Analyse the poetic techniques used in Robert Frost's 'The telephone'

Essay by luckmeisterHigh School, 12th grade March 2004

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Robert Frost's "The telephone" is a poem about an individual's interpretation of a telephone conversation with another. The speaker in the poem talks about a meeting with the same person that had happened in the past showing that there is some history and that this is a sequel to another conversation. We see constant misconceptions between both people, and in this respect it is a sort of rebirth and a sort of familiarity between the speaker and the person on the corresponding end.

Through the poem we see Frost relating the phone metaphorically with natural things, in this way he also personifies the object he is relating to the phone. He relates the telephone to being a "...flower..." and thus relates the phone with a beautiful sweet smelling flower. In this respect, we come to the conclusion that the person on the other end is very close to the speaker, a significant other.

Frost also links the flower with a "...bee..." making a clearer link with nature. The bee almost makes a melodious humming sound further describing the sound of the person on the other end. Frost uses ranges of metaphors throughout the poem to tie in with his link from the telephone to nature.

Frost makes the poem first person singular to get an insight of the speaker and his real thoughts. He also uses the word "...you..." to get the reader involved, but symbolically we know he is referring to the other person. Using this method of first person, Frost is successfully making the conversation more genuine and in some sense more truthful. And so by using the words "...I..." and "...you..." the poem becomes more realistic and gives us a look into the speakers thoughts making the poem a persona.

The structural formation of the poem is...