Robert Frost as a Modern Poet (1874-1963) | American Literature | American Poets | HEC Sparknotes 2024
Frost's poetry, while often filled with pastoral imagery, still reflects a modern sensibility by addressing the challenges faced by people in the contemporary world. Focused on the subjects of science and technology.
Frost as a Modern Poet
"Local in reference, he is universal in implication.”
Randall Jarrell
"In his pastorals, Frost's dominant motive is to reassert the
value of individual perception against the fragmenting of
experience resulting from modern technology. They thus deal
with one of the most fundamental concerns of the twentieth
century thought."
John F. Lynen
According to Stephen Spender, modernism is all about being aware of things happening in the present, like machinery, the industrial city, and neurotic behavior. A work of art can be considered modern if it possesses certain characteristics. These include being aware of and knowledgeable about contemporary social and scientific developments, having an understanding of phenomena such as machinery, the industrial city, and neurotic behavior, being lively and up-to-date, presenting intellectual complexity, blending thought and emotion, incorporating various realities, having a touch of mysticism and symbolism, engaging with the individual's mind or soul, prioritizing the individual over society, being original, having a love for convention but also a desire to challenge it, embracing paradox and antithesis, and having a fresh perspective. Here are a few features of modern literature: It's challenging for any writer to keep up with all these features. If a writer shares some of them, they are considered modern.
There is a debate among critics regarding whether Frost should be classified as a modern poet. Isidor Schneider, William Van O'Connor, Granville Hicks, and Yvor Winters do not view Frost as a modern poet. Schneider criticizes Frost's collection of poems, New Hampshire, as being poorly written and filled with irrelevant content. Many people believe that Frost is a poet who focuses on nature—the beauty of fields and meadows, mountains and rivers, forests and gardens, and the creatures that inhabit them. However, some critics, like Cleanth Brooks, Lionel Trilling, and John F. Lynen, view Frost as a modern poet. Some critics argue that Frost employs pastoral technique solely to assess and critique contemporary living. His pastoralism reflects a strong objection to the erosion of values in today's society. Frost is considered one of the great poets of the modern era, alongside T. S. Eliot, Yeats, and Hopkins.
Frost's poetry, while often filled with pastoral imagery, still reflects a modern sensibility by addressing the challenges faced by people in the contemporary world. Focused on the subjects of science and technology. Frost's poetry explores the breakdown of values in contemporary society and the disillusionment experienced by individuals through the use of symbolic and metaphysical language. According to J. F. Lynen, Frost's use of the pastoral technique in his poems does not indicate a desire to avoid the challenges of contemporary life. According to him, it gives him perspective. Cleanth Brooks suggests that Frost's poetry demonstrates the intricate structure found in symbolist metaphysical poetry. It is much clearer than the work of many contemporary poets.
Themes of Frost's Poetry
Frost's nature poems depict the decline of values in contemporary society and the disappointment felt by individuals in the modern era. His poems often explore the experiences of individuals grappling with feelings of isolation, dissatisfaction, and the challenges of contemporary existence. In the story "Hill Wife," the author explores the feelings of loneliness, fear, and distance experienced by a woman living in isolation. The poem is crafted in a way that is easy for school students to understand and explores the depths of the human mind. Home burial depicts the lack of harmony that exists in today's society. The protagonist of "An Old Man's Winter Night" is depicted as a solitary and elderly individual.
"A light he was to no one but himself
Where now he sat, concerned with knowing what?"
These lines reflect the feelings of disillusionment, frustration, gloom, isolation, and loneliness experienced by modern individuals.
"No, from the time when one is sick to death,
One is alone, and he dies more alone.
Friends make the pretense of following to the grave.
But before one is in it, their minds are turned.
And making the best of their way back to life
And living people, and things they understand.”
There is a scary feeling of being alone in Acquainted with the Night. The meeting of the "watchman on his beat" implies the act of isolating oneself. It is possible that the poet's disaffection with society is implied in the circumstances mentioned in the poem. "An interrupted cry" that "came over houses from another street" hints at the speaker's extreme alienation, for it was "not to call me back or say good-bye."
“I have been acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in the rain and back in the rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat.
And I dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet.
When far away, an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still, at an unearthly height,
A luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been acquainted with the night.”
According to Stanlis, the poem is one of Frost's "dark poems," along with Design, Once by the Pacific, The Hill Wife, and An Old Man's Winter Night. In the same year that Frost wrote "Acquainted with the Night," T. S. Eliot crafted his masterpiece, "The Waste Land." The Eliot poem was filled with intricate and layered allusions, making it difficult for even scholars to fully grasp. In contrast, Frost's poem was accessible to all, including school students.
In his poem Two Tramps in Mud Time, Frost explores both the positive and negative aspects of nature, which sets him apart from the Romantics. Under the apparently beautiful calm, there is lurking turmoil and storms:
"Be glad of water, but don't forget
The lurking frost in the earth beneath”
Frost's poems frequently showcase a straightforward and easily understandable connection between an individual and the natural world. These experiences can result in significant insights or discoveries that greatly affect those involved. Exploring nature and getting involved in hands-on activities can offer numerous advantages. These include learning about oneself, understanding humanity, and exploring the metaphysical realm. Frost's earlier work delves into the process of discovery and highlights the transformative power of connecting with nature. In the poem "After Apple-Picking," the act of harvesting fruit provides the speaker with a deeper insight into the concept of death.
"One can see what will trouble
This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is,.
Were he not gone,
The woodchuck could say whether it's like his
Long sleep, as I describe it, is coming on.
Or just some human sleep.”
Frost's poems frequently showcase a straightforward and easily understandable connection between an individual and the natural world. These experiences can result in significant insights or discoveries that greatly affect those involved. Exploring nature and getting involved in hands-on activities can offer numerous advantages. These include learning about oneself, understanding humanity, and exploring the metaphysical realm. Frost's earlier work delves into the process of discovery and highlights the transformative power of connecting with nature. In the poem "After Apple-Picking," the act of harvesting fruit provides the speaker with a deeper insight into the concept of death.
Frost's Poetic Technique
Frost's approach to the subject in some of his poems reflects his modernity. In Mending Walls, Frost presents contrasting elements of the poem's theme and allows the reader to form their own interpretation. The traditional farmer believes in the saying, "Good fences create strong relationships with neighbors," while the progressive farmer argues, "There's something out there that opposes the idea of walls." Frost also utilizes symbolism as a poetic technique, which contributes to his status as a modern poet. The Road Not Taken explores the common challenge of decision-making and the barriers that can separate people mentally and emotionally, even if they live in the same society or as neighbors.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry, I could not travel both.
And be one traveler, long I stood
And I looked down one as far as I could.
To where it bent in the undergrowth,
--------------------------------------------------
“I shall be telling this with a sigh.
Somewhere ages and ages, hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
The poem Birches is a great example; it features the image of thin trees being bent either temporarily by a boy swinging on them or permanently by an ice storm. As the poem progresses, it becomes evident that the speaker is interested in the intersection of childlike imagination and the natural world. They express a desire to climb a birch tree, ascending its black branches on a snow-white trunk towards the sky. Eventually, the tree bends and lowers the speaker back to the ground. That would be great for both the trip there and back.
Frost's Realism
Being a swinger of birches is a simple and enjoyable activity that even school students can easily engage in. Easy to understand, Frost's poetry, although often associated with nature, ultimately delves into the universal experiences of humanity. He can be considered a poet in a genuine way. He was able to use a constant metaphor from nature to fuel his imagination. Frost's characters experience a profound sense of isolation, offering no solace for them. Both Frost and the Symbolists have a way of looking at reality from different angles. Frost's nature poems reflect his intention to acknowledge the importance of science. Therefore, even though he is influenced by Romanticism, he should be considered fundamentally against Romanticism. It is important to emphasize the need to bridge the gap between the two. By opposing the Romantic, he creates a divide between man and nature.
Frost's reflective poems are devoid of any sense of despair or pessimism. He is not afraid of darkness or challenges. However, he is open to embracing and finding common ground between conflicting ideas. He recognizes the importance of darkness in appreciating light, the role of evil in allowing us to choose good, and the significance of death in giving meaning to life. However, if there is no despair in his work, there is also no complacency. Understanding the human condition on this planet, there are moments when individuals may voice their discontent with it. This is beautifully captured in a sonnet titled The Flood (found in the book, West-Running Brook). In Frost's poetry, the world of nature is not portrayed as a dream. It can be quite challenging and unfriendly compared to the modern urban world. His poetry reflects his understanding of human issues in the modern world, with a realistic approach to nature and the use of symbolic and metaphysical techniques. This makes him a respected modern poet.
Conclusion
Frost's poetry is easy to understand and focuses on specific details. Frost's poetry is straightforward and easy to understand, unlike the works of T. S. Eliot and other modern writers. Frost's clarity and simplicity should not be dismissed as trivial, despite some critics accusing him of having shallow thoughts. Frost's poems are often filled with multiple layers of meaning. The clarity of his writing is such that anyone can understand it, especially school students. There is always a clear meaning or image for the reader to grasp. For example, the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" beautifully captures the essence of nature with its descriptions of birches, blueberry patches, and the deep woods filling up with snow.
According to Randall Jarrell, Frost's poetry effectively captures the boundaries of existence with a straightforward and calm approach. His clever wit, which made him popular with many people, hides a negative outlook similar to Robinson's. Just like many other New Englanders, he noticed the deeper meaning behind things and found himself drawn to philosophical ideas and symbolism. He belonged to the same group as Emerson, Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson. Like them, he was a true Yankee, with a straightforward manner that was actually quite indirect in his comments. He may be local in reference, but his implications are universal.
Lionel Trilling suggests that the poems of Frost, whether set in rural or urban settings, share common themes of complexity, uncertainty, and anxiety. He argues that Frost doesn't isolate himself in an ivory tower but instead portrays the harsh realities of life in his poems. These poems, such as Design and Neither Out Far Nor in Deep, are characterized by a clear and realistic depiction. Frost's poetry captures the essence of history and brings it to life, offering a hopeful and insightful outlook for the future. It's easy to understand, even for high school students. This has a broad appeal that is easy for school students to understand. This tool has the ability to effectively convey ideas and concepts. This has a symbolic meaning. It utilizes a contemporary approach to juxtapositions and implications. He is greatly influenced by modern thinkers, particularly the Transcendentalists of America, such as Emerson. If some contemporary poets are worthy of admiration for their fresh and modern style, Frost should be commended for his innovative and modern ideas.
Refrences
Rood, K. L. (1979). ROBERT FROST BEFORE ENGLAND: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MODERN POET, 1890-1912. University of South Carolina.
Doreski, W. (1997). Frost, Robert 1874—1963. American Writers, Retrospective Supplement 1, 121-144.
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