American Literature

Robert Frost presents longing as a theme in his poems Into My Own and Birches mainly through metaphors and symbolisms on trees from a first person perspective. The settings of both poems are clearly anchored on nature from a rather negative point of view of the past. In Into My Own, Frost wishes that he could overcome the gloom that the trees brought into his life. In Birches, Frost prefers a small boy to playfully conquer the strength of these sturdy trees rather than nature asserting its power over these trees. Hence, the imageries that Frost has pictured in both poems contain paradoxical elements as embodied in the poems similes and metaphors. While the uses of rhythm, meter, rhyme and alliteration are different in both poems, the common theme of longing recurs from a perspective of if only, and what if through a realistic presentation on the forces of nature and the trees and then progresses to a kind of fantastical picture that is far from reality. As Frank Lentricchia notes, Frost has tried to assert control over the forces of nature through aesthetic illusion in Birches. Moreover, Martin Bidney likewise notes of Frosts playfulness in many of his works, and says that a playful epiphany creates a conceptual tension, an emotional ambivalence is the episode a revelation or a mere frivolity (1). Hence, to discover Frosts motivation on why he wants to go back in the past and playfully assert control on these sturdy trees with a power that is equal to, or maybe even greater than, nature in both of his poems, an exploration of longing as a theme will be made.

Frosts Into My Own, which has three stanzas of four lines each and ends in a half stanza of two lines, uses the metaphor of trees. This is a symbolic device of Frost to show the challenges that he has to overcome in the past. As Lentricchia notes the trees that scarcely show the breeze, stand ominously free from human manipulation, menacing in their irresponsiveness to acts of the will. In the first stanza, Frost uses the words dark (1), gloom (3) and doom (4) to show a negative remembrance of the past which symbolically pertains to a great obstacle as represented by the alliterations scarcely show (2) and merest mask (3). These are the only alliterations in the poem which greatly emphasize the symbolism and the simile that the dark trees (1) represented an overwhelming mask of gloom (3). Frost wishes to overcome these obstacles from his past and shows through paradox how difficult this will be since these trees are so firm they scarcely show breeze (2) and wishes these to flexibly disappear to be stretched away unto the edge of doom. Here, the firmness and flexibility of the dark trees represent Frosts illustration of reality then his aesthetic illusion as Lentricchia described. The rest of the stanzas reveal a meter of 10 syllables per line and rhymes at the 1st and 2nd lines, and 3rd and 4th lines with words such as a trees and breeze (1,2) b gloom and doom (3,4) c day and away (5,6) d land and sand (7,8) e back and track (9,10) f here and dear (11,12) and g knew and true (13,14).

The almost consistent rhythm of the poem is only broken in two instances a Were not, as twere, the merest mask of gloom, (3) and b To overtake me, who should miss me here (11). Here, the first break emphasizes the simile of the mask while the second break emphasizes the point of no return from his past. Essentially, the first break in the rhythm shows the symbolism of gloom as hidden in the metaphor of the dark trees while the second break accents the point of no return from that gloomy state in his past. Frost playfully represents his longing with stretching in the first stanza then supports this with the sprinkling of words such as some day (5) sand (8) to most likely represent an hour glass turn back (9) to represent some reminiscing track (10) to signify a future direction miss (11) for nostalgia and changed (13) to represent the transition from who Frost is in his past into what he has become.

Frosts Birches, which has only one stanza of 60 lines mainly uses the metaphorical elements and symbolisms of birches as trees, the boy, nature and girls. Frost here compares the power of nature on birches versus his preference that the boy can exert the same power on these trees through a happy playfulness of being alone with the trees. For instance, I like to think some boys been swinging them. But swinging doesnt bend them down to stay. Ice storms do that (3,4,5) clearly shows a what ifscenario on the paradox of nature through the ice storms which are strong versus a boy who is weak. Moreover, Frost also proceeds with a paradoxical simile of the trees being compared to the likeness of girls, to quote
          You may see their trunks arching in the woods
          Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
           Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
           Before them over their heads to dry in the sun. (17-20)

Of course, trees are stronger than the frailness of girls which Frost portrayed playfully on the metaphor of the leaves and girls hair to dry in the sun (20). Frost also provides clues to the deprivations of a kid as seen through the eyes of an adult. Frost writes that Some boy too far away from town to learn baseball, Whose only play was that he found himself (26-27). Suddenly, Frost provides insight as to how the boy had overcome these deprivations which is quoted as follows
          One by one he subdued his fathers trees
          By riding them down over and over again
          Until he took the stiffness out of them,
          And not one but hung limp, not one was left
          For him to conquer. He learned all there was (29-33)

The paradox that Frost presents is that nature appears to be the only force powerful enough to make the birches bend yet with his thoughts, he has been able to make a playful boy make these birches bend which are now as frail as girls, and ultimately the boy has conquered these trees. Suggestively, Frost also asserts that So was I once myself a swinger of birches. And so I dream of going back to be. (42-43). This basically implied fantastically that Frost has conquered these trees with his power as a boy and now longs to gain back that power.  Compared with Into My Own, Birches basically has no structured rhyme although it has a meter of 10 syllables. It also uses a lot of alliteration in words such as birches bend (1), boys been (3), cracks and crazes (9), soon the sun (10), shed crystal shells (10), heaven had (13), that throw (19), boy bend (24) and black branches. More so, the rhythm appears to be erratic and the line breaks also appear forced. Despite these difference with Into My Own however, Birches essentially has the same theme of longing. Birches though is more elaborate and specific on Frosts longing which is now clearly evidentthe deprivations of a boy and an adults wishes for what if and a cyclic return to the playful power of a boy as if the adult lost the same power as he aged. Essentially, the what if here symbolizes the power of play and imagination. Hence, Bidney accurately observes Frosts secretive-playful epiphaniessolitude, companionship, and his ambivalent imagination on most of his works. Likewise, Lentricchia insightfully describes Frosts ideal as an imaginative man who, essentially alone in the world, either makes it or doesnt on the strength of his creative resources. Significantly, in Birches, Frost shows the coping mechanisms of an adult and a longing for being a boy once again to gain back the power of imagimation that subdues the stronger forces of nature or those that are beyond his control.

    Comparatively speaking, in Into My Own and Birches, the themes on longing are essentially the same despite the differences in the structures of the two poems. The metaphors in the use of trees are the same but the metaphors on the paradox are different. These are different in the sense that the longer Birches is more specific and elaborate than Into My Own. Birches too has more similes and metaphors due to the sheer length of the poem compared to Into My Own. The main paradox of Into My Own lies with the trees firmness and flexibility. Meanwhile, the main paradox in Birches lies with the power of a playful boy versus the power of nature to swing these trees to the ground. Moreover, the theme of flexibility is again infused into the theme of longing through swinging in the case of Birches, and stretching in the case of Into My Own versus the firmness of the old structure as symbolized thru the trees. Conclusively, the power or control over nature, and the conquering of a rigid structure as the trees symbolized that need bending, swinging, or stretching, appear to be Frosts major motivations on why he wants to go back in the past and playfully assert control on these sturdy trees as he illustrates through paradoxical imagery. Moreover, Frosts poems reflect a playful use of words and imagination that Lentricchia articulately calls aesthetic illusion and Bidney frames in another angle as frivolity to show longing for a past where the active imagination paradoxically conquers the stronger forces of nature and the rigid structure of symbolic trees.