S.+Colwell

Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California. Throughout his life, Frost was plagued by various experiences of pain and tragedy. At the age of eleven he lost his father to tuberculosis. Fifteen years later he lost his mother to cancer. Not only did he lose his mother and father at an early age, but he also had to commit his younger sister, Jeanie, to a mental hospital. Jeanie died in the hospital nine years after she was admitted. Frost began his own life by marrying Elinor Mariam White at Harvard University. He worked many jobs while married to her, including keeping up with a farm and working as a teacher. He was a professor at the Bread Loaf School of English or Middlebury College for many years, even though he, himself never graduated college. Robert Frost’s true love, however, remained his writings and poetry. He used his poetry as an outlet to his feelings, which is demonstrated by how deep and dark many of his poems are. Frost’s happy marriage was short-lived. Elinor was diagnosed with cancer in 1937 and died one short year later in 1938. Of Frost’s six children, only two outlived him. His oldest son, Elliot, died in 1904 of cholera. His second son, Carol, committed suicide in 1940 at the age of 38. Marjorie, his daughter, died from puerperal fever obtained after childbirth in 1934. His youngest daughter, Elinor Bettina, only lived three days after her birth in 1907. The only two children who were not buried during his lifetime were his daughters Lesley and Irma. Throughout his life Frost suffered from depression which greatly influenced his tones in his poetry. Many of his poems are about death and suicide. Frost wrote mainly about nature, using poetic devices to relate nature to his personal experiences with tragedy.

**The Wood Pile**
Out walking in the frozen swamp one grey day I paused and said, "I will turn back from here. No, I will go on farther--and we shall see." The hard snow held me, save where now and then One foot went down. The view was all in Straight up and down of tall slim trees Too much alike to mark or name a place by So as to say for certain I was here Or somewhere else: I was just far from home. A small bird flew before me. He was careful To put a tree between us when he lighted, And say no word to tell me who he was Who was so foolish as to think what he thought. He thought that I was after him for a feather-- The white one in his tail; like one who takes Everything said as personal to himself. One flight out sideways would have undeceived him. And then there was a pile of wood for which I forgot him and let his little fear Carry him off the way I might have gone, Without so much as wishing him good-night. He went behind it to make his last stand. It was a cord of maple, cut and split And piled--and measured, four by four by eight. And not another like it could I see. No runner tracks in this year's snow looped near it. And it was older sure than this year's cutting, Or even last year's or the year's before. The wood was grey and the bark warping off it

[[image:woodpile.jpg width="238" height="180" align="right"]]
 And the pile somewhat sunken. Clematis Had wound strings round and round it like a bundle. What held it though on one side was a tree Still growing, and on one a stake and prop, These latter about to fall. I thought that only Someone who lived in turning to fresh tasks Could so forget his handiwork on which He spent himself, the labour of his axe, And leave it there far from a useful fireplace To warm the frozen swamp as best it could With the slow smokeless burning of decay.

In this poem the narrator is out in the woods walking on a frozen swamp. He debates whether or not to turn back, but decides that the swamp is frozen enough to continue walking on and keeps going. A bird seems to be following him through the woods, though keeping his distance. Frost personifies the bird by making it seem like the bird is following him for a specific purpose and thinking about him, both human-like characteristics. Once the narrator comes across a decaying woodpile, however, he completely forgets about the little bird and concentrates on why the person who chopped wood so meticulously left it to rot in the swamp. This poem provokes beautiful imagery through very thorough descriptions. The bird could symbolize how nature is unmoved by the decisions the narrator makes. The narrator notices the bird and believes it is following him, yet doesn’t consider that the bird could be as irritated with the narrator’s presence as the narrator is with the bird’s presence. I believe that the bird represents the face that nature and life continue regardless of problems humans are having. Frost may have found the thought that nature goes on no matter what comforting because one of his deepest loves was nature. The symbolism of the woodpile, itself, could represent many different things. It could represent the death and decay that human existence is causing nature: a man chopped down the beautiful trees and then just left the wood to rot in a swamp. He completely took nature and its beauty for granted. Personally, I believe that the woodpile represents superficial happiness. I think that the woodpile represents the material things that made Frost happy before the deaths of his wife and children. The person who chopped the wood must have spent much time and effort on it, only to leave it to rot away in an abandoned swamp in the middle of the woods. His hard work was wasted. I think that the woodpile, and the poem in general, reflects Frost’s feelings about his accomplishments before he was struck by such tragedy.

===Fire  and Ice ===

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice

“Fire and Ice” has a very dark and solemn tone to it. In this poem the narrator is debating whether the world will end in fire or in ice. He comes to the conclusions that both fire and ice would effectively and efficiently end the world. The poem uses a rhyme scheme of ABAABCBCB. Fire and ice both can have many different symbolic interpretations. Fire can be viewed as hate, fury, or rage. Perhaps Frost thinks that his world will end in a whirlwind of painful hate. It also represents complete destruction. Fire has been used for centuries to destroy homes of people and nature. I believe that Frost wants us to view fire as fury. When his son, Carol, committed suicide, Frost must have felt sorrow for the loss of his son, rage at his son for killing himself, and fury with himself. The end of the world could symbolize the end of Carol’s world when he decided to take his own life. The ice in this poem most likely symbolizes the loneliness Frost experienced throughout his lifetime. It could also symbolize sickness (as he last many family members through many different illnesses) or depression. I believe that Frost experienced many lonely days and nights during his life. He lost so many people that he cared about. Icy loneliness also may be what drove Carol to suicide. I think that Frost’s obsession with death in his poetry is representative of all the death he experienced during his life. If my interpretation is correct, then Frost would choose rage and fury and hate over the feeling of loneliness. He acknowledges that both are very deadly and awful feelings that are able to end his world. I do not think that when he refers to the end of the world he means it literally; I believe he is debating what he would rather have ruin his own life.

Neither Out Far Nor In Deep
The people along the sand All turn and look one way. They turn their back on the land. They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass A ship keeps raising its hull; The wetter ground like glass Reflects a standing gull.

The land may vary more; But wherever the truth may be--- The water comes ashore, And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far. They cannot look in deep. But when was that ever a bar To any watch they keep?

In this poem people are standing on a beach staring into the ocean. The narrator seems enthralled by this because they have all turned their backs on land. Out in the distance there is a ship and on the beach there is a seagull standing the people. Frost rhymes the last word of every other line in each stanza (for example, the first stanza has a rhyme scheme of ABAB). The fact that the people in the poem have turned their back on land is significant because it could represent how they wish to leave the lives they live and be swallowed by the infinite mass of the sea. This could be symbolic of suicidal thoughts and wishes. I believe that they look out at the sea because the sea symbolizes their deepest desires. I think that it also symbolizes their dreams. Frost may be trying to demonstrate how people will turn their back on what they have to chase their dreams. The symbolism of the land can be seen in many different ways. The land may represent the old, the boring, or the overly familiar. The people may be turning their back on their boring lives to explore the riches a sea of dreams has to offer. The land, however, may also represent stability and safety. In this view, the title “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” could serve as a warning to the people staring into their dreams, ready to jump out of their safe lives. Although the people cannot see everything hidden in the ocean (or their dreams and ambitions) they are willing to turn their back on what they do know. I believe that Frost is trying to warn his readers about the danger of dreaming too big. The ocean is a great symbol to use in this poem, because although the ocean is so beautiful to look and admire, it is also a very dangerous and deadly place.

Desert Places [[image:snowy_field.JPG width="269" height="209" align="right"]]
Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast In a field I looked into going past, And the ground almost covered smooth in snow, But a few weeds and stubble showing last.

The woods around it have it--it is theirs. All animals are smothered in their lairs. I am too absent-spirited to count; The loneliness includes me unawares.

And lonely as it is that loneliness Will be more lonely ere it will be less--media type="youtube" key="pzk06Vr7Ee0" height="234" width="281" align="right" A blanker whiteness of benighted snow With no expression, nothing to express.

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces Between stars--on stars where no human race is. I have it in me so much nearer home To scare myself with my own desert places <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">“Desert Places” is literally interpreted as a story of the narrator observing snow on a cold winter evening. He notices a field that is almost completely covered in snow, except for a few weeds struggling to stay above the mass of white. It is very still in the wintry woods because all the animals are kept in their homes by the snow. The narrator continually comments on the terrible loneliness he is experiencing while observing the scene. He also expresses his feelings of loneliness even while away from the lonely scene; even in his own home. Frost uses an AABA rhyme scheme in his first stanza and each stanza after the first follows the same rhyme pattern. Frost uses depressing terms, such as “smothered”, “lonely”, and “blanker whiteness” to give the poem a sad tone. The poem is full of imagery of thick, heavy, white snow completely taking over all life in the woods. The snow seems as though it could be symbolic of the extreme loneliness that the narrator is feeling. His constant mention of loneliness provokes the reader to see the snow as smothering coldness, as opposed to beautiful and fun. I believe that along with loneliness, Frost meant for the snow to represent depression. Frost battled with depression throughout his life, and this could be an attempt at describing the intensity of his depression to his readers. I find the symbolism of snow in this poem to be very similar to the symbolism of the ice in “Fire and Ice”. The mention of animals in this poem is very interesting as well. It could be that Frost feels as though animals can be affected by negative feelings; they represent sadness in nature. He also may have included them to better set the scene for the poem. Personally, I believe he included them to demonstrate his state of extreme loneliness. Even the little critters of the woods have abandoned him. Finally, the weeds and stubble mentioned in the first stanza of this poem could represent life trying to stay about the snow… trying to beat the loneliness. Since they are described as weeds, however, and not as grass or plants, I believe that Frost wanted the readers to have a negative view of the life above the snow. I believe that he wants the weeds to symbolize life wating to be smothered by the massive snow blanket.

Design
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I found a dimpled spider, fat and white, On a white heal-all, holding up a moth Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth-- Assorted characters of death and blight Mixed ready to begin the morning right, Like the ingredients of a witches' broth-- A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth, And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white, The wayside blue and innocent heal-all? What brought the kindred spider to that height, Then steered the white moth thither in the night? What but design of darkness to appall?-- If design govern in a thing so small.

The literal interpretation of “Design” is very gruesome and unpleasant. In this poem the narrator is watching a white spider preparing to eat a moth that it has caught in its web. The narrator is then questioning the motives of the spider, as well as the motives of the being that created the spider. Frost uses a rhyme scheme in this poem. He also uses similes to describe the pureness of the moth and the darkness of the spider’s actions. The relationship between the moth and the spider could represent the rel <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">media type="youtube" key="igu0reFXjGQ" height="196" width="231" align="left" ationship between one person betraying another person. For instance, an innocent friend could be taken advantage of by someone they thought that they knew and loved. I, however, believe that Frost is using the moth and spider as symbols for questioning the actions of God. The title “Design” seems to question how and why God designed things the way that He did. Frost struggled with religion during his life, and many of his poems reflect his doubts and questions about God. I believe that he made the spider and moth white to compare and contrast them. Although they are both white, which can be symbolic of pureness, or even holiness, they are portrayed very differently. The spider is conveyed as being a source of evil and pain; it tricks other creatures into becoming its dinner. The moth is illustrated as being pure, helpless, and defenseless. Frost is not questioning the evilness of the spider, but rather he is questioning the motives of the maker of the spider. He does not understand how one creator can make something as innocent as a moth and another thing as evil as a spider. I believe that this poem probably reaches out to many people, because his question is a very commonly discussed question throughout churches. Frost’s doubts and fears of religion are very apparent in this p oem.

= T h e R o s e = Petals of beautiful red The soft touch of a rose Cold winters bitterness shed And caring warmth grows

But with petal comes thorn And the blood red of pain The dream of beauty torn Filled with black, dreary rain

The empty rain turns to snow Soft petals wither and die Only dry, black thorns show The dream becomes a lie

This poem is about a red rose that turns black and dies. It is similar to Robert Frost’s rhyme scheme in his poem “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep”. “The Rose” has intense imagery of a dying rose that allows the audience to visualize exactly what is happening in the poem. This poem discusses how apparent beauty and happiness is not without ugliness and pain. In this poem the rose represents love and happiness. The rose is full and in blossom at the beginning of the poem, which represents the peak of a good relationship. The death of the rose symbolizes the end of happiness in that relationship through death or other factors. I believe that this is a poem that Robert Frost could relate to because in the end, the happiness and love disappears. Frost led such a depressing life and encountered death many times through family members. Many of his poems are about being insignificant and waiting for death. I believe that this poem relates to his life because it discusses the death of a beautiful, lovely thing. Frost had to deal with the death of his parents, wife, and four children. This probably made him very well aware that with happiness comes pain, or rather, with a rose comes thorns. This poem also reminds me of “Fire and Ice” because it is very raw and obvious that death is a main subject. In some of his poems, Frost uses so many images and other poetical devices that it is hard to interpret the meaning of the poem without digging. It also is similar to many of his poems because of the metaphor of nature to real human experiences. Although the poem is literally about a rose, it is really about the pain that loving someonmedia type="youtube" key="VxCCiNvX4ts" height="413" width="520" align="right"e or something can bring.