Robert Frost

Beginnings of Modernism (artistic, literary movement beginning in 1910s-1920s which tries to “reinvent” experience of literature/art from departing from or adapting traditional models).  Divorced from past—modern situation is wholly new, no historical precedent (Freud/Darwin had questioned key tenets of traditional religious ideology) Modernism vs Traditionalism

In Literature, we move away from traditional verse forms (free verse, imagism—influenced by Chinese and Japanese poetry “images”)

Write literature that appropriate to the age

Eliot, Pound, Joyce (stream of consciousness—trying to reproduce actually undigested thoughts of characters) interior rather than exterior

Robert Frost is transitional figure from Traditionalism to Modernism . . . he uses trad. Verse forms but his subjects are often modernist (existential—meaning of existence created in the very act of “performing” or creating a work of art)  Jazz music is existential (Charlie Parker existential music?  Music of the moment of creation?  Intuition, improvisational not pre-planned)

Robert Frost defines Poetry—as a temporary “stay” (Hold-off) against chaos—we bring order/meaning to the otherwise scary meaningless universe

“Birches”—begins description of trees during ice storm when they’re bent down—modernist element, he lets his unconscious or stream of consciousness take over “inner dome of heaven had fallen”—the old traditional view of universe; he likes to think “some boy’s been swinging on them” (tangent) or girls thrown hair before them drying in sun—sensual imagery-connection to nature

Switches gears mid-way through poem: “But I was going to say when Truth broke in/With all her matter of fact about the ice storm,”

Dream-memory of swinging birches “I was once a swinger of birches”—metaphorically, a dreamer, who used his imagination   We were all swingers of birches when young, when our imagination was strong and defined reality instead of rationality defining reality

“Earth’s the right place for love:/I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.”  Swinging birches is a metaphor about moving earth and heaven (physical and the spiritual)   Do we need heaven and perfect love or is the imperfect earth a better place to experience/create love?  Love—authentic emotion/connection/meaning

“That would be good both going and coming back./One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.”  One could do worse than being a human being, stuck in an existence that we continually have to strive to make sense of. 

“Death of the Hired Man”

Narrative poem that tells story elliptically through image, dialogue and interior monologue (consciousness) interiority  no real exposition (or placing the setting or preparing for the events—in medias res—in the midst of things)

Use of dialogue to indicate character: Warren (hard, harsh, grudging respect for labor, not his duty to care for his fellow man) and Mary (sweet, kind, sympathetic, understanding, we know Silas, he’s not just some stranger, community obligation, religious obligation)

Moon imagery: “The moon, the little silver cloud, and she.”  What’s the moon mean?  How is Mary connected to it?  Change, cycles, feminine, visualization of death, transformation

Warren is all guy—he doesn’t understand the moon; where Mary is full of the moon

Warren is archetypal male (unemotional, rationalistic, unconnected) vs. Mary female (emotional, empathetic, connected to the life cycle as a mother, child, daughter) woman as life-giver

Silas vs. Harold—if Silas could have just shown Harold how to make a stack of hay, he would have “done something” with his otherwise useless existence?

The poem gives us different perspective on Silas’ life and its meaning, but they’re not necessarily definitive   Silas as part of nature, elements, not separated from experience by “books” (as Harold is)

Poem is written blank verse

“Home Burial” husband and Amy: imagery of stones   men and women dealing with grief in different ways: husband deals with grief—silence/work/digging grave/action   Amy deals with grief: blaming him for not being open with emotions, not communicative, not sympathetic

Ambiguity—we can sympathize for both  Frost doesn’t editorialize, but presents the “facts of the case,” so to speak