Robert frost education

1. Robert Frost: American Poet and Pulitzer Prize Laureate
2. Return to the United States and Literary Achievements
3. Recognition and Later Works
4. Collected Poems and Continued Success

Robert Frost: American Poet and Pulitzer Prize Laureate

Robert Frost was an American poet who became a classic and patriarch of American poetry during his lifetime. He was a four-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize (1924, 1931, 1937, 1943). He was named after Robert E. Lee, the Confederate Army commander during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Frost's father died of tuberculosis when he was 11 years old. The boy and his mother moved to Massachusetts, where Frost attended school in Lawrence. He enrolled in Dartmouth College in 1892 but soon left. From 1897 to 1899, he studied at Harvard University. Frost worked at a mill, helped his mother run a small private school in Lawrence, published a local newspaper, and even tried his hand at poultry farming. Discouraged by unsuccessful attempts to find his calling, he moved with his family to England in 1912 and settled in Beaconsfield for three years. In England, he experienced his first success when a publisher immediately published his manuscript of poetry, "A Boy's Will" (1913). His second book, "North of Boston," which was published the following year, achieved even greater success. Critics noticed similarities between Frost and the Georgian poets R. Graves, R. Brooke, W. Owen, E. Blanden, and E. Thomas. Thomas, who became a close friend of Frost's, significantly influenced his development as a poet.

Return to the United States and Literary Achievements

In 1915, Frost returned to the United States and purchased a farm in New Hampshire. However, the income from the farm and the publication of his poems was not enough to support his family. To supplement his income, Frost gave lectures at universities and performed readings of his poetry. Frost's poetry did not persuade readers that the world was a haven of solace. The nature of New England became a familiar symbol and metaphor in Frost's poetry, as seen in his poems "Mowing," "Revelation," and "Complaint" from his collection "A Boy's Will," as well as in his monologue and dialogue poems "Mending Wall," "The Death of the Hired Man," "The Family Graveyard," and "The Wood-Pile" from "North of Boston." The poet listened to people's conversations and drew inspiration and themes from them. He considered no concerns to be "foreign" and felt connected to everything happening in the world, as evidenced by the poems in the collection "Mountain Interval" (1916), including "The Road Not Taken," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," "Birches," "Snow," and "A Conversation with a Friend."

Recognition and Later Works

Frost's next book, "New Hampshire" (1923), earned him his first Pulitzer Prize in 1924. The collection includes both narrative poems, such as "Paul's Wife" and "The Witch of Coos," and more concise and elegant meditative lyrics. Deep psychological insight and philosophical direction distinguish "Places, Blueberries, Fire and Ice," "Nothing Gold Can Stay," and Frost's most famous poem, included in all poetry anthologies, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Frost's ability to harmonize the dynamics of New England residents' conversational speech with the metrical demands of free verse is masterfully displayed in the title poem of "West-Running Brook" (1928). Frost also had skill in handling rhymed verse, showcasing poetic conciseness that perfectly suited the reserved, laconic nature of a man who stoically bore the hardships of life.

Collected Poems and Continued Success

Frost's first collected poems, "Collected Poems" (1930), encompassed his poetic work in its entirety and received the Pulitzer Prize in 1931. Two more collections, "A Further Range" (1936) and "A Witness Tree" (1942), brought him two additional Pulitzer Prizes. These books were followed by plays written in blank verse. According to critics, in "Masque of Reason" (1945), Frost did not fully realize his potential as he turned to the biblical character Job. However, his second play, "A Masque of Mercy" (1947), was considered more successful. Its modern interpretation of biblical characters deepened and expanded Frost's stoicism, transforming it into a thoughtful and mature philosophical position. Frost's later poetry collections "Steeple Bush" (1947) and "In the Clearing" (1962) include works that are on par with his more well-known early pieces. Frost's refusal to succumb to pain and suffering, his belief in the ability to resist circumstances, and his ability to find an adequate poetic form to express this refusal and belief explain why President John F. Kennedy asked Frost to recite his poem "The Gift Outright" at his inauguration ceremony in 1961. In 1962, Frost visited the Soviet Union.