AP Lit Night Compare Contrast Essay

Morgan McKeown
Period 5
Mr. MacIsaac
Due November 17th, 2014
Night/Darkness Compare and Contrast Essay
In Emily Dickinson’s poem We Grow Accustomed to the Night and Robert Frost’s poem
Acquainted with the Night the subject of darkness is reflected upon very differently. Dickinson views the darkness as natural for all of humanity, with her use of “we”, indicating that she is referring to not only herself, but everyone. However, in Frost’s poem, he is alone wandering the streets in the night, showing that he is individual in his struggles. The concept of darkness and the unknown are shown with two very different outlooks in the different poems, in Dickinson’s the night can be accustomed to, and it is not always so unknown. Yet, in Frost’s poem, the night is well known and it represents the solidarity he is feeling. While the ideas of darkness and night are similar in Dickinson and Frost’s poems, Dickinson’s poem views the darkness as manageable and new, whereas Frost’s poem views it as solitary and depressing.
The point of view in the two essays is used to distinguish between them. Emily Dickinson uses “we” to reference herself and humanity, implying that fumbling in the darkness is a natural thing, and that people should not be afraid of the darkness. She states that we will adjust and we will find our way through it. This indicates a sense of hopefulness and that when a person is lost, they will find their way. However, this is contrasting to Frost’s poem and the point of view he uses. Frost uses only first person, speaking as himself. He describes his solidarity as he wanders the streets alone at night. He describes a watchguard he sees and people he hears, however they

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are not calling to him and he is completely alone. The tone of this poem is very depressing, where Dickinson’s tone is unknowing, but not fearing the unknown.
The structure of Dickinson’s poem is choppy with short statements, as if each is its own thought. The meter is rhythmical, however the author does not follow a specific rhyming pattern.
However, in Frost’s poem he strictly follows an “ABA” rhyming pattern. Frost’s poem flows more evenly throughout each stanza and is less separate. The night is not unfamiliar to Frost in this poem, he knows it well and has walked the streets at night before. He is alone, perhaps in life, and he is depressed, having no one to walk with him. He hears people calling out and sees the watchguard, however the people are not calling to him. He avoids the watchguard’s gaze, not wanting to be judged and not wanting him to know his story. Overall, Frost’s poem provides an intense feeling of being alone and depressed. Yet, in Dickinson’s poem she is describing the unknown, but it is not viewed as sad or depressing or alone. It is regarded as unknown, but not scary. She states that people become acclimated to the dark and that they grow accustomed to it so that they can live with the darkness.
The images used by Frost are of empty streets at midnight, and that it is raining and unlit.
He is alone and he can see the moon, using it to tell time and stating that the time is “neither wrong nor right”. The darkness is described by claiming that “I have outwalked the furthest city light” (Line 3). This creates an image of darkness for the reader. Auditory imagery is used with the calling of the people and visual imagery is used to show the streets. In Dickinson’s poem, she uses visual imagery to show people lost in the dark as well as tactile imagery, describing the bravest people perhaps hitting trees as they search through the darkness. Visual imagery is used, again, to show the darkness through “When not a Moon disclose a sign­­ Or a star­­ come out­­”

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(Line 11­12). She describes a lack of natural lighting through the moon or the stars. These poems are similar in their uses of visual imagery to describe the night and the overall darkness. They both reference the moon, Dickinson claiming that there is none, making the night darker. Frost, however, uses the moon to tell the time.
Both poems address the dark and the night, however they are entirely different.
Dickinson’s poem does not fear the darkness, and does not necessarily view it as negative. The darkness is natural and happens to everyone, however people can adjust to the darkness so that they can find their way. The darkness is only temporary, for soon our eyes will adjust and we will find our way out of the night. Yet, the darkness in Frost’s poem is unnatural. He cannot escape it, he has been in the dark before. The person is alone, wandering the streets, and their depression of “darkness” is unusual, they are out of the ordinary. He has been here before, and this darkness is not unnatural or unfamiliar to him, but he is alone in experiencing this darkness.
He knows it well and does not want to explain himself to anyone, as shown by his avoidance of the watchguard. There are few similarities between the two poems, they both refer to darkness and night, but they are very different. They use different tones, different meters and structures, different forms of imagery, and different points of view.

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