Robert Frost: Hero of our Age
Robert Frost: A True Hero of Our Age Robert Lee Frost, one of America's leading Twentieth century poets and a four time Pulitzer Prize winner, was born in San Francisco in March of 1874. Although born on the West Coast, he is usually associated with New England in his poetry. He is a Brilliant writer whose works traditional and universal. His life's ambition was to write "a few poems that will be hard to get rid of,"and it is quite obvious that he was successful in achieving that goal. Three of Frost's obsessive themes, those of isolation, of extinction and of final limitations of man are explored widely and explicitly in his poems. The isolation of the individual is apparent in the poem; "Mending Wall" in which Frost's illustrates man's necessity for barriers to isolate themselves from their fellow men whereas in "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" the persona himself wishes to be isolated. In "After Apple-Picking" Frosts questions the possibility of extinction of the soul when one's mortal body becomes extinct. While in "Fire and Ice" Frosts looks at the ways in which humans can eliminate themselves because of the extremities of their uncontrollable emotions. The final limitations of man is presented
Frost's three obsessive themes, that are isolation, extinction and final limitations of man, are universal as they transcend every aspect of society. He looks at whether we go on and exist as a supernatural form or whether we are truly extinct when our mortal body is extinct "What form of my dreaming was about to take". Opposing to fire is ice, ice symbolise coldness and hatred. The persona ponders at the fact why man can not live without walls, boundaries, limits and particularly self-limitations. The outcomes of the journey are the consequences of what is experienced unto finishing the journey. As a skillful poet as Frost is, he is able to produce a profound response or feeling from the reader to three of his obsessive themes being isolation, extinction and final limitations. Making "all the difference" by taking the road "less traveled" the persona becomes a product of his decision. The extinction, limitations and isolation of the individual in either a social or natural environment relates to how difficult it is for the self to understand existence. We all want in ourselves on occasion barriers separating us for our own peace of mind and a desire for us to abandon the track of duty and embrace nothingness, that is isolation. Isolation of the individual links to our desire for barriers and boundaries as a form of separation from other people. However, in "After Apple-Picking" Frosts looks at the forms of extinction that we may take. However, the persona in this poem does not understand why it is beneficial and thus raising the issue of the necessity of the wall "Why do they (the wall) make good neighbours?". Frost using "Mending Wall" and "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" has successfully brought up the issue of isolation in a subtle yet direct and non-preaching manner. Fire and ice are the extremes of two destructive forces. Primitive as the neighbour is, the only answer he could give to this interrogation is a cliche "Good fences make good neighbours".
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