Robert Frost as a Modern Poet

{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}

Introduction

The debate on Robert Frost as a modern poet is juicy and replete with scholarly evidence of Frost being a modern poet despite the dominance of country imagery. The contemporary poets with Frost are T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Auden and W. B. Yeats. Their poetry is marked by the occupation of machinery and technology which are notable in the 20th century, the age in which Frost's poetry made its way to the general public. But critics after critics argue that Frost's poetry houses the traditional material found in the 19th century. Hicks points out,

We see mechanics, shop-girls, truck drivers more often than we do farmers, and we see the farmer not as a romantic figure but as a victim of cruel economic forces.

But those are opinions of critics and they see whatever they like to see. We have to resort to Frost's poetry to determine whether Frost's poetry is traditional or modern.

Frost's Retreat into Country-Side

The major problem with critics who deem Frost as a traditional poet is his portrayal of country life. But there are some other critics like Lynen say,

His retreat into country-side is not a romantic escape from the harsh, unpleasant realities of modern life.

His simple rural imagery is deceptive and he indirectly comments on the urban life just like T. S. Eliot's Waste Land both the past and present through the present. For example, in the Mending Wall, two sayings are repeated twice. The first one focuses on the rural aspect that "Good fences make good neighbours". The second one highlights the urban or modern outlook "Something there is that does not love a wall". It is evident that modern society wants to break the wall of language and creed to live without causing any discord in the stream of livelihood.

Frost's Otherness of Nature

The traditional poets in the 19th century presented Nature as a beautiful being with her 'holy-plan'. But the scientific discoveries showcased the realistic picture of nature, a soul-less, mechanical and made of matter. Science differentiates or detaches man from Nature. So does the Frost. Mr. Frost does not idealize Nature but presents her as a beautiful force of darkness who "blots out and drinks up and sweeps away" the "flowery waters and watery flowers". Frost also distinguishes man from Nature and makes him superior because of his fight against the outer as well as the inner conflicts while Nature only suffers from the outer conflicts.

The issues of Modern Life

One may not find the smoking chimneys, roaring trucks or thundering planes in Frost's poetry. But if one digs deeper into the layers of his poetry, one can discover the problems of modern life. For instance, one of the core problems of a modern man is confusion which is shown through the selection of two roads. A modern person feels puzzled on the selection of a route for his future. He selects but he regrets that he should have selected the other route,

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This can be a statement of a modern mind.

Metaphysical-Symbolistic Technique

Frost's poetry is simple. Rural descriptions, hilly areas, a farmer picking some apples and a guy stuck in the middle of two roads, and your judgement ends right here. This is a common issue with most of the readers that they only ponder over the surface. A careful reading of Frost's poetic genius can reveal layers within layers of meanings. How has Frost achieved such onion-like layering? Through following the metaphysical-symbolistic technique. To simply put, Frost's poetry comprises of symbols that are unexpected like the poetry of John Donne. For example, After Apple Picking is one of the most symbol-packed poems of Frost. Those apples are symbolized in various ways like want of some desires, want of success and some do even relate it to the temptation of Eve. We also find various symbolic meanings of the farmer's slumber as tiredness or even death. So, Frost confuses his readers with unexpected symbols like the other modern poets of his time.

Conclusion

Robert Frost is a modern poet not in a way of his contemporaries. He does not alludes directly to the issues found in modern time but his rural caricaturing is an indirect symbol of urban misery.

References and Suggested Readings

Robert Frost - Selected Poems - Famous Production - 1995 Edition - Pages 36 - 41