The Mirror of Frost

The Mirror of Frost

I believe that everything in life and art is open to interpretation. I believe that how these things are interpreted is influenced by each individuals mood, experiences, mindset and environment. I believe each of these interpretations have varying levels of severity and recognize that what may seem extreme to one, can be average or inconsequential to another. I fully believe that the poetry of Robert Frost not only is a mirror of which we can catch a glimpse of our own life, but a framework upon which our world can be illustrated. Each of Frost's poems has the ability to speak to each of us in a very different way. Perhaps the sense of separation found in "The Mending Wall" strikes a chord, or the timeless tug along "The Road Not Taken" is one personally felt.

When I first read the "Mending Wall" I was struck with how much it reminded me of society today.

Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken", 1874 - 1963

Robert Frost, American poet

Robert Frost, Dartmouth 1896.

In the passage, "his is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across and eat the cones under his pines" (page 849, lines 24-26) I realized that so often people separate themselves from others based solely because they are different. It is almost as if we need to section everything off in neat orderly little areas. Something that the neighbor in the poem seems quite adamant in achieving. The neighbor proclaims not once but twice "Good fences make good neighbors" (page 849-850, lines 26/47) with the only reason behind his feelings being that "He will not go behind his father's saying" (page 850, line 44). So often these behaviors are passed down from generation to generation until the reason behind it has been forgotten. Therefor it is continued year after year, refilling and...