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 family. As an adult his life was riddled with trials and tragedies. Although he and his wife had four children, three died tragically: a four-year-old boy, a daughter from tuberculosis, and another daughter to suicide. Robert Lee Frost had secrets to keep. Born in San Francisco in 1874, his family had so many secrets that for many years he was not certain of the year of his birth (Meyers, p. 2). The first Frost came to the United States in 1636 (Meyers, p. 1), and his ancestors played varied roles in American history. Along with Army and Navy officers was an early Maine resident, Charles Frost, who invited local natives to his home. After they set their weapons aside, he murdered them. A few escaped, and in retaliation, Charles Frost was found alone on a road and murdered by natives. Robert Frost's father himself was sympathetic to the southern cause during the War Between the States and angered when his father kept him from...
1). In fact Robert Frost was named Robert Lee in honor of the Confederate General. His mother, who was from Scotland, agreed to the first name in honor of the poet Robert Burns.
Robert Frost's adulthood was also riddled with loss. He often felt jealous and resentful that the quality of his poetry was slow to be recognized. Unable to support his family with his writing, for many years he had to work at various jobs, often as a teacher until his grandfather finally gave him land to live on and an allowance with on which to live (Meyers, p. 52). In addition,
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,
The last stanza is the protagonist's projection of what he thinks the future will hold. He imagines himself relating this day with a sigh to another, and letting them know that when he came to the fork in the road he took the road less traveled, and that made all the difference. We must remember two things the author said, first it is the story of his friend, Edward Thomas, and
"He gives his harness bells a shake / to ask if there is some mistake." The horse's action portrays the tendency of people to question those choices they don't understand. This scene can be interpreted as the disapproving voice of society voicing its demands on those of a more sensitive bent. In much the same vein as the previous stanza, Frost shows a depth of human understanding (and misunderstanding). Our
Kidd. The poet's journey toward the night, his familiarity with the night, both represents the poet's search for "complete self-knowledge" and his willingness to explore unknown - again, mysterious - territory. In the second stanza, Amano conjectures that Frost is putting the persona into the reader's consciousness in the form of a denial of others. The "watchman" is the only other human in this poem, of course, but beyond that,
Frost's piece "Fire and Ice" is also rich with metaphors about the human condition. Frost begins his piece with "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice." Again at first glance, frost appears to be discussing the end of the world. However, his next line "From what I've tasted of desire, I'll hold with those who favor fire." Frost appears to be discussing the end of
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