Nature and Society: “Diminished Things” in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Kevin Vachna
ENG 755
Valgemae
December 4, 2010
Nature and Society:
“Diminished Things” in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Frost’s poetry is rich with simplistic and beautiful natural imagery. The poet uses these vibrant images to appeal to the reader’s senses, absorbing the experience of the poem in the natural world. Sensory images envelope objects of apples, flowers, animals, and the elements of the natural world. Abundant with the picturesque, nature provides the backdrop for Frost’s poetry. His poems often are set among the landscape of the New England countryside. Within this natural setting, such as in “Birches,” “Mowing,” “Mending Wall,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “The Oven Bird,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “After Apple-picking,” the speakers encounter, observe, and reflect upon objects in nature and sometimes even nature, itself. The voice of the speaker often expresses pessimism towards the natural object. This view expresses a human antagonism which observes a decline in the natural world. However, the speakers of the poetry must not be confused with Frost, the poet. Autobiographical readings are problematic and often short-sighted, undercutting the chance of any greater meaning in the poems. The reader must resist this temptation to view the poems’ speakers as direct mouthpieces for the voice of the poet and, instead, delve towards the intention of the “implied author” (Booth 151). Therefore, the values of the speakers in Frost’s poetry are not necessarily those of the poet but an underlying indication of the values of society. In Frost’s poetry, the voice of the poet can be located, not in the voice of his speakers, but in the natural objects of the poems, themselves. In this view, while the speakers illustrate pessimism towards nature, the implied author utilizes these speakers to indicate the flaws of that larger society. Rejecting traditional American values, Robert Frost evokes individual feelings of
ENG 755
Valgemae
December 4, 2010
Nature and Society:
“Diminished Things” in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Frost’s poetry is rich with simplistic and beautiful natural imagery. The poet uses these vibrant images to appeal to the reader’s senses, absorbing the experience of the poem in the natural world. Sensory images envelope objects of apples, flowers, animals, and the elements of the natural world. Abundant with the picturesque, nature provides the backdrop for Frost’s poetry. His poems often are set among the landscape of the New England countryside. Within this natural setting, such as in “Birches,” “Mowing,” “Mending Wall,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “The Oven Bird,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “After Apple-picking,” the speakers encounter, observe, and reflect upon objects in nature and sometimes even nature, itself. The voice of the speaker often expresses pessimism towards the natural object. This view expresses a human antagonism which observes a decline in the natural world. However, the speakers of the poetry must not be confused with Frost, the poet. Autobiographical readings are problematic and often short-sighted, undercutting the chance of any greater meaning in the poems. The reader must resist this temptation to view the poems’ speakers as direct mouthpieces for the voice of the poet and, instead, delve towards the intention of the “implied author” (Booth 151). Therefore, the values of the speakers in Frost’s poetry are not necessarily those of the poet but an underlying indication of the values of society. In Frost’s poetry, the voice of the poet can be located, not in the voice of his speakers, but in the natural objects of the poems, themselves. In this view, while the speakers illustrate pessimism towards nature, the implied author utilizes these speakers to indicate the flaws of that larger society. Rejecting traditional American values, Robert Frost evokes individual feelings of
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