Page 1 - Note of the poet

ROBERT FROST

Robert Frost is a twentieth century poet who deals realistically with
his world through man and nature. Frost is still widely thought of as a
nature poet, but this is a misconception. Although most of his poems

are filled with nature images, his real subject is humanity. Frost
admitted that he "had only three or four pure nature poems. The rest
were human portraits with a nature setting."

Frost's poetry differs from that of nineteenth century poetry in
response and tone--his subtlety and sly wit is often undetected except
by the most observant, his material is presented honestly and without
sentimentality. Frost's focus remains on the drama of man in nature

whether it is in his lyric, narrative, or dramatic poetry. The unique
form of Frost's nature poetry represents his way of presenting man
and nature along the usual lines of a contemporary poet.

In his themes of fear, isolation and acceptance, Frost is often in

conflict with nature. He strives to keep man and nature independent of
each other because they are separate entities, not to be unified, and
not to be joined. Frost is well aware of man's limitations, and in
coping with these limited capabilities he realizes that man mu.st

possess a strong faith in himself in order to maintain his equilibrium
against nature.