1874-1963
Some notes on theme and style: Frost often uses complex philosophical themes through his poetry. The three poem we read for the class are incredibly short, yet each line contains larger philosophic and social claims. Prof. Huang spent some time going over “The Road Not Taken,” reminding us that the poem is a lament for what could have been. Frost generally resorts to natural themes, moving from the city to the forest. Frost is writing during the early decades of the 20th century, a century marked by capitalism’s modernizing forces. Film was developing, photography and photo journalism were established as means of media communication, WWI (1914-1918) and WWII (1939-1945) ravished the global economy and mindset. Frost is writing in the midst of chaos and progress, trying to create a sense balance through poetry, a “momentary stay against confusion.” The poet is the one who is able to make life stop for a moment, a simple moment in which the reader can reflect upon his or her own existence. This is what Frost strives for in his poetry.
Questions on the Poetry:
Let’s look at “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Aside from the things mentioned in lecture with regard to “the clearing,” what else does the poem attempt to do? What is the poet striving to show in this poem? What is, in effect, the poem ABOUT? What is personified in the poem and why? Modernist Poetry often does not have a rhyme scheme, why does Frost resort to rhyme in his poems? What does RHYME do for us as readers of poetry? What is the ‘world of the woods’ juxtaposed against and what do the woods represent in the first place?
In the poems that we have read the poetic narrator is always alone (or with an animal). No other human beings are around… why is that? If you could characterize Frost’s poetry using two or three themes, what would they be?
He always seems to create two worlds throughout his poetry: the world of nature and the world of society. The poet acts as an in-between figure who can travel between both worlds. What other “opposite realms” does Frost create? What do the last lines do for you, as a reader? Are they echoes of death or of the long journey the traveler still faces?
In reading “Once by the Pacific,” a lesser known Frost poem, what did you make of the language of man and the language of God (another example of the “two worlds” that Frost keeps creating)? Notice that the lines of the poem (pictorially on the page) seem to mimic the motion of ocean waves, moving in and out, each line a little longer then the previous one, until the tide retracts. This is how careful Frost is in his writing, each line, each word, is perfectly crafted.
Ending Questions: What are some words that reappear throughout these three poems? What do those reappearing words serve to show us about Frost’s overall poetic inclination? Why do you think “I” is mentioned five times in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” ? Give some of your own interpretations of these poems… how do you characterize them?
In regards to “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Frost is struggling between choosing between two different worlds which are represented by the dark woods and the village. This demonstrates the fact that he feels pulled in two different directions-by the responsibilities and obligations that were given to him by society and by the woods. The woods represent a deep sleep and are almost seem to be death beckoning. Although the woods beckon, the rider travels on which suggests that he once again realizes that he must carry out his obligations.
I am puzzled by the line 9 and 10, “He give his harness bells a shake/To ask if there is some mistake.” Is this the a reminder to the rider of the responsibilities that he holds?
Great question Allison! We will address them in section to see what others have to say about it. I also liked your village world/forest world, and how the rider is being pulled (much like the horse) in a certain direction. I look forward to your comments in class!
Side Note: I created my account wrong and my first name is Emily.
Frost’s poetic “inclination,” I believe, is to act as a medium between imagination and reality – this is what the poet is defined as. The reader sees this key theme in the three aforementioned poems.
For example, in “Stopping By Woods,” Frost’s narrator imagines staying in the woods, but his horse “gives his harness bells a shake” to wake him up from his dream, and carry onto reality which is his ultimate death…”miles to go before I sleep.” The poem’s rhythm somewhat echoes a sleepy trance the reader falls into.
In “Once By the Pacific,” Frost’s narrator twists reality by personifying the ocean as a Titan ready to desecrate the land.
Also, in “The Road Not Taken,” Frost’s imagination leads him to recollect why he had taken the road less traveled by. In the end, though the road that is most taken is downtrodden and less appealing, the reality for Frost is that the road less taken, with more appeal, was and is the right choice for him.