Chante’l Johnson
Eng-201
Research paper
The Personification of Robert Frost

Nature has inspired and creatively influenced countless poets from early primitive ages, to the late present. They have used the very elements of nature as metaphors for virtually every human emotion. Very few, however, have masterfully crafted their work to vividly express and reflect the range of nature’s power and influence, or suited the tone of a poem to encompass both human nature and elemental, purity. It can easily be argued that Frost believed little difference existed between humanity’s inner nature and the physical nature of the world that surrounded him. Frost used nature as an image that he wants his audience to see or a metaphor that he wanted people to relate to on a psychological level. Contrary to popular opinion, nature is not Frost’s central theme in his poetry; it is the contrast between man and nature as well as the conflicts that arise between the two entities. The aspects of nature that are continually personified in the poems of Frost, symbolize the physical world, its changes, and the nature of human existence itself.
Robert Frost’s “Wind and Window Flower” exaggerates the conflict between love and opportunity, and the roles of man versus woman in relationships. By personifying the outside wind and a flower sitting in the window sill, the speaker of the poem gains the attention of the reader, “Lovers, forget your love / And listen to the love of these / She a window flower / And he a winter breeze.” (“A Boys Will”) As the story proceeds, Frost portrays vivid imagery and usage of metaphors to convey the central theme of the natural world, and human characterization. The winter breeze falls in love with the window flower, who in turn neglects the wind’s attention until it is too late. When the flower realizes she loves the wind, he has already blown, to never return. ”And the morning found the breeze / A hundred miles away.” (“A Boys Will”) Throughout the poem, the winter breeze is described as having cold features, relating to “ice” and “frost”, while the flower is described as being accustomed to the elements of “warm stove-window light”. They are of two evidently different worlds, which are fated to only cross paths, and not to be together. The more aggressive wind and submissive flower, together, become a missed opportunity for love between two unlikely people.

When brought to a standstill at the presence of a crossroad, the speaker of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is left contemplating which path to travel. After careful inspection of both routes, the speaker comes to the conclusion that neither path presents a more appealing endeavor ahead. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could / To where it bent in the undergrowth,” (“Road Not Taken” 246) which is a prime example of everyday life. It is nearly impossible to look into the future and see the best result of which path to take, and therefore makes it even more difficult to choose which life path to strive towards. By not being able to foresee the future, results in choosing one road over another, leaving the traveler wondering what he will miss out on. As the poem proceeds, the traveler, still deciding on what path to take, states regretfully "...Sorry I could not travel both paths," (“Road Not Taken” 246) A statement that can easily be identified by anyone who has ever come to terms with a difficult decision. In a more abstract sense, the poem describes a man who is faced with the dilemma of how to lead his life. He realizes, he may never be able to return and revisit the road not taken, and never be able to see what he missed out on. The entire poem personifies nature in human terms, and expresses similarities between human experience and natural world occurrence.
In “Mending Wall,” Frost presents the idea of physical barriers that relate to people,