Not only do the poems link together, but the authors do as well. This paper will present biographical information about the authors, symbols throughout the poems, and the literary elements the authors chose to use in the poems. It will also explain how the symbols and literary elements that are used help emphasize the themes thatRead MoreEssay about Nature in Robert Frosts Poems1649 Words   |  7 Pages Under the stars of the sky, fifteen-year old Robert Frost explored the heavens through a telescope. He was seeking affirmation of the proverbial question that has plagued mankind for centuries—the proof and existence of God. While surveying the cosmos, Frost‘s interest was stirred, so he visited a library and obtained books that had illustrated star charts. Within these pages, his knowledge of the stars was edified and a poet was born. Frost‘s first poems were ―astronomicalâ€â€" and invokedRead MoreBitterness: Poetry and World1016 Words   |  5 Pagescomposed similar pieces to those of other poets. In 1859, Emily Dickinson produced Success is counted sweetest. In1923, Robert Frost wrote Fire and Ice. That same year, Wallace Stevens created Gubbinal. These three poems share much in common. They contain many of the same elements of poetry, such as connotative meaning, imagery, symbolism, and tone. First, the three famous poems all possess a connotative meaning . Within the poem Gubbinal, Stevens wrote, The world is ugly. In the quotationRead MoreEssay on Robert Frosts Life and Accomplishments1244 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.† After a lifetime of ups and downs, Robert Frost said this quote. Most of his poems already shared his message, that life is not as easy as it may first appear to be. He used the simplicity of nature and vernacular speech to give his poems a casual mood, though underneath they display a much deeper meaning of life. These poems help to show people just some of the difficult things that will be faced in life, despite everythingRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost Essay1554 Words   |  7 PagesTwo Roads, Two Choices, One Decision â€Å"The Road Not Taken,† written by Robert Frost, discusses a traveler who has to make a choice between two roads. In the first stanza, the traveler remembers standing at an intersection of two roads. Indecisive about which road to take, he seems to believe that one of the roads would be more beneficial to him (Lee 5). In stanza two, the narrator refers to the traveler’s unexpected decision to take the other road by giving details of it. In addition, the narratorRead MoreFrosts simple style is deceptive Essay1354 Words   |  6 Pagesdeceptive and a thoughtful reader will see layers of meaning in his poetry.’’ Robert Frost (1874-1963) was a pastoral Rural American poet who portrays a benevolent side to New England in the US. Robert Frost was not fond of the fashion of the time. Instead, he adopted the persona of the New England farmer inspired by natural events. This deceptive but realistic poet had quite an individualistic style in comparison to any other poet, his poetry is written in the everyday, vernacular colloquial language inRead More Perseverance in Robert Frosts Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening1095 Words   |  5 PagesPerseverance in Robert Frosts Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Epictetus once wrote, First say what you would be; and then do what you have to do. This aphorism of self-discovery and obligation clearly describes Robert Frosts poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. In the course of the poem, Frosts speaker is confronted with two choices: he can either forget his problems or he can follow through with his responsibilities and make the most of life. It is through Frosts remarkableRead MoreThe Dark Side of Robert Frost’s Nature Essay2339 Words   |  10 PagesRobert 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