Robert Frost's Poem

              ' Thinking Activity ' 

' Poem by Robert Frost ' 

Welcome readers! Here I am going to write down an another blog. This blog is inspired by Megha Ma'am - Department of English, Bhavnagar University. This blog is also a part of our thinking activity. In this Particular blog I am going to discuss about Robert Frost's  famous Poem named - ' Birches '.

  But, Before discussing his two poems and other aspects related to poetry. First it is very much important to know about the poet itself.

    Robert Frost :- 

Robert Frost in full name Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He was born on 26th March 1874 and died on January 29 1963. So his life Period was from this years - 1874 to 1963. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Robert Frost known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th century. 

 

   He Frequently honored during his lifetime. Robert Frost is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer prizes for his poetry. He became one of America's rare public literary figures almost an artistic institution. He was awarded the Congressional Gold medal in the year 1960 for his poetic works. On July 22 1961 Robert Frost was named Poet laureate of Vermont. 

   His Major Poems :- 

  American Poet Robert Frost has written many poems. But , Here are some major ones. 

 • ' The Road not taken ' 

 • ' Stopping by Woods on a snowy Evening'

 • ' Fire and Ice ' 

 •  ' Birches ' 

  • ' The Mending wall ' 

  • ' Nothing Gold can stay ' 

  Here we are only Concerned with one of the famous Poem by Robert Frost that I am going to discuss it about in detail. The name of the poem is - ' Birches.' 

                       ' Birches ' :- 

  

 When I see birches bend to left and right

Across the lines of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.

But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay

As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them

Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning

After a rain. They click upon themselves

As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored

As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shells

Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—

Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away

You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.

They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,

And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed

So low for long, they never right themselves:

You may see their trunks arching in the woods

Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground

Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair

Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.

But I was going to say when Truth broke in

With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm

I should prefer to have some boy bend them

As he went out and in to fetch the cows—

Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,

Whose only play was what he found himself,

Summer or winter, and could play alone.

One by one he subdued his father's trees

By riding them down over and over again

Until he took the stiffness out of them,

And not one but hung limp, not one was left

For him to conquer. He learned all there was

To learn about not launching out too soon

And so not carrying the tree away

Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise

To the top branches, climbing carefully

With the same pains you use to fill a cup

Up to the brim, and even above the brim.

Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,

Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.

So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It’s when I’m weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

From a twig’s having lashed across it open.

I'd like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate willfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth’s the right place for love:

I don’t know where it's likely to go better.

I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.

      Introduction of the Poem :- 

'Birches' is a poem written by American poet Robert Frost. First published in the August 1915 issue of The Atlantic Monthly together with ' The Road not Taken ' and ' The sound of Trees ' as a Group of poems. ' It was included in Robert Frost 's third collection of poetry - ' Mountain Interval ' which was published in the year 1916.This poem consisting of 59 lines. It is one of Robert Frost 's most anthologized poems. Along with other poems that deal with rural landscape and wildlife. This poem shows Robert Frost as a nature poet.

    Analysis of the Poem :- 

           In this Poem named :- ' Birches' , The narrator evokes a strong urge or we can say nostalgia of his early childhood days. The mood of the poem is an imaginative and a dreamy one. Nature also Plays a substantial role in the Poem. The poem uses the natural world and seemingly everyday events as a vehicle to explore the human experience.

        Originally , this poem was called  'Swinging Birches ' . One of Frost's early works published in the year - 1916. A title of the poem perhaps more accurately depicting the subject. 

   In writing this Poem Robert Frost was inspired by his childhood experience with swinging in Birches which were a popular children 's game during his time. In this poem we can understand two visual perspectives. 

1. Birch trees as bend by boy 's playful swinging.

   2. Bend by Ice storms. 

      ' The  Birches  bend  across  the lines of straighter  darker eyes. ' 

   This line in the Poem subtly introduce the theme of Imagination and well opposing darker realities. The visual image of the bend birches causes the narrator to speculate about how the tree became that way. He prefers the idea of the boy swinging in the birch trees thus arching its branches. But, he is forced to acknowledge the truth that the bends are caused permanently by the ice storms. 

        The narrator admits that he used to be a 

           'Swinger of birches ' and would like to   be one again.  He would like to abandon the cares of adulthood and become a boy once again. By Climbing a birch tree thus the poet wants to experiencing once again the carefree attitudes of youth. The narrator also regrets that he can no longer find his peace of mind by swinging on birches. It is because he is an adult and because of that he is unable to leave his responsibilities behind and climb toward heaven until he can start Fresh on the earth.

      It is also significant that the narrator 's desire to escape from the rationality is inconclusive. He wants to escape as a boy climbing towards heaven , but he also wants to return to the earth. So Both ' Going and coming back.' However our narrator would like to get away from earthly responsibilities. The freedom of imagination is wondrous and appealing but the narrator still can not avoid returning to the truth and  his responsibilities on the ground. Thus we can understand that escape is only a temporary one. 

      This poem ends on a lighter note stating that ; 

               ' One  could  do  worse  than  being a  swinger  of  birches.' 

  • Central  idea  of  the  Poem :- 

 

 The Central idea of the poem Birches is the interrelationship between reality & Imagination. The poet knows very well that the bending of birches can only be brought by an ice Storm. Moreover, this poem is about Truth. The narrator cannot avoid returning to the truth and responsibilities of the ground. He wishes for a temporary escape but not for permanent. 

 Birches poem also captures the nostalgic memory of a countryside boy and Fuses it into worldly wisdom of the grown up man he has become. 

  Themes of the Poem :- 

  

 While Discussing about Robert Frost 's poem - Birches we can also noticed some of the major and important themes which are given as below. So Let us disscus these themes in detail.

 1. Youth :- 

 The very first and important theme of this poem is - Youth. The poem is full of allusions to the childhood experiences of the poet and imagined boys. The poet seems weary of this world and wants to return to his childhood days once again and leaving behind the responsibilities and duties of the Present day. This is a common theme in the poem. Robert Frost is most probably influenced by them.

2. Reality V/s. Imagination :- 

The second important theme of this poem is - Reality v/s. imagination. From the very Beggining of the Poem , the poet starts imagining the possible causes of the bending of the birch trees. Then he goes to Imagine lots of other things also. Towards the latter portion of the poem he expresses his desire to go away from this world , tired of his duties and responsibilities. But after this initial escapist attitude , the poet understands the reality that no one can escape from reality for a longer period of time. 

 One has to come back to the world. Although we can escape into our Fancy or Imagination for some time. So Reality V/s. Imagination can be seen as one the main theme of this poem.

 3. Nostalgia :- 

  The theme of nostalgia is very strong in the poem. After seeing the birch trees bending down , the poet likes to think that it has been mischief of some rural new England boys with whom it has been the custom to play with the trees in their recreational periods. The poet too has been extremely fond of his own childhood. In the later part of the poem, the poet expresses his desire to go back once again to his childhood to enjoy the silly and little pleasures. So the Poet felt very Nostalgic. 

 4. Nature :- 

  ' Birches ' by Robert Frost is a nature poem. Robert Frost seems to have a close affinity with nature and his poems are meditative. In this poem Frost has given many different apperances of birches in summer and in winter. The poet uses harsh images of nature to suggest the difficulties and weariness of an adult life. He longs to return to the innocence and beauty of nature.

 ' I'd like to get from earth awhile 

   And  then come back to it and begin over.' 

 ' Nature as a means for Solace and source of Wisdom.' 

The Poet presents nature as a means for Solace. He recalls his childhood as a swinger of birches where he would find peace and happiness close to nature. But now as an adult he compares his life as a pathless wood by saying that;

                             ' And life is too much like a Pathless wood.' 

So, These all are the Major and important themes of the poem named  - Birches. 

 The Poem - Birches is written in Blank verse. Blank verse is a genre of poetry consisting of a regular rhythm pattern - Iamabic Pentameter but no recurring rhyme scheme. 

  • Figures of Speech :- 

  Robert Frost has used a number of Figures of Speech to enrich the quality of language of the poem. These includes Simile , Onomatopoeia, and Personification. Let us try to understand this. 

 1. Simile :- It is a Figure of Speech in which Similarity between two different objects is explicitly stated using the words - like or as. 

 For Example :- ' Life is too much like a Pathless wood.' 

2. Onomatopoeia :- It is a Figure of Speech in which the sounds of the words convey the sense. An instance of Onomatopoeia can be seen in the Poem when the Ice covered branches strike with each other and produce a clicking sound. 

For Example :- ' They Click Upon themselves.' 

 

 3. Personification:-  It is a Figure of Speech in which an intimate object an abstract concept is endowed with human attributes or feelings. For instance, the poet has used a beautiful Personification to describe the man's desire to quit his Present life and return to childhood. 

                                      ' Half grant what I wish and Snatch me away.' 

So, These are the Figures of Speech Presented in this Poem - ' Birches.' 

I hope that this blog will be useful to you..

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