Word Choices Distinguish Into My Own
Robert Frost Demonstrates Mastery of More Poetic Devices
Jun 30, 2009
In his early poem “Into My Own,” Robert Frost established a pattern of ambiguity in his works that stayed with him his whole career. Due to specific word choices made—words chosen not just because they rhymed or made the meter fit a patter—the reader slowly realizes that Frost leaves more questions unanswered than answered; yet the poem gives a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.
Word Choices That Develop Character
The narrator is the main character in this confessional poem. Some others, “those who miss me here,” are the only other characters. Frost begins from the very first word to tell us something about the narrator, but waits until the last phrase to complete the characterization.
- One of – The poem begins, “One of my wishes….” The narrator is thus described as having more than one wish. This is a person who has looked at life and decided what to expect from it. No a measly single wish has he developed, but a laundry list of things to go and do.
- Doom – The narrator wishes that the trees he sees “stretched away until the edge of doom.” Wishing for doom is not what we would expect from a person, especially a young man beginning his career (if, as some critics believe, this poem was autobiographical). This shows something dark about the narrator, or perhaps adventuresome.
- Withheld…steal away – The narrator indicates he “would not be withheld” from leaving. In an earlier version of the poem Frost used the word “deterred” here. Nothing will prevent the narrator from heading into his dark trees and beyond once he decides to go. Whoever would try to keep him where he is will not succeed. The narrator may have to leave when others are not there, but he will leave.
- Fearless – This self-characterization seems brash, for someone, even a character in a poem, to call himself fearless. Yet Frost uses that word. So certain is the narrator that this is the right course of action, he is fearless of the unknown of world beyond.
- Overtake – The narrator, once he sets out upon his track, is on a journey that will not end. A destination is not in sight. Anyone he leaves behind will not have to go to where he finally comes to stay. Rather, they will have to overtake him. The word gives the sense of speed for the followers.
- Only more sure…thought – By the end of the poem, the narrator states he is sure of certain things that are true, assumed to be true about himself, but also possible true of the world he was venturing into. Yet, the narrator doesn’t say “knew were true” but “thought were true.” Thus, at the very end, Frost adds just a bit of uncertainty to the narrator’s bravado. While brave enough to steal away into the vast unknown, he is not totally sure of what he will find.
Word Choices Enhance Images
As discussed in a previous article, Frost uses two images to tell the story: the trees to represent the unknown, and the highway and wheel to represent another’s intrusion into the unknown. Words used for these images go far to add to the reader’s understanding and enjoyment.
- Dark – Frost regularly uses trees and forests in his poems. Frequently they are called dark. Here, although the trees are not a large forest, they are still described as dark, making them foreboding.
- Merest mask – As state in the previous article, this indicates the trees were most likely a thin line. The word “merest” makes this doubly so. The trees are not just a mask: they are a thin mask, barely concealing what is beyond.
- Pours the sand – A difficult phrase in context, as described in the previous article. Frost changed this from “pounds the sand” in a previous version of the poem. “Pours” definitely has a different connotation. The image is similar to that of an agricultural implement turning the soil, except this is sand and is described as a highway. This ambiguity keeps the reader guessing and reinterpreting.
Frost’s word choices go a long way toward engaging the reader. Note that he never says the narrator misses those he left behind, only that they miss him; yet this can only be recognized by a careful reading based on inclusion and exclusion. Such excellence in phrasing makes Frost one of the masters.
See also an overview of "Into My Own."
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