Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was a famous American poet. He is well-known for his realistic representations of rural life and his knowledge of American vernacular. In his work, he frequently employed settings from early twentieth-century New England country life to address complex social and philosophical issues.

Frost was a famous and highly quoted poet and won four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He developed into one of the few "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution" in America. For his poetry, he received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960. Frost was appointed the poet laureate of Vermont on July 22, 1961. Before being published in the United States, his work was available in England.

Childhood of Robert Frost

Robert Frost was born in the year 1874 in San Francisco, California. His father, William Prescott Frost, was a journalist. Robert Frost was not a particularly successful man during his lifetime, yet his death might feel like a curse at times. He began his career as a teacher before becoming an editor in San Francisco, where he collects taxes. He relocated to Lawrence with his mom.

Robert Frost's House

Lawrence is the location of his home. He even attended Laurence College to further his degree. And it was here, in 1892, that he obtained his graduation. His mother became a church member and included him, even though he quit later.

Early Life

When he wasn't teaching, Frost's father served as editor of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin, which ultimately amalgamated with the San Francisco Examiner. He also ran unsuccessfully for a municipal tax collector. Following his passing on May 5, 1885, the family relocated to Lawrence, Massachusetts, with the help of Robert Frost's grandpa William Frost Sr., an overseer at a New England mill. Frost graduated from Lawrence High School in 1892. Frost was baptized in the Swedenborgian church by his mother, who later joined it, but, as an adult, he departed.

Frost was raised in the city, despite his subsequent associations with the country, and his first poem was published in his high school magazine. He spent two months at Dartmouth College, sufficient time to be admitted into the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. Frost returned to his hometown to work as a teacher and help his mother with her class of unruly boys. He also helped his mother deliver newspapers and maintain carbon arc lamps in a factory. He claimed that he did not like these jobs and believed that poetry writing was his calling.

He quit several occupations, including teaching, newspaper delivery, and accounting. He quit all of his occupations and began composing poetry because that's what he loved doing.

Robert Frost's Family & Personal Life

Grief and loss dominated Frost's private life. His father died from TB when he was 11 in 1885, leaving the family with only $8. In 1900, cancer took Frost's mother's life. Jeanie, his younger sister, was admitted to a mental institution in 1920 and passed away nine years later. In 1947, Frost's daughter Irma was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, indicating that mental illness ran in the family. Frost himself and his mother also had depression. Elinor, the spouse of Frost, struggled with depression on occasion.

• Robert Frost had a crush on a girl named Elinor Miriam White when he was in high school. She was an aspirational young woman who inspired much of his poetry.
• He was adamant about marrying her, despite her refusal when he proposed for the first time. She accepted his second proposal, and they married on December 19, 1895.
• The couple was blessed with six children, out of which two died at a very young age even though four lived to maturity. Elinor, whom Frost adored, succumbed to breast cancer and died in 1938.
• On January 29, 1963, Robert Frost died as a consequence of complications following prostate surgery. He died at the age of 88.

The Career of Robert Frost

• After dropping out of college and assisting his mother at work, Robert Frost began teaching. He also worked odd jobs such as delivering newspapers and working in a carbon arc light facility.
• He concluded that none of his tried occupations satisfied him and that poetry was his actual passion. My Butterfly is a poem written by him. An Elegy was first published in the New York Independent on November 8, 1894. He received $15 for it.
• Robert Frost studied at Harvard University from 1897 to 1899 but was unable to complete his degree due to health problems. In Derry, New Hampshire, his grandpa acquired the property for him and his wife. When the couple relocated there, Frost worked on the farm for many years while continuing his passion for writing poetry.
• In terms of farming, he was a complete failure. To support his increasing family, he returned to school in 1906, taking a job as an English teacher at Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire. For five years, he worked there.
• In 1912, he went with his family to the United Kingdom. His debut collection of poetry, A Boy's Will, was released in 1913, followed by North of Boston the following year.
• The rural life of common people had a strong effect on the poetry he composed in England. His compositions had a philosophical undertone to them, and they discussed the hard realities of country life. With his sensitive literary works, he became a prominent poet by 1915.
• In 1915, as World War I broke out, Robert Frost came back to the United States. He was already a renowned poet at the time. He bought a farm in New Hampshire and went on to have a successful career as a poet and teacher. He spent several years as an English professor at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
• New Hampshire (1923), A Further Range (1936), In the Clearing (1947), and Steeple Bush (1947) are among his best-known works over the next several decades. He rose to fame as a poet in the years that followed. From 1958 to 1959, he worked as a poetry consultant at the Library of Congress.
• Robert Frost was a great teacher in addition to being a fantastic poet. Beginning in the early 1920s, he spent several summers and autumn semesters teaching at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English.
• In 1921, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He lived there until 1927 when he returned to Amherst College in Massachusetts.
• He possessed a tract of land in South Miami, Florida, and a residence on Brewster Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

How Does Frost Describe Life's Reality?

In his poem "The Road Not Taken," he illustrates the realities of life by evoking the thought of choosing one path while rejecting another. Robert Frost returned to America during World War I and began composing poems professionally from that point forward. He taught pupils English history and gave a lecture on classical poetry and other topics.

Later Life and Legacy

Robert Frost continued to write poetry and teach throughout his life. He held teaching positions at various institutions, including Amherst College and the Bread Loaf School of English. Frost's poems often reflected his philosophical musings on life, nature, and the choices individuals face.

Frost is regarded as one of the best poets of the 20th century and his work had a significant influence on American poetry. For their sensitive examination of human experiences and their link to the natural world, his poems are still studied and praised today.

On January 29, 1963, in Boston, Massachusetts, Robert Frost passed away. He left behind a significant body of poetry that continues to enthral readers and motivate new generations of poets and writers.

Robert Frost Awards

It was established in the town of Franconia, New Hampshire. He was then a professor of English Literature at Amherst College from 1926 until 1938. "New Hampshire: A Poem with Notes and Grace Notes" was his debut publication. He garnered four Pulitzer Prizes following its publication. He did, however, win many more awards later in life. On nature, he declares,

Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.

He wins awards again while teaching at the University of Michigan, and his poetry progressively becomes more well-known. At this time, he is referred to as a "Poet of Nature." After earning the reward, he gave a speech. A passage from his poetry, "The Lesson for Today," is carved on his tombstone:

I had a lover's quarrel with the world.

Conclusion

Robert Frost's life served as an example of the impact poetry may have on capturing the essence of the human condition. Frost examined themes of nature, loss, and the decisions we make in life through his vivid and perceptive rhymes. Despite suffering from personal traumas, he received numerous Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and was widely acclaimed for his writing. One of America's finest poets, Frost's profound appreciation of nature and his capacity to find beauty in the banal struck a chord with readers and built his reputation. His legacy lives on, encouraging future generations to consider the complexities of life through the prism of his timeless words.