Robert Frost

A Lone Wolf

Sep 11, 2007

Robert Frost is America's most beloved poet. He considered himself a "lone wolf." While other poets were clinging to schools of poetry, he clung only to poetry itself.

Early Years

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California to William and Isabelle Moody Frost. His father was a teacher and a journalist, and his mother was a teacher. He was named after General Robert E. Lee.

When Robert was eleven years old, his father died of tuberculosis. To honor his father’s wish to be buried where he had been born, Robert, his mother and sister moved across the country to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where they lived with his paternal grandfather, William Prescott Frost; his mother resumed school teaching to support her children

With both parents having been teachers, it naturally followed that Robert would spend at least some time in the classroom himself. He had been exposed to the writings of Shakespeare, Robert Burns, and William Wordsworth through his parents’ library. He excelled in other high school subjects including history, botany, Latin, and Greek. He also played football, and graduated at the head of his class.

After graduating from Lawrence High School, he enrolled in Dartmouth, but found that college life did not interest him so he after only a few months, he dropped out. He also worked for a time in a mill, and he then taught Latin at the same school where his mother taught in Methuen, Massachusetts.

Writing Poetry

Frost discovered his enthusiasm for writing poetry in high school. His poem “La Noche Triste” was published in the school newspaper in 1890. He continued to compose poems whether he was working in a mill, farming, or teaching. In 1894, his poem, “My Butterfly: An Elegy” was accepted by a New York magazine, Independent. He was paid $15.00 for that poem.

After his marriage to his high school sweetheart and co-valedictorian, the couple lived on a farm in New Hampshire, where Frost enjoyed being a part-time farmer. Some of his most famous poems were inspired by his experiences on the farm: “Mending Wall,” which he wrote while in England is an example.

A Lone Wolf

The poems of Robert Frost defy easy categorization. He objected to being called a nature poet, because he insisted that all his poems take the human heart and soul as their themes. They are not merely lovely pictures of flowers, birds, and trees.

When other poets were being grouped in schools of poetry through poetic theory, Frost objected to being included in any group, claiming that he was a lone wolf. He felt that if poets needed that kind of thing, they should do it, but he preferred to remain independent.