the influence of solitude in Robert Frost's Poems
The Influence of Solitude
Robert Frost’s poems, Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening are about similar settings in nature. The setting in each poem is a cold night with nothing surrounding the speakers but nature. Through the use of basic stanzas and simplistic diction, Frost is able to reveal more than the just the characteristics of nature By comparing each speaker to their surrounding Frost is able to express a sense of solitude within the natural environment as well as within the narrator of each poem. In addition, by describing the reaction of each speaker to his surroundings, Frost reveals the emotions of the speakers. Although Frost writes about similar settings and themes in Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, the difference between the perceptions of each narrator to his surroundings reveals the complex duality behind the meaning of solitude.
In Desert Places, the narrator comes across a clearing in the middle of the woods, on a cold winter night. He begins to compare the emptiness of this setting to his own life. As he approaches the field in front of him he notices a rapid change, “snow falling and night falling fast, oh fast.” The “snow” and the “night” complement each other despite the contrast between their colors, white and black. The snow represents the numbness that the speaker feels wash over him just as quickly as the snow covers the ground. The night represents the sadness that has replaced his happiness, just like the dark of night replaces daylight. When the speaker mentions, “but a few weeds and stubble showing last,” the reader is able to relate the “weeds” and “stubble” to death. The darkness of the night combined with the chill of winter and the dead elements of the field, create an environment that exemplifies the loneliness that narrator feels within himself. In Li Wang’s analysis of Desert Places he explains how the narrator is relating to his surroundings, “The experience he observes
Robert Frost’s poems, Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening are about similar settings in nature. The setting in each poem is a cold night with nothing surrounding the speakers but nature. Through the use of basic stanzas and simplistic diction, Frost is able to reveal more than the just the characteristics of nature By comparing each speaker to their surrounding Frost is able to express a sense of solitude within the natural environment as well as within the narrator of each poem. In addition, by describing the reaction of each speaker to his surroundings, Frost reveals the emotions of the speakers. Although Frost writes about similar settings and themes in Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, the difference between the perceptions of each narrator to his surroundings reveals the complex duality behind the meaning of solitude.
In Desert Places, the narrator comes across a clearing in the middle of the woods, on a cold winter night. He begins to compare the emptiness of this setting to his own life. As he approaches the field in front of him he notices a rapid change, “snow falling and night falling fast, oh fast.” The “snow” and the “night” complement each other despite the contrast between their colors, white and black. The snow represents the numbness that the speaker feels wash over him just as quickly as the snow covers the ground. The night represents the sadness that has replaced his happiness, just like the dark of night replaces daylight. When the speaker mentions, “but a few weeds and stubble showing last,” the reader is able to relate the “weeds” and “stubble” to death. The darkness of the night combined with the chill of winter and the dead elements of the field, create an environment that exemplifies the loneliness that narrator feels within himself. In Li Wang’s analysis of Desert Places he explains how the narrator is relating to his surroundings, “The experience he observes