Robert Frost, an inspiring poet, enjoyed using extended metaphors, which can turn regular words and phrases into a deeper context that can be constantly viewed throughout the course of the poem. He uses this technique in both of the poems, “Mending Wall” and “The Cow in Apple Time,” by using environmental imagery and metaphor, to convey the message that boundaries display issues, even if the impact they have isn't negative. In the “The Cow in Apple Time,” the cow is moving around her field, when she sees a apple orchard which is enclosed by a fence, this is a metaphor for separating forces found in nature. After some time has passed viewing the surroundings, her greedy and obstinate nature creates an everlasting will to obtain the apples,
A great number of people might look at "Mending Wall" and see a simple poem about a simple aspect of life. If this is truly the case then why are so many drawn to the poem and what is found when more than a superficial look is spent on Robert Frost's work? The "Mending Wall" is an insightful look at social interactions as seen in the comparison of the repeated phrases and the traditional attitudes of the two farmers. The speaker believes, "Something there is that doesn't love a wall"(Stanford 1, 28). What sets this line apart from others?
Both authors explore the progressive attitudes and how these were received during the time period of both Fitzgerald and Robert. Frost presents this idea in the poem, ‘Mending Wall’. The poem is about two neighbours who every year go to the end of the garden to meet and build a wall together. However, one neighbour is confused as why there needs to be a wall as there is nothing that needs to be divided or prevented from escaping or entering. This neighbour begins to challenge the other neighbour, ‘why do they make good neighbours?’
Robert Frost had a long, well lived life. Frost was born in San Francisco, California in the year 1874. Frost was and still is one of the most famous American poets to live. Frost lived in San Francisco until his father died in 1885. Him and his mother then left to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Frost then graduated high school at Lawrence High School in 1892. Frost graduated at class valedictorian. Following graduating at high school, Frost went to Dartmouth and Harvard, both ivy-league schools. He married his high school sweetheart Elinor Miriam White in 1895. After marrying her, they moved out to New Hampshire where he had six children. Frost moved out to try farming. Frost began chicken farming and published ten short stories and sketches in two poultry magazines. While farming his family lived on the edge of poverty. He was determined to become a widely published poet. Unfortunately, Frost could not find a large audience for his poems. His poems were too radical for the U.S. publishers in the early 1900s. Having no luck in America, Frost moved to England. Within a few months he found a publisher to publish his first book of poems, “A Boys Will” and “North of Boston.” (Thompson)
Mending Wall written by Robert Frost, describes the relationship between two neighbors and idea of maintaining barriers. Where one of them feels that there is no need of this wall, 'There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard.' On the other hand his neighbor remains unconvinced and follows inherited wisdom passed down to him by his father, 'Good fences make good neighbors.' They even kept the wall while mending it, this reflect that they never interact with each other, ?We keep the wall between us as we go?. Robert Frost has maintained this literal meaning of physical barriers but it does contain metaphor as representation of these physical barriers separating the neighbors and also their friendship.
The extended metaphors used by Anne Bradstreet and Robert Frost are inferred by continual metaphors within their poems. The poem “The Author to Her Book” by Bradstreet and Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” are comparable extended metaphors with similarities between the authors and the speakers. While Bradstreet viewed her works of art with flaws as a child, Frost used “diverged” roads to relate to choices in life. These poems share a similar idea that their themes deal with the lives’ of the speakers. In each poem the author and speaker are comparable through their extended metaphors, different styles of tone, and additional literary devices.
Robert Frost uses metaphor and symbolism extensively in ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’, developing deeper and more complex meanings from a superficially simple poem. Frost’s own analysis contributes greatly to our appreciation of the importance of metaphor, claiming that “metaphor [is] the whole of thinking,” inviting the reader to interpret the beautiful scene in a more profound way. However, the multitude of possible interpretations sees it being read as either carefully crafted lyric, a “suicide poem, [or] as recording a single autobiographical incident” . Judith Oster argues, therefore, that the social conditions individual to each reader tangibly alter our understanding of metaphor. Despite the simplicity of language, Frost uses conventional metaphors to explore complex ideas about life, death and nature. The uncertainty, even in the concluding stanza, that encompasses the poem only adds to the depth of possible readings.
One of the poetic techniques that Robert Frost uses in 'Mending Wall' to convey his ideas, is imagery. In the first eleven lines of the poem, it is used to describe the degradation of the wall, creating a visual image for the reader.
"Mending Wall" is a poem written by the poet Robert Frost. The poem describes two neighbors who repair a fence between their estates. It is, however, obvious that this situation is a metaphor for the relationship between two people. The wall is the manifestation of the emotional barricade that separates them. In this situation the "I" voice wants to tear down this barricade while his "neighbor" wants to keep it.
Robert Frost joins all his lines together in this narrative poem while still focusing on different ideas. He uses this style of poetry to develop the theme. Everything flows together yet stands apart line by line. Narratives are pleasingly unrestrained and their strive to tell stories are easeful. In "Mending Wall", Frost tells a story of how nature has instilled an entropy in barriers to provoke peaceful living among all creatures. The construction of the wall may be in fact destruction of man's relations with his peers.
In the poem "Mending Wall," Robert Frost utilizes the literary devices of imagery, meter, and symbolism to demonstrate the rational and irrational boundaries or metaphoric "walls" humans place on their relationships with others. The precise images, such as the depiction of the mending-time ritual and the dynamic description of his "old-stone savage armed" neighbor, serve to enhance our enjoyment as well as our understanding of the poem (40). The poem is written in blank verse (iambic pentameter); the form that most closely resembles everyday English. Frost deliberately employs this direct, conversational, and easy to understand style of meter which appears simple on the surface. Although symbolism is used throughout, the three most significant symbols are: the wall, his neighbor, and Frost himself as the speaker. Analyzing each of these devices as well as how they harmonize with one another is necessary in order to appreciate what Frost was revealing about human behavior.
In Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” there are many complexities that ultimately lead to the poem’s unity. At first glance this poem seems to be a very typical coming of age poem where the speaker has come to a major fork in the road and he must decide which path to take. At first glance this would be a very good statement to make; however, as the reader digs deeper and searches for the complexity and the nuances of the poem the original assessment seems to be shallow and underdeveloped. In order to truly appreciate this poem as a work of art, the reader must search for the unity and complexity within it, otherwise this poetic work of art will go by unnoticed and cast off as a coming of age poem and nothing else.
Frost’s use of comparisons helps the reader to better interpret the meaning of this poem. The picture created, with his use of imagery allows the reader to view his work from various perspectives. His analogies are very pragmatic. The reader is able to relate to the speaker’s feelings. After reading this poem it gives the reader a sense of understanding why the speaker wished he could go back to his past so much.
Robert Frost is known for his poems about nature, he writes about trees, flowers, and animals. This is a common misconception, Robert Frost is more than someone who writes a happy poem about nature. The elements of nature he uses are symbolic of something more, something darker, and something that needs close attention to be discovered. Flowers might not always represent beauty in Robert Frost’s poetry. Symbolism is present in every line of the nature’s poet’s poems. The everyday objects present in his poems provide the reader an alternative perspective of the world. Robert Frost uses all the elements of poetry to describe the darker side of nature. After analyzing the Poem Mending Wall and After Apple Picking it is clear that nature plays a dark and destructive role for Robert Frost. This dark side of Frost’s poetry could have been inspired from the hard life he lived.
The Great In and Out Doors: An Analysis of Robert Frost’s Use of Natural and Rural Depictions in his Poetry. Edward Abbey once stated: “Water, water, water.. There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount, a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand, insuring that wide free open, generous spacing among plants and animals, homes and towns and cities, which makes the arid West so different from any other part of the nation. There is no lack of water here unless you try to establish a city where no city should be.” Through poems such as Birches, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Mending Wall, Out, Out--, Acquainted with the Night, and The Gift Outright Frost uses an amazing capacity of human intellect to personify the areas of living.
Robert Frost is an amazing poet that many admire today. He is an inspiration to many poets today. His themes and ideas are wonderful and are valued by many. His themes are plentiful however a main one used is the theme of nature. Frost uses nature to express his views as well as to make his poetry interesting and easy to imagine in your mind through the detail he supplies.