Frost as a poet of the common man

Answer

Evaluate Frost as a poet of the common man. [NU: 2015]

Robert Frost (1874–1963) was a famous American poet. He is often called a poet of the common man. No other poet of his time wrote so beautifully about the simple lives and feelings of common men. In most of his poems, we see ordinary people in their daily lives in the New England countryside, where Frost lived. He captures their thoughts, emotions, and struggles in his poems. So, let us dive deep into Frost’s poems.

Everyday Life of Common Men: Frost talks about ordinary people and their simple daily activities in his poems. He writes about farmers, workers, and villagers. In “Mending Wall” (1914), two neighbors meet every spring to repair the stone wall between their lands. They put back the loose stones to repair the wall. 

While doing this work, the speaker questions the necessity of the wall. He says that there are no cows to keep in or out. The speaker feels the wall only keeps people apart. The neighbour disagrees. He believes in tradition. He is not happy to accept modern or smart ways of thinking. So, his only reply is,

“Good fences make good neighbours.”

The poem shows us something very common—two neighbors mending a wall. But behind this simple act, the poem makes us think about tradition and human relationships.

Language of Common Men: Frost’s poems depict the daily activities of the common men and their conversation. In “The Death of the Hired Man” (1914), Frost shows this clearly. The poem is written as a dialogue between a farmer, Warren, and his wife, Mary. They talk about Silas, an old worker who has come back to their farm. Silas is very sick. However, Warren does not want to hire Silas again. He thinks Silas is unreliable. But Mary sees Silas differently. She feels that Silas has come back home to die in peace. She says:

“He [Silas] has come

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