Fear is a menace that lurks in the path of life, never visible to the eye but sharply felt in the heart. Fear is the son of despair, and the enemy of progress. It darkens hopes, shatters dreams and prevents accomplishments. It takes many disguises, sometimes known as doubts or worries; But whatever it is called it is the obstacle of achievement. Written in 1915, the poem, "Storm Fear" by Robert Frost (1874-1963) is a classic poem describing the fears and distresses of the narrator through a dangerous storm. This meaning however goes beyond the literal of being stuck in a storm and shows the struggle of some people as they must save themselves when everything else is falling apart. All throughout the poem it shows and demonstrates the doubt and irrationalism of fear.
The poem is set in an empty (apart from his friends) barn in the late nighttime. The narrator is described bracing for an incoming storm. This setting can be classified as a breeding ground for fear to arise. The natural darkness of the night impacts on this, generating the overall mood of doubt. The element of the empty barn (apart from his friends) also contributes, giving the sense of loneliness with no other presence or the possibility of help. This adds to the general eery effect. The doubt established in this situation can be recognised through the line "and my heart owns a doubt." The quote "those of us not asleep subdued to mark" also reflects on doubt, for the narrators pessimistic view just seems to add to the doubt in this situation. .
Throughout the poem the author has chosen to use literal techniques such as imagery and personification. The use of these personification in this sense gives humanlike qualities to non possessive figures such as wind. The quote "whispers with a sort of stifled bark" describes how the wind is 'whispering'. This action is clearly impossible for wind to perform, and so it gives the foreboding sense that the wind is as a human in ways, adding drama and more of the eeriness.
