Robert Frost(1874-1963)

Nick BritoSteven MalmgrenSantiago Gonzalez

The poet Robert Frost•Robert Frost born March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California

•Marries Elinor White in 1895, his high-school sweetheart

•Family Growth: Elliot Frost, 1896, Lesley Frost, 1899, Carol Frost, 1902, Irma Frost, 1903, Marjorie Frost, 1905, Elinor Bettina Frost, 1907 

The poet Robert Frost(continued)

•Lived in New England for much of his life

•Tried many professions before settling in as a full-time poet

•Had tragedy throughout life, yet also great successes and achievements

• Elliot Frost, 1940, Lesley Frost, 1899, Carol Frost, 1940, Irma Frost 1903, Marjorie Frost, 1934, Elinor Bettina Frost, 1907, Elinor White , 1938

•Won a Pulitzer prize in 1923, 1931, 1937, and 1943.•Recited The Gift Outright from memory at John F. Kennedy's inauguration

Nature

Morals, lessons, and Narratives

Finality, and the cycle of life

Calm and Peaceful

Common Patterns

From Life to Poems

•Living in New England was a large influence on Frost’s work.

•In Hardwood Groves, Blue-Butterfly Day, A Prayer in Spring are all nature related, or set in a forested, rural area like New England.

•His early family growth also influenced him positively. •Flower Gathering and My November Guest both feature narratives involving another person used as an example of peacefulness.

From Life to Poems(Continued)

•On the other hand, the many unlucky incidents and tragedies of Robert Frost’s life led to a darker, more melancholy or serious style of poetry

•In Nothing Gold Can Stay, The Lockless Door, and The Flood, more serious and very intense themes are written. No longer are detached, almost fluffy ideas in life written about, but ideas about life, morals, and worth.

From Life to Poems(Continued)

•When Frost died, he had published over 5 collections of mostly original poetry and had many achievements as a writer

•Not that any of his poems were self-congratulatory, some dealt with success, and others with ideas of the pinnacle of achievement. The Aim Was Song, Our Singing Strength, and After Apple Picking.

Literary Criticism “Frost saw the external world as indifferent, alien, hostile. He used poetry not as a means of discovery but as a defense against nature - therapeutically and self-protectively.”

-Sheldon W. Liebman

This shows how Liebman thinks that Frost is often interpreted as someone who used poetry to show darkness and hostility in the world.

Frost's philosophical approach was able to accommodate both spirit and matter while critiquing the rising monistic forces that produced twentieth-century totalitarianism and scientific positivism as well.

- Peter J. StanlisThis quote shows how Frost’s poetry shows beauty in the world, and philosophical meaning in nature.

“[Carpe Diem] is a poem about convection, and it plays ingeniously and freshly with the ‘burden’ of poetry, its call to live in the present by seizing the day of pleasure

- William H. Pritchard This quote shows how Pritchard thinks that Frost’s poetry is

inspirational and is meant to be good-natured poetry instead of a dark poetry.

“ All the best Yankee traits were his: he was properly individualistic, and his attitude was utilitarian, as benefitted a ‘rustic’ of the Yankee stamp. Neither cynic nor philanthropist, frost trod the middle ground of the highly aware neighbor, his speech and his poetry alike conforming to the voice of reason which was the voice of New England.”

- Philip L. Gerber This quote shows how Gerber thinks that Frost’s poems reflect his New

England life, by showing the traits of a true patriot, as well as utilitarian and “rustic” ideas.

Literary Criticism(Continued)

“To many of [the critics], Frost saw the external world as indifferent, alien, hostile. And to some, he used poetry not as a means of discovery but as a defense against nature - therapeutically and self-protectively.”

-Sheldon W. Liebman We agree that many of Frost’s poems show a dark side of nature, however,

we do not agree that Frost uses his poetry as a defense against nature. Many of his poems, such as Out, Out, and The Flood, show the dark side of Frost’s poetry. However, we feel that his poems do not seem to be used therapeutically.

Frost's philosophical approach was able to accommodate both spirit and matter while critiquing the rising monistic forces that produced twentieth-century totalitarianism and scientific positivism as well.

- Peter J. Stanlis

We agree that some of Frost’s poems sometimes have deeper, more philosophical meanings. For example, in The Road Less Traveled, Frost shows more philosophical meaning, trying to show that it is better to go a different way, and to leave your own path, rather than to follow everyone else.

How We Feel

“[Carpe Diem] is a poem about convection, and it plays ingeniously and freshly with the ‘burden’ of poetry, its call to live in the present by seizing the day of pleasure

- William H. Pritchard We agree that many of frost’s poem, such as Carpe Diem, show a

lighter side of his poetry, as well as inspiring people to seize the day and live life to the fullest.

“ All the best Yankee traits were his: he was properly individualistic, and his attitude was utilitarian, as benefitted a ‘rustic’ of the Yankee stamp. Neither cynic nor philanthropist, frost trod the middle ground of the highly aware neighbor, his speech and his poetry alike conforming to the voice of reason which was the voice of New England.”

- Philip L. Gerber We agree that some of Frost’s poems show patriotic themes

How We Feel(Continued)

ON THE SURFACE ROBERT FROST MAY SEEM TO BE A SIMPLE READ. HOWEVER, HIS POEMS ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST THE WORDS BEFORE YOU. ROBERT FROST WAS A MAN WHO WROTE WITH DEPTH, EMOTION, AND EXPERIENCE. EVEN WHEN HIS POEMS CARRY A DISMAL TONE OR ARE NATURE ORIENTATED, ALL HAVE A DEEPER MEANING. ONE THING THAT WE WILL ALWAYS FIND IN HIS POETRY IS SOMETHING THAT IS LIKE OURSELVES. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING MORE TO ROBERT FROST, AND THE SAME GOES FOR HIS POETRY.

Robert Frost