There are probably three things that account for Robert Frost’s poetry. In his poems, he uses familiar subjects, like nature, people doing everyday things and simple language to express his thought. His poems may be easy to read, but not necessarily easy to understand. Almost all of Frost’s poems are hiding a secret message. He easily can say two things at the same time. For example, in “The Road Not Taken”, Frost talks about being a traveler, but the hidden message is about decisions in life.
In lines 19 and 20, he expresses that he did the right thing, by choosing to go down the path that made the difference. Also, in “Birches”, lines 48-59, it shows that the poem is about being carefree. Frost wishes he could be like the boy swinging from the birch trees. The poem sets the picture of a boy swinging from the tree branches, but he really is talking about being carefree. He says that earth is the right place for love. He says that he doesn’t know where he would like to go better, but he would like to go swinging from the birches.
Another example of symbolic description comes from the poem, “Desert Places”; he talks about how he will not be scared of the desert places, but of the loneliness. He is scared of his own loneliness, his own desert places. Most of Frost’s poems are about nature. All three of the mentioned poems are about nature. In “The Road Not Taken”, he talks of the woods and paths to follow (line1). Also, in “Birches”, he talks of the birch tree, and winter mornings (line 7). He also talks about rain and snow (line8-11). In “Desert Places”, he talks of woods and snow covering the ground (line 1-5).
He shows the relationship between nature and humans. As in “Tree at My Window”, the beginning of the poem shows the intersection between humans and nature (lines 3-12). But the end suggests there are differences that separate them (lines 13-16). In “Birches”, he talks of the trees and “sunny winter mornings” (line 7). He also talks of the sun’s warmth, and how it melts the snow (line 10-12). The poem, “Desert Places”, talks of snow falling into a field, and covering the weeds (line 1-4). It also talks about animals’ lairs being smothered in the snow (line 5-6).
Which is ironic considering that deserts are hot, and it does not snow there. Frost’s simple, yet creative language is used in two ways. He can stir up your worst fears, or provoke a fantasy. The reader can put to terms our own fearful fantasy. In “Once by the Pacific”, he uses a scheme of starting with a storm, but it turns out to be more than just a storm (line 1-5). It turns out to be mysterious, because something doesn’t like the way the shore is backed by the cliff, or the way the continent backs the cliff (line 7-9).
It even gets more mysterious in the lines that follow; it talks of dark intent (line 10). It said someone should prepare for rage, because more than ocean water will be broken (line12). Frost uses simple word to describe some complicated things. He takes the fears within himself and distributes them into the environment all around him. The words he uses are easier to understand than other poets’ words are. Reading a poem by Frost is not as confusing as some poets, but trying to understand the hidden meanings are the most difficult. Trying to figure out any poem is difficult, but Frost’s are unique.
