¶ … Death in Robert Frost's Poems
Robert Frost was an American poet who was known for his literary works (poems) that depict the theme of "dark meditations" and psychological complexity in the subjects of his poem, according to an article by the web site Academy of American Poets (1997). The article's reference to Robert Frost's use of theme pertaining to 'dark meditations' will be discussed in this paper, as three poems from Frost will be analyzed in accordance to the said theme. The theme that this paper will focus on is the theme of death, and the poems that will be analyzed for this theme are the following: "Home Burial," "After Apple- picking," and "Fire and Ice." These poems are examples of Frost's dark meditation-themed poems, because all of these poems use the element of death as the primary focus of the narrative of the poem. However, despite the similarities in theme in these poems, Frost had used various kinds of situation and concept of death for the subjects of each poem. This paper will discuss the theme of death in the three poems in the following manner: the discussion of fear and sorrow of death in "Home Burial," the fear of death because of unaccomplished tasks here on earth in the poem "After Apple-Picking," and life after death in the poem "Fire and Ice." Passages from the poems will be used as evidence of the said themes.
The poem "Home Burial" illustrates the grief and sorrow that a couple feels and experiences after they had lost their child. The poem is a dialogue between the man and the woman, who are also arguing with each other over the death of their child despite the fact that they grieve (especially the woman) and felt sorrow over the death of the young child. The first part of the poem started with the man asking his wife what she's doing, and the woman displaying a look of fear. In this part of the poem, one would think that the woman is afraid of the dead, especially since they're in a graveyard. However, a further scrutiny of their dialogue will reveal that the woman is actually afraid of the man, and she's afraid...
Judith Oster notes that the poem is of such a nature that it represents the real trauma that occurs after a tragic loss. She writes, "Home is only suffocating when the marriage is unhappy" (Oster 300) and that its subject matter is too dramatic and tragic too realistically ties to failure in human love to have poetic form as its principal subject" (300). Richard Poirier claims that this poem
Frost and Yeats The poems "Sailing to Byzantium" by William Butler Yates and "Birches" by Robert Frost both tell narratives about one generation and how the death of the old is what allows the present generation to thrive. Whereas Yates uses a narrator describing the evolving mental state of a man who knows that he is not long for this earth, Frost uses the degradation of the forests over time to
Robert Frost -- Life Issues and Parallels to My Life A Life Filled with Tragic Inspiration Robert Frost was a prolific American writer and poet whose work captured the difficulties some of the most challenging periods in modern American history as well as his personal trials and tribulations. Frost's work is known for the eloquence that he was able to express using the simple language of common colloquial speech (Holman & Snyder,
Frost, Hughes, Alexie The Meaning of "Home" in Frost's "Hired Hand," Hughes' "Landlord" and Alexie's "I Will Redeem" Robert Frost writes in "The Death of the Hired Hand," "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, / They have to take you in" (122-3). Implicit in these lines is the notion that "home" carries certain rules. "Home" is not just a place devoid of higher meaning, but an abstract
Frost's poem mirrors the Biblical Fall story. The narrator explicitly states that he "let it fall and break," just as Eve let herself break down and eat from the tree of forbidden fruit (line 13). The narrator also notes, "But I was well / Upon my way to sleep before it fell," (line 15). He had already begun to lose consciousness, to succumb to desire and dreaming. Thus the
Robert Frost wrote, "I have written to keep the over curious out of the secret places in my mind both in my verse and in my letters." In a poem, he wrote, "I have been one acquainted with the night." Those unfamiliar with Robert Frost's life story might not realize the significance of those words. Frost was born in a nearly lawless city and grew up in a highly dysfunctional
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now