Essays on Robert Frost

Compare and Contrast Robert Frost's Mending wall to john Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn

The “Ode on a Grecian Urn” was written by Romantic poet John Keats in 1819 and is known for its profound meditation and conclusions on the nature of beauty. It highlights the issues of beauty, truth and eternity. It portrays Keats’ attempt to understand the eternity of sculpture, an art form. Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” was written in 1914 and depicts how two men meet on terms of civility to repair a wall between them. This paper will try to compare and contrast “Ode on a Grecian Urn” with “Mending Wall” with regards to form, structure, and themes.

Keats’ “Ode ...

Achinstein, Sharon, and Thomas Corns. "Samson Agonistes" in A Companion to Milton. N.p.: Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. Print.

The poetic form of the poem “Samson Agonistes” is free verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter). Milton used it very influential, and this style became popular with the name “Miltonic Verse.” Samuel Johnson did not accept this form of poetry writing and mocked Milton. However, he finds that the Miltonic verse was very influential.

Milton’s “Samson Agonistes” is the best example for the blank verse poetic style. In this article, the author finds a way how Milton uses the free verse in ...

Introduction

In poetry, every piece of work is unique in its own way. However, most pieces of poems follow standard forms. Poems can be entertaining and or educating, depending on the poet’s choice of the role of the poem. The special characteristics that are shared by all poems include:

- The use of descriptive language and images - Use of limited amount of words as most words are cut out. - Poems are meant to be read and hard at the same time. - In poetry, there is the emphasis of important words, which may ...

English:

Robert Frost, 1874 - 1963 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first ...

The modernist period saw a departure from traditional modes and ways of thinking and creating art. Occurring shortly after the Victorian period, the modernist period deliberately moved away from its corseted ancestry, aiming to tell the same stories but in different modes. Among these poets was Robert Frost, whose life spanned from the end of the Victorian period into the mid-1960s. Frost was a notable poet, although not necessarily a modernist: he celebrated individuality, man’s connection with nature, and a simplicity in basic truths—he also never completely broke away from traditional forms of poetry. In his poems “The Pasture,” “Mowing,” and “ ...

1. James Weldon Johnson “The Creation” Johnson’s poem “The Creation” describes the creation of the world and humanity. However, it differs slightly from the ‘classical’ description of the story. Judeo-Christian concept of God regards God as an omnipotent and infallible superhuman. Creation of the world was deliberate and the meaning of each item created is described, “And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’”; “Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their ...

English

Mending Wall by Robert Frost is a simple poem which airs the views and opinions of two farmers. One farmer is rather conventional and wants to repair and rebuild the boundary wall between the two houses during spring. The only reason behind this decision is that of tradition. The tradition of rebuilding the wall in spring has been followed by his grandfathers and father, and hence, he wants to keep up with the tradition. He further maintains and believes in the age old adage, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbours”. The other farmer is unconventional and reflects before taking an ...

A Critical Analysis

Robert Frost has been remarked to “stand at the crossroads of 19th-century American poetry and modernism, for in his verse may be found the culmination of many 19th-century tendencies and traditions as well as parallels to the works of his 20th-century contemporaries” (“Robert Frost”). He holds a unique place in American poetry, and within that space he created some remarkable poems, at times following strict meter and rhyme, but always creating poems rich in imagery and meaning. His poem, “Fire and Ice,” is no different. Within this brief poem are layers of meaning revealed in strong imagery and the connotation of ...

Robert Frost’s, “Acquainted with the Night,” was written in 1928 and it is as haunting and lovely as any of his other works . The narrator of the poem possesses qualities typical of Frost’s narrators, as he assesses the loneliness of life, as well as the inevitability of death. Depression, as well as Frost’s unusual iambic pentameter use is also present. He is not one for rhyming, but instead uses a slow, steady cadence to draw the reader down a slow, almost familiar path that will inevitably lead us baffled at out so much could be said in such a ...

Robert Frost, an American poet of the late 19th century was dubbed as one of America’s finest poets. Literally, his poems reflect the serene appreciation of quiet living in the countryside, the simple appreciation over small things and the values of life (Fagan, 33). In this paper, I would like to argue that Robert Frost’s poems reflect individuality, despite the gentle poetic words of his poems. Normally, a reader might perceive Frost as an ‘effeminate; due to the quality of his chosen words. Most poets at the time of war use a much stronger voice in order to express ...

Introduction

Deidre Sklar published her commentary “Five Premises for a Culturally Sensitive Approach to Dance” to provide premises as to why dance, as a form of art, is imbued with cultural values. The five premises include the following: “movement knowledge is a kind of cultural knowledgeis conceptual and emotional as well as kinesthetic,” and “intertwined with other kinds of cultural knowledge,” getting the meaning of dance requires looking “beyond movement,” and “movement is always an immediate corporeal experience” (Sklar). It is important to note said premises in further understanding the cultural significance of any given kind of dance. This study, in undertaking the ...

While Emily Dickenson and Robert Frost were writing poems at the same time period of American poetry, they represent very different styles, sometimes write about different subjects, but also sometimes explore the very same questions with their poetry. Most notable, both poets consider the passage of time, aging and death as themes worthy of being explored in verse. One of the most notable differences between the poetry of Frost and the poetry of Dickinson is the length that both poets use to convey their themes and message. With some exceptions, Frost tends towards mid-size poems of 4-6 stanzas ...

The Mending Wall

The Mending Wall is a poem that revolves around the saying, “Good fences make good neighbors,” as stated in the 27th line. The speaker and his neighbor, both separated by a wall made of stone, are the main protagonists in the poem. The poem itself is a setting where both the speaker and his neighbor record one of their rare instances of meeting one another – during spring, a time when they make repair on their sides of the wall together (Holland 365-385). A thorough reading of the poem would bring one to realize that the speaker is highly unconvinced as to why the ...

Robert Frost depicts the life and landscape of New England in his poetry and uses traditional verse forms and metrics. At the same time, Frost is more than a country poet. He develops universal themes through dark thinking, and psychological portraits. His works are filled with uncertainty and irony. In poems “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” "Acquainted with the Night," “Desert Places,” Frost presents solitary lyrical heroes wandering in natural scenery. Their meeting or observation of the nature, another human being or an object arouses understanding of their link to others or isolation from the world. The poems research ...

A Comparative look at the theme of nature in the poems “The Oak” Alfred Lord Tennyson and “The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost Both Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Oak and Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken deals with the theme of nature. Both poets incorporate each word in a specific manner that adds literal and figurative meanings to the overall essence of the poems. Robert Frost and Alfred Lord Tennyson use symbolism, figurative language, and rhyme to convey their views of the road that Frost cannot choose and the oak tree that develops from a human perspective. Tennyson ...

Robert Frost was one of the most preeminent modernists and existentialists of his time, and his poem “Home Burial” demonstrates the various aspects that made up his modernism quite well. Telling the tale of a domestic dispute that occurs between a frantic woman and her taciturn husband at the death and burial of their young child, Frost showcases the nihilism and despair that occurs when characters and poets alike look at the fragility of human life and relationships. Through his sparse, dialogue-heavy prose, Frost creates a stark, grounded feel to his poem, which is very much in line with modernist/existentialist poetry. “ ...

Primary literary techniques of diction, imagery and figurative language are employed by only good poets in their work or poems. Nevertheless, mainly great poets are capable of employing these literal tools to convey an experience or understanding to the reader. William Blake, Emily Dickson and Robert Frost are all great poets of their time. Thus, it is important to note that they all embrace literal devices in their own way. In Emily Dickson’s “I felt a funeral, in my Brain”, the speaker explains in details how she lost her mind. Also, she utilizes various events in making sure that ...

Presentation and Analysis of the POEM ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost

[The author’s name]

This essay is to present you with the analysis and aspects of interpretation of the poem ‘The Road not Taken’ written by Robert Frost in the 1920s. ‘The Road not Taken’ is the story of a man and his choice of a road. The thematic core of this poem’s story is the symbolism of a journey. It is a poem written in four stanzas. Each stanza is in the rhyme scheme ABAAB. Robert Frost, the poet who wrote this poem is one of the most popular poets within the borders of the literary community. The themes met ...

Thesis

Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ and Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’ are contrastingly different yet similar in some ways. While one is a poem, the other is a short story; however, they both seem to reveal a similar sentiment and expression of the protagonists. In ‘The Road Not Taken,’ the narrator, while waking on a road reaches a point where the road splits in two different directions. He stops to ponder which road to take and opts for the road less travelled. He was far from the madding crowd and close to nature. In ‘A Worn Path,’ the story revolves around ...

Presentation and Analysis of two literary works – Reflections on the way both literary works ‘The Road not Taken’ and ‘A Worn Path’ representing different writing kinds, a poem and a short story respectively, approach the same thematic core, the one of a Journey’s Symbolism – Comparison and contrast of both works in terms of their context, writing style, underlying meaning [The author’s name]

Abstract

This paper will present you with a comparison and contrast of two literary works. Both the literary works which have been chosen, belong to the same theme, the one of a journey’s symbolism. The first work which will ...

Abstract

This paper is about reflects action research in education. It will also address some critical questions action research. Last, it will explain why this is important.

Main Body

Action research is about change for the better. It about learning how to be more effective and stronger and caring teacher for their students. It means takings the steps to learn how to reflect with an open-minded. Last, it reminds me a teacher the purpose of being a teacher. “There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fills you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives ...

Introduction:

For this paper, the two literally works selected are the road not taken and I used to live here once. The theme of symbolism of the journey will be analyzed for both pieces of literature. Below is a critical analysis that compares and contrasts how the theme has been portrayed in both works.

Road Not Taken:

The poem Road Not Taken by Robert Frost was published in 1916. It has been described as one of the best known poems worldwide. The setting of the poem is unique; it immediately engages the reader and captures their attention from the start. It is one of ...

Introduction

Philip Levine was born on January 10, 1928 in Detroit city of Michigan State. He is famous for his poetry work about the working-class Detroit. He started working in car manufacturing plants at the age of 14 but later as a lecturer at California State University for thirty years teaching in the English Department. Robert Lee Frost (23/3/1974 -29/1/1963) was an American poet born in San Francisco, California. His poet's work is known to depict a rural setting. He started working on his farm before becoming an English teacher at various schools and universities.

The two poets have various similar connections. Looking at their biography, we can see the following connections:

Poetry: both Philip and Robert are poets ...

Robert Frost (1874-1963) has been acknowledged as one of the leading poets who utilized distinguished features and writing styles. In the introduction to his major poetic works, the editors address his orientation and attitude towards modernism as he integrates significant social changes that were taking place during this period. In my judgment, the poem that best represents the modernism attitude is “mending wall” (1177). This is because frost utilizes symbols derived from everyday life to express his deep ideas citing the two neighbors and a wall that separates their property as in the case of modern settlements in America (Tuten, ...

The poem by Robert Frost and the modern day song by George Strait portray the alternative path of life which is chosen by very less people. The artistic expressions express the nature of the way which is chosen by such people and also explore the possibilities which await the individual who opts for the path which is less traversed by people. Both the works have touched the hearts of innumerable people across the globe with the quintessence. While Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken exudes his poetic wizardry in the stanzas of the poem, George Strait’s The ...

Literature Studies

- The theme of Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” is a parent’s love. Hayden wishes to express that often we do not realize the importance of our parent’s love until later in life. - The subject of Robert Frost’s “Out and Out” is a boy who has a fatal accident. The theme of the poem is existential contingency. Because of the mundane nature of how the boy was injured it is meant to engage the readers in thought about the suddenness of death. Since he was also young, the author wants to express that one never truly ...

Introduction

Literature is an art which communicates an idea be in the form of poem or prose. The way the word is woven to form sentences befitting the theme, and at the same time, conveying the message is an art in itself. In fact, there are many instances where two different literary works written at different times have a similar theme to convey. One set of such two works are the poems “The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost” and “I Used to Live Here Once by Jean Rhys.” Though he titles seem different, they have something in common to share ...

Background

Arguably one of the most renowned American poets, Robert Frost was born on the sixth day of March of the year 1874 in San Francisco, California. The famous poet, who gave all his works a touch of uniqueness, has been criticized various, with the critics citing a reason or two for such criticism. Robert Frost died on the 9th day of January 1963, having fathered six children with his wife Elinor Miriam White. Frost’s father William Prescott was a man an immigrant from England, and his mother, Isabelle Moodie was a woman of Scottish descent (Ellmann and O'Clair 45). Robert, who wrote ...

The modern world is dominated by technological influences that have seen a change in the lifestyle and behavior of man. A comparison is always made on how the day-to-day life of man is being influenced by the technological developments. This has different impacts on people depending on how they handle the changes. Observing the behavior displayed by man, one can only be amazed at the power of how technology has turned man from being a naturally social creature to a machine like individual. Robert frost is one of the modern poets who has observed the changing trend in man even with the ...

Robert Frost is considered one of the greatest American poets of all time. He created imagery and cultural memes that exist in American culture to this day; indeed, some of what is considered trite and overdone in poetry was introduced into the art by Frost. “Mending Wall,” one of Frost’s most famous pieces of poetry, is particularly prevalent and common in American culture, even today. Different critics analyze the text of “Mending Wall” differently, but there are a few different camps that analyses of this particular poem fall into. Some critics, while analyzing “Mending Wall,” take into account ...

‘’Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’’

-Robert Frost (Mountain Interval 1920)

The annals of poetry have seldom seen poetry as effortless as Frost’s. Seemingly simple, his poems are thought provoking, creating an impression on first time readers instantly. Frost is the Father Christmas of literature; with something for everybody. His writing style protects his poems from becoming obsolete, appealing to the aesthetics of readers across ages. He is revered for his strong command on the colloquial American dialogue which makes his poems appear real for laymen, as if ...

Abstract

‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ is one of the best poems ever written by Robert Frost. It comprises only eight lines yet hold a great deal of substance. It is a highly inspirational poem which exhibits excellent alliteration, metaphor, simile, assonance, consonance, rhyming and meter. Considered as one of the best English poems, it is worth analysing. This essay illuminates the various interesting elements and literary devices- mainly the rhyming, the word music through assonance, consonance and internal rhyming and finally the metaphors used to convey such a great meaning in ‘Nothing Can Stay Gold’. The first two elements namely rhyming and word ...

Summary

Wystan Hugh Auden: Wystan Hugh Auden was born in 1907, in York, England but his parents moved to Birmingham when he was young. Auden was overly intelligent and was transformed by the poetry of Robert Frost and Thomas Hardy Michael Hamburger: Michael Hamburger was a translator, a poet and a critic born in Berlin in 1924. Hamburger has translated the works of very many poets from German to English. William Carlos Williams: William Carlos William was born on the 17th of September, 1883. William was a poet renowned for his collection that include Spring and All (1923), Kora in Hell (1920), ...

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

10 November 2012

Illuminating the poem:

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower, But only so an hour. So leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

The essence of poetry does not necessarily depend on the number of lines, complexity of phrases and sophistication of words chosen. If the phrases are inspirational or pleasant, only a few lines with simple words can suffice to create beautiful poetry. The famous poem ...

Analysis of the poem Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

The poem Fire and Ice was written in 1920 and belongs to early cycle of author’s poetry. Nevertheless, it is one of the most well-known and popular work of Frost. It consists of only nine lines or 51 words. Yet the imagery of these lines is so deep that there are even different versions of inspiration reason gained by Robert Frost. According to the first one, the verse was written after re-thinking of Dante’s Inferno image. According to the medieval poet, the lowest circle of the Hell, where betrayers were placed, is covered with ice and this ...

The poem “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, is an interesting poem because it is cries out to be interpreted in a symbolic or metaphorical way. Published in 1916,‘The Road Not Taken” has been interpreted by many readers to be an inspirational work that tries to stir a feeling of individualism in the reader. This, however, might be a misunderstanding of Frost’s cryptic, and very unspecific words, which, based on his close friendship with Edward Thomas, could have been intended to convey a completely different message all together – a message not so uplifting, as many readers may have thought. Matthew Hollis ...

A birthday party was given for Robert Frost when he turned eighty five years old. His publishers, Henry Holt and Company hosted a party on March 26, 1959. The guest speaker at the event was the essayist Louis Trilling. During the speech Trilling referred to Frost as “a terrifying poet.” This comment caused a controversy. In the April issue of The New York Times Book Review the columnist J. Donald Adams criticized Tilling for using that description of Robert Frost. Several people had their angry letters published.

Does Trilling make a good point that Frost’s poems are terrifying? The poems will be ...

Robert Frost provides an excellent example of a poet who experienced a long career, going from strength to strength. Accessible and down-to-earth, his work still continues to be popular today. Most readers can relate to his work as he focusses so accurately on human experience; his themes have not aged over the years and show no sign of aging in the future. Frost was an American poet who was respected for his portrayals of country life in New England, his grasp of conversational language, and his accurate poetry depicting commonplace people in ordinary positions. Robert Frost was born on March ...

Robert Frost is best known for his rural life poetry and for the simple terminology he uses in his poems. However, the jargon of Frost’s poems might be simple but there is a profundity of depth and meaning in his poetry regarding the complexities of life.

The Road not Taken by Frost is set on a forest road on an autumn morning. Frost was tremendously inspired by the rural landscapes of Gloucestershire. When he moved to Britain in 1912, he rented a cottage over and became fast friends with Edward Thomas, another great critic, writer and a nature lover. These close friends ...

Theme: Symbolism of the Journey

Thesis Statement: Poem “The Road Not Taken” is written by Robert Frost and Story “I Use to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys both are based on theme of Journey. Both of the writer has presented different view of journey and shown the impact of a particular journey on the life. Both of the literatures talk about different persons, different locations and different circumstances. The one common aspect presented by both of the writers that is; no matter what path you have taken there will be lots of sufferings and obstacles of the journey.

Introduction:

The meaning of journey varies ...

Compare and Contrast Robert Frost’s

Robert Frost and Eudora Welty both writers, lived thirty years apart; whereas Frost writes poetry and Welty writes novel and short story, a comparison and contrast of these two works will show that the setting of their writings is nature.

The two works, “The Road not Taken”, and “A Worn Path,“ begin with a description of nature, and they are set apart by one season. Frost’s poem begins: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” suggesting that it is fall. There are several yellow flowers that bloom in spring, however, it could not have been spring, since the poet distinctly says “ ...

Analysis - "Out Out" by Robert Frost

In Robert Frost's Poem "Out Out," the experience of a young boy getting his hand sawn off and dying is described in agonizing and beautiful detail. Working out in the field, the young boy experiences fear, denial and a myriad other emotions as the harsh circumstances of life remove from him his hand and his life. The literary effects and form of "Out Out" are woven together to convey the message that tragic events in life are unexpected and often brutal, and that people have different reactions to death.

The literary effects of "Out Out" are used to lend a grandeur to ...

Robert Frost has written the poem “To Earthward” by using eight cross rhymed stanzas. The author has selected his very regular meter, iambic for this poem. Three iambic feet are visible in the first three lines of every verse of the poem however fourth line of the stanza contains only two iambic feet. It is easy to recognize the meter of the poem for those who are familiar with the hymnal representation meter. There is a prolific cross-pollination of sounds and rhymes throughout the poem. The lyric richness used by the author in this poem is exemplary. The author has ...

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening paints a beautiful picture of a different time. A horse and rider take time to stop and watch the snow falling in the woods. It sounds like a painting. Yet, much more is going on here than appreciation of nature. The meaning of the poem is that the only character is about to go on a long journey to fulfill a promise. The promise is a great responsibility. The promise might be going to war, taking care of a loved one who is ill, or just taking a moment to rest before resuming the normal responsibilities of life.

The first stanza ...

All of us go through life with our own individual journeys. The path that we take is often dependent on every single decision that we make through our journey. Often, we look back through our life what might have been if we have followed a different path. But we often realize that there are no “undo” buttons in real life. There is simply no going back. Once we have made a certain decision, we cannot do anything but stick with that decision and make the most of the decision we have made.

Our journey through life has often been depicted in ...

The Road not taken by is one of the most adored works by Mr. Robert Frost. The poem is simple yet difficult; one can not understand it so easily and the massage, poet wants to convey. It needs appropriate attention to understand and get the implied meaning of the lines of this poem. Writer has presented his thoughts in a clear, natural manner and simple way. But in reality the poem carries a deep massage to the readers. The massage given by the author in the poetry is related to various aspects of decision making in life. The poet start ...

The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost has one major theme. It talks about the paths we choose in life, the choices we make and what we may lose by taking one path instead of the other. Life is a journey and just like in any journey a person needs to make hard choices. Just as the protagonist of the story, we are often put in front of a choice and the decision we take may influence us for the rest of the life. Even though we might have a chance to try the other road later, “I doubted if I ...

Literature is used as a means of communication from one person to another. Most of the literary works have a deeper meaning in that there is more to the work than meets the eye. Literature is not only a source of communication but stimulates the brain of the reader. Both Snyder and Theodor Roethke’s poems have this quality and have thus played a significant part in the classic English literature (Perkins & Perkins, p. 23). The following research paper focuses on the poems written by both Snyder and Roethke. It seeks to review the analysis of “The late snow and the lumber ...

MENDING WALL

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

The work of hunters is another thing:

I have come after them and made repair

Where they have left not one stone on a stone,

But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,

To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,

No one has seen them made or heard them made,

But at spring mending-time we find them there.

I let my neighbour know beyond the hill;

...

Introduction

In poetry, every piece of work is unique in its own way. However, most pieces of poems follow standard forms. Poems can be entertaining and or educating, depending on the poet’s choice of the role of the poem. The special characteristics that are shared by all poems include:

In poetry, there is the emphasis of important words, which may lead to creation of rhythm or repetition. In this work, I have analyzed four ...

The journey is something that has been discussed in literature for many years, as it carries a universal resonance for all people who wish to reach a destination or accomplish a goal. Eudora Welty and Robert Frost are two authors who examine the nature of the journey, and attempt to symbolize that nature in their short stories and poems, “A Worn Path” and “The Road Not Taken,” respectively. Both “A Worn Path” and “The Road Not Taken” are about how the journey we take through life defines us and gives us purpose. Phoenix’ journey is to help others and herself; the protagonist ...