Q. Robert Frost's tone is always pessimistic. Do you agree?
Robert Frost's poems are often based on dark themes such as death, loss, loneliness and limitations. These themes are often linked to a pessimistic tone but it must be noted that not all of Frost's poems are conveying the image of a glass half empty. Rather, some are illustrating a half full glass by presenting themes of nature, relationships, choices and life after death. A good example of optimistic tone depicted is 'Two Look at Two' and a good example of his pessimistic presentation is 'Out,Out-'.
Frost has presented the theme of death in 'Out, Out-' while also presenting relationships as done in 'Two Look..'. In 'Out,..' we are shown a brother and sister's relationship, we see their bond through simple dialogues such as how the sister calls the persona for supper and how the persona depends on his sister to not to let the doctor cut off his hand. We are shown a visual of her wearing an apron that could cement her as the persona's mother figure. By illustrating these images Frost has succeeded in creating an atmosphere of both pity and sympathy, especially surrounding the sister who is unable to protect her brother, who has to watch him die and has to move on with the rest of the world. Frost has also presented a relationship between the saw and the persona as that of a predator and a prey. He has brought the saw to life and presented it as such a gruesome creature that the readers can not help feeling uneasy thus here Frost's tone can be labelled as pessimistic.
In 'Two Look..' Frost has presented a relationship in a different light. A bond between a couple is seen to be ending but with the help of nature and some reflecting-back the personas are able to give their relationship another chance. Similarly Frost has also shown the relationship of a doe and buck an dhow they help the personas mend their bond by acting as a reflection of what the personas can be like if they d not give up on their companionship. Here Frost has created an atmosphere full of hope and sincerity. He has also put forward the themes of life, second chances, and love. Thus here Frost has presented an optimistic front.
A prominent contrast between these two poems is how Frost has shown that nature can bring people together, and result in something happy and beautiful. In 'Two Look..' the mountain climb symbolises life and development. The doe and buck represent companionship and how one can not survive without it. In 'Out..', on the other hand, Frost has depicted industrialisation, technology, and a society that tears people apart and doesn't blind twice while doing it. The persona is a little boy, 'doing a grown man's work' because those are the circumstances society has put him in, he must work to survive because he is born on a farm and he is not given the same privileges as children born in richer families. The saw is something seen as useful and efficient by the public, but to the boy it is just his ruthless killer. Perhaps this shows that Frost is pessimistic towards an unjust society can perhaps condemns against dependence on technology, probably predicting that it will only drive humans apart. It can be seen that Frost sings an optimistic tune at the end of 'Two Look..', signifying his liking towards nature and how we may believe that nature can not fail you the ay people can . After all, above all, Frost is a poet of nature.
Robert Frost tends to convey all colours of life through his poems whether they be dark or light. Frost does not shy away from exposing realities of this harsh world but he also does not fail in putting across hopeful messages. Frost is seen to contemplate over life after death in 'After Apple Picking', perhaps he is trying to convey that the loss of life can mean something brighter, maybe the persona in 'Out,..' is free of the society that wronged him by putting him in labour rather than taking care of him. Thus Frost creates a sense of hope in his readers and shows that a loss in not the end. In 'Two Look..' he portrays that you can and should give second chances, further allowing the readers to be more optimistic about not only the persons but also themselves. They know now that the world is not a bed of roses but there is no struggle that is not capable of being overcome.
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English Literature 9695
Non-FictionThis is a compilation of all the essays and notes I wrote while I was in ALevels. It must be noted that not all of of these are A* material (though none goes lower than a grade B) so they aren't meant to be copy pasted for your school assignments. U...
