Aquainted with the Night

Frost was exposed to literature from an early age both of his parents were teachers. He started writing at the age of fifteen; he admired writers such as William Shakespeare, Robert Buras, and William Wordsworth. Spencer and Chris) I believe that Frost wrote “Acquaint With The Night” because it was during a time of depression just after the stock market crash in 1929, unemployment peeked and a lot of people lost everything, it was a time of darkness, I believe that this is why he wrote it and has a lot to do with the unhappy tone of the poem. “The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost himself states “One stanza of “The Road Not Taken” was written while I was sitting on a sofa in the middle of England, was found three or four years later, and I couldn’t bear not to finish it.

I wasn’t thinking about myself there, but about a friend who had gone off to war, a person who, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn’t go the other. He was hard on himself that way” (Bread Loaf Writers). In these two poems I have found several similarities. I am going to talk about the tone, metaphors and dualities. The tone in the poem “Acquainted With The Night” I felt he was depressed and almost lonely like ashamed of himself or possibly something he may have done. For example in the poem it states “I have walked out in rain and back in rain”.

Rain is used as a metaphor because it’s not rain the author is talking about in that line, he is talking about rain which can be related to tears and with tears we can relate to sad or depressed feeling, in other words the line really states, “I have walked out sad and came back sad”. I believe the author is setting the tone by using that metaphor ‘rain’ as a way of describing sadness, depressed, confused, we know that Frost is not really saying I walked outside and it was raining. Another example from the poem that I believe proves the tone is ‘I have out walked the furthest city light’.

This Iine I believe describes despair, like almost as if he has lost all hope, possibly ready to just give up on life. Another example ‘I have looked down the saddest city lane’. Frost clearly uses the word sad in that line in which I believe he is describing a sorrowful moment in his life. Frost out walks the furthest city lights, I felt depressed, almost as if he meant there is no light or hope for happiness. These are examples that I found to describe the tone Frost was trying to show in the poem.

Frost used several different words in the poem as metaphors because they were used to describe something else. For example rain, was used for the meaning of sadness or sorrow. Night, was used for describing depression or loneliness. Luminary clock, represented the light of the moon. The watchmen, I believe meant for judgment within himself. Light, represented hope. Putting meaning to the metaphors that Frost used helps you to really get a better understanding of the poem. The tone in the poem “The Road Not Taken” I felt was feeling alone and a little sad.

For example in the poem it states ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both” The author is describing having to make a decision and no matter what it has to be made and you can only take one route. This shows a sign of sadness because he can’t take both routs and he doesn’t know if the one he takes is the right one. A line in the poem says ‘I shall be telling this with a sigh’ like he knows this is a decision that will have to be made alone and ultimately he is going to have to face the reasonability and consequences of whatever path he chooses to take in life.

This is a big decision that Frost has taken time to think about and he describes that in the poem as ‘And be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could’ I believe these example help to prove the tone, Frost is stuck at a point in life and he’s second guessing himself on which path is the right direction to go because he needs to make a decision and it’s something that is heavy on his mind. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood’ Frost knows that one path is traveled more than the other. ‘And having perhaps the better claim’ states that one path is the more commonly taken and then there is the other that is not.

Frost describes this path ‘Because it was grassy and wanted wear’ I think Frost is sad because he knows that once he takes a path he could never come back, because one path eventually is going to lead to another, ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way’. The reason I felt this way about the poem was because the author tells me about this decision he needs to make that is not an easy one and he has to do it alone, he would like to take both paths but he can’t and it bothers him not knowing if the decision he makes will be the right one.

The author used several words as metaphors in this poem to describe the tone and meaning. Yellow wood, describes a season like fall or middle age person. Undergrowth, described events that he couldn’t see in the future because he can only see so far down the path before it is overcome by the undergrowth. In other words his vision was limited because he can only see so far because maybe there is a bend in the road and is keeping him from seeing any farther. Equally lay, described how either path or either decision was equal that day there was not one favored.

Way leads on to way, meant that from one decision will eventually lead to having to make another. Ages and ages hence, is used as describing the future or only in time he will know if he made the right decision. In these poems I found a couple dualities which is not surprising because they are written by the same author. Both poems are reflecting on time passing and the different decisions or struggles in life.

For example “The Road Not Taken” ‘Somewhere ages and ages hence’ this was meant for time passing. And looked down one as far as I could’ could mean Frost is trying to look ahead of time . “Acquainted With The Night” ‘I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet’ I think this could mean taking a pause or time to think. ‘Luminary clock against the sky’ also referring to time. ‘Another duality was “Acquainted With The Night” ‘I have looked down the saddest city lane’, ‘And be one traveler long I stood and looked down one as far as I could’. Both of these lines are reflecting on life, and possible decisions that have led to or may lead to life change.

After really breaking these poems down I have a much better understanding of poetry and how it can take your mind into many different directions and have multiple conclusions. Robert Frost I have discovered throughout my investigating for this essay is a very interesting and up lifting individual. The way he writes is powerful, he can send your mind one direction in the first line of his poem and by the time you read the last line you are in an entire different mind set from where you originated and its mind blowing.

After the better understanding that I have for these pomes I can actually place myself in similar situations that he had placed himself. A situation that Frost was faced with in his poem “The Road Not Taken” he had to make a decision that would ultimately change his life, I was once in that kind of a situation and many times now I find myself pausing to think about did I make the right choice and it bothers me because I don’t know if I did and only time will tell. Frost liked language and the crafting of language because poetry is the highest art of language e enjoyed putting words together and using them to create an entire different meaning.

He did this complex craft very well in his many years of work. I enjoy how poetry can expand my imagination and really puts my mind to think. Poetry to me is like putting a puzzle together, because in all reality it’s like a puzzle you have to piece together to find a complete understanding. I would highly recommend Robert Frosts poems to anyone looking for a challenge and to better their skills and understanding of poems and there true diverse meanings.