Robert Frost Research Paper

Both Robert Frost's poems, “After Apple-Picking” (1914) and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (1923), like many other of his poems, discuss the human necessity to choose between nature and civilization. Frost grew up in New Hampshire, and so he was influenced by the New England region landscape, history and culture. Frost emphasizes local color and natural elements of the woods, orchards, fields, and small towns. His poems are affected by events and emotions he experienced in everyday life; his speakers go through thick forests, snowy landscape and pick apples in orchards. His elusive style sometimes leads the reader to misunderstand the theme of the poem. When it comes to understanding the poem theme and meaning, it is not enough to

He underwent difficult times where he experienced many tragedies. He contemplates about how his life will be like when he dies. In the poem, he describes some of the barrels that he filled and others that he did not fill, “And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill, Beside it, and there may be two or three, Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough” (Frost 722). These barrels represent the fulfilled and the unfulfilled ambitions in his life. The picking of apples represents the passion he had for his activities and opportunities he got in his daily lifestyle. He describes that during his lifetime, he picked as many apples as he managed. This, therefore, shows that he used his time wisely to achieve the opportunities in his lifetime. However, says he left some few apples, “Beside it, and there may be two or three Apples I didn’t pick upon some bought.” (Frost 722) This means that as much as he achieved some of his dreams, there were other opportunities he did not or could not

The scene in the poem is taking place at night, the narrator is between the woods and a frozen lake while heavy snow is surrounding him. He says, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep” (Frost 804); which can be interpreted as parallel to the temptation of death so he can escape from the tedious duties of daily life that he needs to fulfill. The lifeforce of a farmer’s duties that lives in New Hampshire, the promises he has to keep may be the reason for his living or the reason for his deathwish, there is a thin line in between. Inasmuch as nature is so attractive, the speaker is risking the fate of his life. At the end of the poem Frost repeats the same line twice, “ And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep” (Frost 804). Usually, repetition in writing can show the importance of this line and guide us to interpret it carefully. The conditions outside there were not all that favorable for him since he could freeze to death of face any other dangers. This scenario, therefore, shows that the speaker was in the dilemma of making a choice in between saving his life or enjoying