Robert Frost (1874-1963) has been acknowledged as one of the leading poets who utilized distinguished features and writing styles. In the introduction to his major poetic works, the editors address his orientation and attitude towards modernism as he integrates significant social changes that were taking place during this period. In my judgment, the poem that best represents the modernism attitude is “mending wall” (1177). This is because frost utilizes symbols derived from everyday life to express his deep ideas citing the two neighbors and a wall that separates their property as in the case of modern settlements in America (Tuten, Nancy and John, 69). He utilizes the art of clarification whereby despite the simple truth being simplified, to some degree the same truth is accessible to everyone. “Mending the wall” illustrates the American rural life to examine the existing philosophical and social themes. Frost illustrates the peaceful and rural sensibility that exists in New Hampshire at the time. He uses two neighbors to illustrate the existing ideas about what exactly makes one a good neighbor. Despite the revelation of the need to explore the freedom and discovery within each others property, one of the characters maintains an old fashioned way of thought whereby he responds modernism with nothing more than a proverb. The narrator also points out that even nature is against wall constructed between neighbors since it is always destroyed hence triggering the yearly meeting to mend the wall. However, modernism is illustrated by the mending wall act that ensures quality relationship between the two neighbors when they interact and communicate an event that would not be possible in the rural environment. The wall still offers an opportunity for the two to maintain their individuality and personal identity leading to harmony of the overall community as is the case of the modern day society (Perkins, 123-126). (300 words)
Frost’s reverence for the “dignity of work” is represented by his different poetic works. The two poems selected to represent this principle are “Mending the Wall” (1177) and “The Road not Taken” (1187). In the Poem “Mending the Wall”, Frost recognizes that the narrator is more active in mending the wall that his neighbor. It is evident that it is the narrator who takes the responsibility of selecting the day to mend the wall and informs his neighbor. Apart from this day, the narrator walks along the wall during other times of the year to repair small damages caused by local hunters (Hoffman, 96-103). Despite being skeptical about the whole wall and the concept of mending it, Frost demonstrates the principle of dignity of work whereby the narrator takes it upon himself to see to it that the wall is repaired and in a good condition throughout the year. The dignity of work is to strive to be the best even if no one recognizes our efforts. In the second poem the narrator encounters the dilemma of which route to take as is the experience of people in their day to day life of selecting what to do and get the maximum benefits. He describes one of the roads as less travelled and grassy while the other road is flat since it is trodden by many. In illustrating the principle of dignity of work, Frost mentions the different types of occupations that may present themselves to us triggering select the best alternative that best suits our ability to work and satisfy our needs. The selection of doing one thing leads to another and the time to explore all choices available is limited. The time factor plays a big role in every decision we make. Life is so interesting in that once one chooses a given path; the individual would be pushed to continue with what they had chosen (Frost and Edward, 237). This principle can also be derived from the developing themes which include that choices are inevitable and once you select a given line of work, it is difficult to know the outcome until the end. There is really no right or wrong choice but the most important idea is to stick to the first choice made. The different choices we make in life just imply different life experiences and it is upon us to keep going and make the best of what we have. (400 words)
Works cited
Frost, Robert, and Edward C. Lathem. The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems. Holt, 1969. Print.
Hoffman, Tyler. Robert Frost and the Politics of Poetry. Hanover, N.H: University Press of New England, 2001. Print.
Perkins, David. A History of Modern Poetry. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap P. of Harvard U.P, 1987. Print.
Tuten, Nancy L, and John Zubizarreta. The Robert Frost Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print.
