Robert Frost's Poetry in a Nutshell

Robert Frost, called by Robert Graves "the voice of America" is also the farmer Poet of America. He has appealed to readers worldwide with his impulsive utterances, clarity of diction, lyricism and the significance he imparted to man. Frost's poems exhibit a realistic approach-a conglomeration of the metaphysical and the symbolic. As Mark Van Doren asserts" Frost knows to say a great deal in a short space. Poems like "Mending Wall", "The Road Not Taken" , "Birches" .etc exemplify that a poem must begin in delight and end in wisdom.

The very opening line of "Mending Wall" poses as a typical instance of Frost's inverted statements:

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall."

The poem which begins on a conversational mode proceeds to have deeper implications. At the superficial level, it appears to be a war of words between two neighbours. However it has other ramifications in that it alludes to any border, division or barrier in any walk of life. Frost also is a regional poet like Hardy, his Wessex being New England. The above said poem being regional, gives off universal evocations. Frost's social orientation is suggested by the fact that the poem was read out in 1961 as an indictment on the construction of the Berlin Wall .The tone is colloquial and has a easy manner at the surface. Nevertheless, there is an underlying satire and wry humour.

Frost's poems are noted for their terse statements that hold epigrammatic value. For example, "Earth's the right place for love" and "Good fences make Good neighbours." Though "Birches" appears at the surface as a simple nature poem in the descriptive part; its 'deceptive simplicity ' reverses our comprehension in the meditative part. The former part of the poem deals with the sight of birches which are a common sight in New England. and describes them vividly. Frost's keen observation is exemplified here. The enthralling picture of prismatic ice is presented in vivid and picturesque terms. Frost ascertains that he would like to see some boy bend them; hitherto only nature (ice-storms) was capable of conquering nature. Frost subsequently turns to reminiscences of his boyhood when he himself was a swinger of birches. The poet wants to ascend to the zenith of the tree and then climb back. This forms as the crux of Frost's philosophy: Frost wanted to rise to heavenly altitudes, when he was struck by weariness and when "life seems like a pathless wood". Frost, however wants to stay there only for a while; his world-weariness is not a lasting phenomenon. He seems to echo that while idealization is good, reality is better. The poet reflects a marked departure from the romantic poets in that he does not seek refuge in escapism, but loves the bitter-sweet reality. While the treatment of nature with the nineteenth century poets is Romantic, Frost's pertains to moral edification. "Woods" are a recurrent image in Frost's poetry signifying 'indecision'. In this sense his flight may also allude to profession of teaching to penning poems for an experience of rejenuvation.

Stylistically his poems are excellent. Unlike other poems full stops function as pointers to other verses. The birch trees are transformed to girls on hands and knees rendering the imagery coherent and convincing. The stanzas are in blank verse; and are concise and precise for the situation. As Mr.Bower asserts the voice has an upward and downward movement re-enacting the movement of thought. The verses move as the birches do in perfect synchronization. The temperament of the two poems differ: while "Birches" hinges on Frost's philosophy, "Mending Wall" is a subtle criticism of a social and psychological barrier. A psycho-analytical approach is also possible in that the young boy in "birches" may stand for the youthfulness of the poet in the current situation.
His statements are proverbial, anti-thetical and thought-provoking. The influence of hiss being a poet and a teacher are prevalent in the poems as they aesthetic, and also aim for moral upliftment. Unlike, Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Frost does not endeavour to make the natural supernatural or the supernatural natural; his purpose is only to make the natural seem more natural with a unique insight.