About the Website Design
This website was designed to complement the style and themes of Robert Frost’s poetry. The header picture is a of New England landscape which was picked to complement the themes of Robert Frost’s poetry. Much of the poetry of Robert Frost is about the nature of New England. Also, all of the fonts were chosen because they are simple but elegant. This is with accordance with the style of Robert Frost’s poetry, simple, in the style of conversational speech but polished and refined. The music chosen was chosen to reflect Frost’s style of writing. All of the musical pieces are simple but pretty like Robert Frost’s Poetry. The artwork was also chosen to reflect Robert Frost’s poetry. All of the artwork is of nature, a prevalent theme in Robert Frost’s poetry. All of the pieces show the beauty in nature, a theme in Robert Frost’s poetry, and two of the pieces, Dark Woods and The Blizzard also show the other side of Robert Frost view of nature, that nature can be very dangerous. Together, these elements come together to make a website that represents well the poetry of Robert Frost.
Essay Outline
Thesis Statement: Robert Frost creates meaning in his poems through his view of nature as beautiful but dangerous.
I. Robert Frost’s view of nature
a. View of nature as beautiful
i. “Birches”
ii. “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”
b. View of nature as dangerous
i. “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”
ii. “Storm Fear”
II. Events in Robert Frost’s life that affected his view of nature
a. Growing up in New England
i. “Frost's own poetical education began in San Francisco where he was born in 1874, but he found his place of safety in New England when his family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1884 following his
father's death.”
b. Farm life
i. “From 1900 to 1909 the family raised poultry on a farm near Derry, New Hampshire”
ii. “The Frosts found a home in Beaconsfield, a little town in rural Buckinghamshire.”
iii. “As soon as Frost suspected he might now live by poetry alone, he did a characteristic thing: he bought a
farm. It was on a hillside near Franconia, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
III. Events During Robert Frost’s life that affected his view of nature
a. Technological advances
b. Galveston Hurricane
i. “When they awoke on the morning of September 8, 1900, the 38,000 residents of Galveston, Texas were
unaware that this day would be their city's last. They had no idea that before the day was done, 8,000 of
their fellow citizens would perish with the city. The culprit was a hurricane.”
c. Great Blizzard of 1888
I. Robert Frost’s view of nature
a. View of nature as beautiful
i. “Birches”
ii. “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”
b. View of nature as dangerous
i. “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”
ii. “Storm Fear”
II. Events in Robert Frost’s life that affected his view of nature
a. Growing up in New England
i. “Frost's own poetical education began in San Francisco where he was born in 1874, but he found his place of safety in New England when his family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1884 following his
father's death.”
b. Farm life
i. “From 1900 to 1909 the family raised poultry on a farm near Derry, New Hampshire”
ii. “The Frosts found a home in Beaconsfield, a little town in rural Buckinghamshire.”
iii. “As soon as Frost suspected he might now live by poetry alone, he did a characteristic thing: he bought a
farm. It was on a hillside near Franconia, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
III. Events During Robert Frost’s life that affected his view of nature
a. Technological advances
b. Galveston Hurricane
i. “When they awoke on the morning of September 8, 1900, the 38,000 residents of Galveston, Texas were
unaware that this day would be their city's last. They had no idea that before the day was done, 8,000 of
their fellow citizens would perish with the city. The culprit was a hurricane.”
c. Great Blizzard of 1888
Robert Frost is one of America’s best known poets for poems such as “The Road not Taken” and “Mending Wall.” His poetry is easy to read and listen to with its light, conversational tone. However, Frost’s poetry is meaningful, not only easy to listen to. Frost creates meaning in his poetry through his use of the theme, nature is beautiful but dangerous.
Frost shows that he sees nature as beautiful in poems such as “Birches.” In “Birches,” Frost observes birch trees bent over by an ice storm. However, he speaks of the ice storm as a thing of beauty, not only destruction. In “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Frost speaks of the woods as, “lovely, dark, and deep.” However, Frost also sees nature as dangerous and unforgiving also. In the same poem, the woods also are shown as a danger that could keep the narrator from getting home. Another example of a poem by Robert Frost that shows the dangerous side of nature is “Storm Fear.” In “Storm Fear,” Frost speaks of a family getting snowed into a house. These poems show that Frost knows of nature’s dangers in addition to its beauty.
Frost’s view of nature was shaped by the experiences he had. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California in 1874, but he moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1884 after his father died. In Lawrence, Frost was able to view nature in the surrounding area. These experiences by have shaped his view of nature. From 1900 to 1909 Frost lived and worked on a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, and from 1912 to 1915 he lived on a farm in Beaconsfield, England. When Frost moved back to the United States in 1915, he moved to a farm in Franconia, New Hampshire. While he worked on the farm, Frost must have been surrounded by nature. He would easily be able to see many beautiful things in nature such as flowers blooming in the spring or the leaves changing color in the fall. However, he would also be able to see that nature can be harmful as well. For example, snow may be pretty, but it can also spell death for early-growing plants.
Two events that may have shaped Frost’s view of nature are the Galveston hurricane of 1900 and the blizzard of 1888. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 passed through the city of Galveston, Texas, destroying the city and killing 8000 of its residents. The blizzard of 1888 affected New York City, covering it with up to five feet of snow in some places. Robert Frost would certainly have known about these tragedies. These natural disasters may have lead Robert Frost to see that nature can be very dangerous in addition to being beautiful.
Events in Robert Frost’s personal life and other events affected Frost’s view of nature. Without these events, Frost’s poetry would not be the same as it was. It is only through these events that Robert Frost became a great poet.
Frost shows that he sees nature as beautiful in poems such as “Birches.” In “Birches,” Frost observes birch trees bent over by an ice storm. However, he speaks of the ice storm as a thing of beauty, not only destruction. In “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Frost speaks of the woods as, “lovely, dark, and deep.” However, Frost also sees nature as dangerous and unforgiving also. In the same poem, the woods also are shown as a danger that could keep the narrator from getting home. Another example of a poem by Robert Frost that shows the dangerous side of nature is “Storm Fear.” In “Storm Fear,” Frost speaks of a family getting snowed into a house. These poems show that Frost knows of nature’s dangers in addition to its beauty.
Frost’s view of nature was shaped by the experiences he had. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California in 1874, but he moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1884 after his father died. In Lawrence, Frost was able to view nature in the surrounding area. These experiences by have shaped his view of nature. From 1900 to 1909 Frost lived and worked on a farm in Derry, New Hampshire, and from 1912 to 1915 he lived on a farm in Beaconsfield, England. When Frost moved back to the United States in 1915, he moved to a farm in Franconia, New Hampshire. While he worked on the farm, Frost must have been surrounded by nature. He would easily be able to see many beautiful things in nature such as flowers blooming in the spring or the leaves changing color in the fall. However, he would also be able to see that nature can be harmful as well. For example, snow may be pretty, but it can also spell death for early-growing plants.
Two events that may have shaped Frost’s view of nature are the Galveston hurricane of 1900 and the blizzard of 1888. The Galveston hurricane of 1900 passed through the city of Galveston, Texas, destroying the city and killing 8000 of its residents. The blizzard of 1888 affected New York City, covering it with up to five feet of snow in some places. Robert Frost would certainly have known about these tragedies. These natural disasters may have lead Robert Frost to see that nature can be very dangerous in addition to being beautiful.
Events in Robert Frost’s personal life and other events affected Frost’s view of nature. Without these events, Frost’s poetry would not be the same as it was. It is only through these events that Robert Frost became a great poet.
Citations
"The Galveston Hurricane of 1900." The Galveston Hurricane of 1900. EyeWitness to History,
2005. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
Gerber, Philip L. "Robert Frost (American Poet)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
"Robert Frost." : The Poetry Foundation. The Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
"Robert Frost." - Untermeyer, Louis. Robert Frost's Poems. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks,
2005. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
Gerber, Philip L. "Robert Frost (American Poet)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
"Robert Frost." : The Poetry Foundation. The Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
"Robert Frost." - Untermeyer, Louis. Robert Frost's Poems. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks,