Analysis of poems written by robert frost

The Road Not Taken: This is one of the best known Frost poem . According to Robert Frost, he wrote this poem not “ thinking of myself there, but about a friend who had gone off to war, a person who, which ever road he went, would be sorry he didn’t go the other.” (Robert Frost on his own poetry: Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, 23 Aug. 1953.) While traveling alone, the poet reaches a point where the road gets bifurcated. Here he is forced to make a choice. He decides not to travel by the road more frequented and goes walking through the less traveled road. It was less traveled, but those who had traveled through it had worn it to some extend. It was morning and in both the roads there were fresh leaves, on which none has walked and hence those leaves had not got blackened Though he knew that one road leads to another road, he doubts whether he will ever come back to take the first road he had left out for another day Thus this poem is all about the choices we have to make in our life. A road taken during the journey of life is equal to a decision taken in life. Because these decisions are final . They cannot be reversed. One cannot travel back in life to take another road, reversing the earlier choice. The speaker of the poem chooses the second road knowing well that his choice is irreversible. He also knows that all roads lead to other roads; all choices lead to other choices and finally lead us to a special destination, destined to each of us.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: This is a short poem with a lyrical frame very meditative tone and movement. The backdrop of the poem is pastoral. The poem is describing the woods and tells us why the poet had stopped there. But beyond this simple meaning the poet reminds us of the responsibilities we have in life, of the promises we have to keep. The poem starts as a personal one and then suddenly raises to a universal level. “ The woods are lovely dark and deep”. Yes life often is lovely dark and deep like the woods. One may be tempted to get lost in that loveliness. The poet also got almost lost in the forest. But it was “ my little horse” that awakened him to the reality, by giving “ his harness bells a shake / to ask if there is a mistake.” The poet awakens to his realities. “ The woods are lovely dark and deep, /But I have promises to keep, /And miles to go before I sleep, /And miles to go before I sleep.”
The similarities of images in this poem as well as the poem “ The road not Taken” is interesting. Both tell about journeys. The image of the journey or travel, the Odyssey, is an epic concept in classic literature. Life is a journey and all of us are travelers. During this journey each one of us are forced to make our own choices. Our journey of life is often through woods. And we are at cross roads too, forcing us to choose one of the roads. We may get lost in the beauty and loneliness of the woods. But we must continue our journey, as we have “ promises to keep /And miles to go before” we sleep.
After Apple Picking: This is a poem on farm life with a village landscape. The poem tells about an apple picker who was working through out the day and is tired. He wants to lay down and sleep. There are still un-picked apples on the tree. His ladder is still looking at the sky. He feels drowsy with tiredness and feels like wanting a sleep badly. He starts thinking about what dream he will have in the sleep. May be dream in which the apples appear and disappear, with the rumbling sounds of the loads of apples. He thinks what sleep will it be; a hibernating sleep of the animals like the woodchuck? Facts and fancy gets intermingled here, the time references and tenses gets confused too.
As a subtext the reference to the sleep can be read as death. Here is a man who has finished his life’s work getting ready to die, wondering what that experience will be.
Sources cited:
1) Frost Robert: On his own poetry: Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, 23 Aug. 1953 (Available at the manuscripts department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)