Robert Frost is considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, with his iconic works like “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening,” and “The Mending Wall.” He was born in San Francisco, California in 1874 and spent much of his childhood in New England, where he is often associated. Although Frost was an avid reader, he didn’t start writing poetry until he was in his mid-twenties. In 1912, Frost gave New York City a try and his career began when he published his first two books A Boy’s Will and North of Boston.
Frost’s poet works soon got the attention of Publisher and Editor Thomas W. Higginson of Atlantic Monthly, who encouraged Frost to stay focused and write while working as a teacher. Frost published his third book, a compilation of recent works entitled Mountain Interval. Upon publishing Mountain Interval, Frost was honored with several commissions, including a Pulitzer Prize and a honorary degree from Amherst College.
In 1915, while visiting England, one of Frost’s most distinguished collections A Boy’s Will and North of Boston, was published in England, where he was being recognized widely. It wasn’t until 1923 when Frost published his fourth book New Hampshire -A Poem with Notes and Grace Notes. This book got him his second Pulitzer Prize. From then on, Frost went on to become one of America’s most beloved poets.
Prior to Frost’s publication, he worked hard and had to earn his living from teaching, manual labor and even farming.Such hard labor had not only led him to share his writings, but to also base many of his poems on his very own observations from his outdoor experiences which he shared through his writings. This, combined with the way he starkly juxtaposed the simplicity and rusticity of his regional landscapes, with complex emotions and moments in mankind’s history placed Frost high amongst his literary peers.
Themes of Life in Frost’s Poetry
Many people associate Robert Frost with nature or nature-centric poems. However, Frost wrote extensively on life’s major themes such as nostalgia, death, faith, ambition and love. Frost wrote, “I have been one acquainted with the night”, a classic elegy poem, which reveals the emotions of his verses. His ability to capture the complexity of life in his poems was one of the reasons why Frost’s poems made a lasting impression on people’s minds.
Influence of New England on Frost’s Poetry
During his childhood, Frost explored the farms, woods, and communities of New England. This part of his life became an integral part of his writing. Frost was born in San Francisco but spent much of his early years in Lawrence, Massachusetts and gradually moved back and forth throughout his life to and from places such as Amherst, Massachusetts and New England. This region influenced his writing significantly as he wrote from experience and brought characters from the local community into his verses.
The Impact of Influential Figures in Robert Frost’s Life
One of Frost’s greatest accomplishments came in 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson awarded Frost with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. This recognition came years after other influential figures, including the President of Amherst College, greeted Frost with an honorary doctorate. In 1961, Frost was awarded an honorary doctorate from Cambridge.
Robert Frost’s Writing Style
Robert Frost was an important American poet who shaped the world’s understanding of poetry during his lifetime and beyond. His notable writing style featured themes exploring life, and was heavily influenced by his love of the outdoors and his native New England.
Frost used intense imagery to create his poetic impression and wrote only of what he understood deeply himself. He drew on his experience to express messages and stories that reflected the use of literary devices such as personification and metaphors. This unique style resulted in Frost having the rare ability of bringing life experiences to the page and evoking powerful emotions, enabling the reader to relate to the poem.
Aside from powerful visuals, Frost’s writing style also had a conversational tone that appealed to a broad range of readers and poets. He infused simple conversations into his work, allowing for vivid description and scene-setting. His work also showed a deep sense of cynicism, which was often represented in his themes of death and life.
Structures of Robert Frost’s Poetry
Frost’s poetry was typically composed of loose iambic tetrameter. He was well-known for his consistent use of free verse, which were mostly made up of blank verse and unrhymed iambic tetrameter. He also found ways to break away from strict traditional forms and create unique lines, jagged rhythms, and varied typographical features.
Frost took advantage of being able to write non-conventional poems by adding variation when it came to typographical features. He often incorporated questions or scenes of conversation into his verses, a move that made his language seem even more natural and conversational. He also included stop words, long sentences, and phrase breaks, offering up another layer of rhyme and repetition pattern.
The structure of his poems often contained a three-part structure, with two separated sections that contain a third, concluding section. This device allowed for the poem to open, lead to a comment or insight, and wrap up with a conclusion. He further added intricacy to his poems with the use of metaphorical language, which paired images with words and created insightful poetry with powerful meanings and emotion.
Sense of Frost’s Poetry
When reading Frost’s poems, many readers will find themselves deeply touched by his powerful images and words. Frost had a deep understanding of emotions, which was evident in his poems. He had the unique ability to tap into painful memories and deep thoughts, encapsulating them into meaningful and beautiful verses.
In his poems, Frost captured feelings of sorrow, loss, nostalgia, joy, and happiness. He often explored the darker sides of life, while also acknowledging the beauty that can be found in even the most difficult situations. His poems evoke feelings of deep emotion, enabling readers to leave the page feeling deeply moved by his words.
Another appealing theme in Frost’s poetry was his exploration of duality. Frost believed that life was filled with opposites, and he often included contradicting themes in his work. He believed that life had these opposites, both light and dark, joy and pain, love and hatred, and even success and failure. These themes of duality allowed readers to explore the range of emotions that exist in life, and grasp their deeper meanings.
Robert Frost’s Legacy
Since when Robert Frost began writing poetry in 1912, the world has changed dramatically. Yet the general themes of his work remain the same and still capture readers’ imaginations today. Frost was able to capture people’s feelings and emotions in his verse and his poems have become some of the best-loved works in modern literature.
When looking at Frost’s life and work, it is easy to see why he is such an important figure in poetry. He wrote extensively on life’s major themes, used New England as inspiration, and had an ability to capture real-life situations and evoke emotion. His use of language, creative structure and sense of duality has enabled generations of readers to explore his works and take away something special.
Frost had a huge influence on the literary world, and his legacy is one that continues to this day. He will always be remembered for his poignant emotions and thoughtful explorations, ensuring that his work will inspire readers for many years to come.
