Nature in Robert Frost's Poems

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Recommended: Show frost as a poet of nature

Under the stars of the sky, fifteen-year old Robert Frost explored the heavens through a

telescope. He was seeking affirmation of the proverbial question that has plagued mankind for

centuries—the proof and existence of God. While surveying the cosmos, Frost‘s interest was

stirred, so he visited a library and obtained books that had illustrated star charts. Within these

pages, his knowledge of the stars was edified and a poet was born. Frost‘s first poems were

―astronomical‖ and invoked a kinship of ―cosmology and theology‖ (Haas 255). As time

unfolded, he realized that the cosmos was devoid of providing evidence of God. Similarly, in a

short time span, Frost‘s faith in God became shattered because family members died of illness

and disease (Haas 258). As he developed and honed his craft, all the scholarly encounters with

philosophers, physicists, and mathematicians helped lay down the foundations of his thoughts on

the synonymous relationship of nature and life struggles.

In 1930, Frost presented a nature of poetry to Amherst College Alumni Council to

communicate how science and poetry utilize ―figurative juxtapositions‖ to clarify the subtle and

intricate philosophy of ―natural phenomena‖ (Haas 275). Furthermore, critic Amy Lowell

strengthens his viewpoint and regards Frost as ―one of the most intuitive poets [. . . h]e sees

much [. . .] both into the hearts of person, and into the qualities of scenes‖ (March and Bloom,

par. 1). With clever poetic purpose, Frost‘s poems meld the ebb and flow of nature to convey

human‘s struggles and arouse the ―sound of sense‖ within the reading.

Historically speaking, the sound of sense was interpreted by Lord Kames in 1762. He

affirms that ―relationshi...

... middle of paper ...

...Vol. 2: 87.

Hass, Robert Bernard. "Critical Readings: We Are Sick with Space." Critical Insights: Robert

Frost (2010): 254-303. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.

March, Thomas and Harold Bloom. "The Poetry of Robert Frost and the Creative Genius of

Everyday Life." Bloom's BioCritiques: Robert Frost (2002): 51-66. Literary Reference

Center. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.

Newdick, Robert S. "Robert Frost and ‗The Sound of Sense.‘" American Literature 9.3 (1937):

289. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.

"Onomatopoeia‖ (Ger. Klangmalerei, Lautsymbolik)." New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry &

Poetics (1993): 860-863. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.

Ven, Tom Vander. "Robert Frost's Dramatic Principle of ‗Oversound.‘" American Literature

45.2 (1973): 238. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.

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