The poetry of Robert Frost is often tinged with sadness; a poet with a deep appreciation for the natural scene, yet duly aware of the harsh realties of life. This line from "Acquainted with the Night" highlights Frost's isolation and his sense of alienation – sentiments which are expressed throughout his poetry. His poetry arises from an exploration of ordinary events and places, but is steeped in meaning and pathos. While on the surface, poems like "The Tuft and Flowers" and "Mending Wall" can be read on a literal level, upon closer examination, we realise that the poetry of Robert Frost is highly metaphorical, aswell as thought provoking and philosophical. His poetry has such an effect on me he has an amazing ability to elicit a wide variety of emotions within me, ranging from shock to sadness. His use of accessible language, or "the sound of sense" as he referred to it himself, combined with his masterful use of tone allows the reader to engage with each poem and establish a connection with it. Robert Frost is indeed a poet of sadness – one who expresses the horror of a young child's death; "Out, Out" and comments on the transience of life in "After Apple Picking", but also one who offers us insights into the meaning of life which captivate and intrigue us.
The harsh and dark realities of life are expressed in Frost's poem "Out, Out". This is a deeply shocking and sad poem which was inspired by the tragic death of a young boy. Admittedly, I found this poem unsettling, as Frost's description of the farm accident is explicit and brutal. Frost says "the buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard". Immediately, Frost conveys the dangerous, unforgiving nature of the saw through his use of onomatopoeia. Throughout the poem, there is sense of tension and drama, which culminates in a horrifying image of the boy trying to protect himself from the saw's wrath.