Robert Frost strongly emphasises nature’s power and strength in its original state compared to mankind’s weakness in his 3 main poems: “Acquainted with the Night”, “Birches”, and “Desert Places”. This contrast between nature and humanity is mostly highlighted in “Desert Places”, when the narrator describes a scenic view by saying “And the ground almost covered smooth in snow, but a few weeds and stubble showing last”. Frost demonstrates the existence of mankind in nature, through the presence of “stubble” which suggests man’s interference with the natural world. Frost seems to criticise humanity, as he portrays it as destructive and brutal towards the world, as it leads, quite literally to the death of nature. However, Frost also emphasises
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The feelings of loneliness that nature evokes in mankind, is highlighted in “Acquainted with the Night”, when in the first verse the narrator says “I have been one acquainted with the night”. The way in which the narrator establishes a bond between nature and himself, through his “[acquaintance] with the night”, seems to suggest the significance and the influence that the natural world has on mankind. Robert Frost chooses to set the mood of the poem using the word “night”, which highlights the way in which nature reflects the thoughts of man. The word “night” creates a dark and sullen mood, emphasizing the feelings of misery and glumness that the narrator is feeling. Robert Frost also seems to reflect the way in which nature acts as a catharsis, as it provides solace and relief to man from the burden of the world. However, the deep bond that the narrator has created with the natural world, exposes man’s attempt to alienate himself from society. Man’s creation of a bond with nature, especially with the night, reveals the loneliness and solitude that he feels, and also exposes the rejection he feels from the rest of society. The repetition of the phrase “I have been” throughout the whole poem, shows the way in which the feelings of sadness that have evolved in the narrator, are irreversible and will be present eternally. The choice of the verb tense of the phrase, reveals Frost’s belief that once man sinks into loneliness and depression, very rarely is it possible for him to revert back to his original state of mind. The way in which nature is capable of revealing feelings of loneliness and solitude is also highlighted in “Birches”, when the narrator states that “life is too much like a pathless wood”. This simile, which compares life to a feature of nature, seems to suggest the way in which the narrator believes that life is often
The feelings of loneliness that nature evokes in mankind, is highlighted in “Acquainted with the Night”, when in the first verse the narrator says “I have been one acquainted with the night”. The way in which the narrator establishes a bond between nature and himself, through his “[acquaintance] with the night”, seems to suggest the significance and the influence that the natural world has on mankind. Robert Frost chooses to set the mood of the poem using the word “night”, which highlights the way in which nature reflects the thoughts of man. The word “night” creates a dark and sullen mood, emphasizing the feelings of misery and glumness that the narrator is feeling. Robert Frost also seems to reflect the way in which nature acts as a catharsis, as it provides solace and relief to man from the burden of the world. However, the deep bond that the narrator has created with the natural world, exposes man’s attempt to alienate himself from society. Man’s creation of a bond with nature, especially with the night, reveals the loneliness and solitude that he feels, and also exposes the rejection he feels from the rest of society. The repetition of the phrase “I have been” throughout the whole poem, shows the way in which the feelings of sadness that have evolved in the narrator, are irreversible and will be present eternally. The choice of the verb tense of the phrase, reveals Frost’s belief that once man sinks into loneliness and depression, very rarely is it possible for him to revert back to his original state of mind. The way in which nature is capable of revealing feelings of loneliness and solitude is also highlighted in “Birches”, when the narrator states that “life is too much like a pathless wood”. This simile, which compares life to a feature of nature, seems to suggest the way in which the narrator believes that life is often