R.

Scully

Robert Frost a poet of sadness Robert Frost is an unequivocal poet of sadness. Frosts poetry has the general prevailing mood of sadness and isolation. The main themes involve isolation, alienation, depression and aloneness which are all subdivisions of sadness. There are moments with an inkling of hope and optimism in his poetry, however sadness if the most prominent theme. The continuous tone of loneliness and solitude provokes negative thoughts in the reader. Frosts slightly cynical view of happiness and his pronounced themes of isolation are transposed to the reader. His poetry makes me question human nature and the relationships we have with each other.

The first piece of evidence to suggest Frosts poems convey sadness is the themes that Frost uses. As mentioned above, Frosts poetry contains isolation, alienation and segregation. These themes are evident in Tuft of Flowers whereby Frost, as narrator, insists that we are all alone, as he has been. This is a loneliness that is more profound than temporary loneliness; this loneliness is a feeling of isolation from the entire human condition. Similarly, in Mending Wall, we notice how Frost questions why fences make good neigbours. Here Frost questions this old adage and persists in trying to connect with his neighbour, however their boundaries, symbolised by the wall, are evident. This creates an aura of sadness as Frost is elucidating to the fact that we can attempt to communicate with others but our efforts can be made worthless by those who insist on placing barriers between each other.

Isolation is also dealt with in the poem Acquainted with the Night. In this instance, Frost is embarking on a physical and psychological journey of depression and isolation. Here, Frost outwalked the furthest city light and passed the boundary of communication with others. This self-alienation demonstrates the

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darkness and sadness present in Frosts life and poetry. In my opinion, this poem is the darkest and most isolated.

Other themes that Frost uses that show sadness and misery would be the themes of independence and the value placed on human life. Firstly Frost discusses independence in the poem Provide, Provide. Of course independence is a positive thing and the poet suggests than one should become fully independent and have bouthen friendship over none at all. This view that you should live for yourself only and for no-one else if tragic and pitiful. The fact that the poet believes you only need yourself to succeed shows the sadness and complete disconnection among humans, an idea that is dealt with in many of his poems. The value placed on human life, or lack of it, is another sad theme in the poem Out, Out-. Frost depicts life as being futile when family members of the boy who has died in the poem turned to their affairs, since they were not the one dead. Indeed Frost is pointing out the fact that people are cold and indifferent even in such tragic circumstances highlights the boundaries people erect in order to isolate themselves. These boundaries are similar to what Frost discusses in Acquainted with the night and the boundaries between Frost and his neighbour in Mending Wall. These themes combined reveal a real sense of sadness in Frosts work.

Alongside themes, tone also helps convey a gloomy mood. A lonely tone is evident in Mending Wall, whereby Frost attempts to reach out and connect with his neighbour, who is unwilling to change and keeps the wall between them. In Acquainted with the night the poet places himself in a position of loneliness and this tone is evident in the language used. He dropped his eyes and is unwilling to engage with others. The poem is sombre and set at night so meeting others is unlikely. The tone in this poem is similar to Mending Wall in that both poems use language that depicts loneliness and isolation. Tones of coldness and cynicism are evident in Provide, Provide. Frost suggests that you can only rely on financial

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stability and beauty, not human goodness. This materialistic outlook on life is tragic and phrases such as Die early and avoid the fate underline his negative attitude towards the human condition. Bleak tones can also be found in The Tuft of Flowers. Here, he convinces his readers that we are all alone as he had been. In Out, Out the content of the poem further highlights the bleakness of life, as a young boy dies, feeling his life spilling out of him as a result of a farm accident. In this case, Frost shows how quickly life can end. The tones in Frosts work all suggest sadness, his tone is both melancholy and cynical and these motions ooze from his poetry through his use of tone.

The tones used by Frost feed into the imagery of sadness employed by Frost. These add to the idea that Frost is indeed a poet of sadness. In Out, Out Frost depicts a boy doing a mans work, though a child at heart. This boy isnt allowed to enjoy his childhood; instead he must undergo manual labour. This work leads to the premature death of the boy, which in turn is seemingly brushed over by those present. Further bleak imagery is evident in Acquainted with the Night as Frost walks through the saddest city lane and back in rain. The use of pathetic fallacy further enhances the gloomy atmosphere and setting of his poem. Life is presented as sad and desolate through his use of theme, tone and setting. In Provide, Provide Frost also uses unsightly images like withered hag that was once the beauty Ashibag. The reader can see how sad someones life can become though twists of fate. This lugubrious poem, along with the other poems we have studied, effectively display the message though the visual imagery that Frost portrays.

These visual images also feed into Frosts use of contrast which further adds to the sadness in the poetry. In Out, Out we witness the contrast between the

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peace and tranquility of the five mountain ranges and the malevolent saw that snarled and rattled. Life is shown to be cruel and dangerous, despite a beautiful setting. In Provide, Provide there is a contrast between dying early to avoid the fate and dying in state in later years. Frost highlights how undesirable poverty is, especially in our old age, where we are more vulnerable. He argues we would be better off to die young than to encounter such a fate. He also states we should have boughten friendships in contrast to being true as you will succeed more in life with falseness and trickery. This outlook on the human condition is extremely negative and gloomy.

Personally, my opinion of Frosts poetry is that he is more negative than positive and sad rather than optimistic and happy. This is evident through his use of themes of isolation and loneliness, despondent tones, bleak visual imagery and use of contrast and varied poetic techniques. Frosts own isolated and sad life is reflected in his poetry and we, as readers, question our own views on the human condition and how to engage in human connections. Robert Frost is, without doubt, a poet of sadness.