Essay Example on The Pasture by Robert Frost

FiIn the above poem, the poet talks about sharing his life with his beloved; he could be going to the Pasture to rake the leaves and to find the calf but asks someone to accompany him. Seemingly, Frost wants to share his life experiences with both the audience and the one he loves. Robert Frost uses this poem "The Pasture," a medium of introduction and inviting his audience to accompany him in his journey. Therefore, the poem perfectly fits its purpose because that is what its content is about; an intimate and friendly invitation. At the end of the initial stanza, he invites us though it is seemingly an afterthought "...I shan't be gone long.-you too come." (Frost 819).

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The poem "The Pasture" can be categorized into three parts, the initial stanza, the 2nd stanza, and the refrain. In the initial stanza, we are shown a farmer stretching to the field to perform some spring cleanings. He is going to rake the leaves to ensure the proper running of water. The stanza gives a list of activities the farmer wants to perform.

In the 2nd stanza of this poem, the farmer explains that he should also take care of the young calf since it is too young to stay upright but must stay close to the mother. Lastly, in the final stanza, which is a refrain, in this case, the farmer argues that the list of chores should not take him any longer but invites his ally to accompany him. From here, we see a lovely relation; even though these activities will not take him long, he still calls on his recipient to join him, thus revealing his intention to always stay with his friend (Frost 819).

This poem is short and efficient with two stanzas and seven lines of a single introspection and direct address, which explains a short story. The speaker in this poem stands before a valuable friend and reveals his intentions. He moves out to the field outside to find a calf and rake leaves from the spring, but he is seemingly reluctant to part ways with his subject as evidenced in the refrain, "I shan't be gone long.-You come too." (Frost 819).

Robert Frost uses this poem to introduce his "Complete Poems," where the individual volumes of his works are arranged chronologically hence The Pasture in its position outside the volume where it initially appeared. For instance, in his article, "The Figure a Poem Makes," The Pasture performs a critical role in introducing the main concepts being presented (Frost 818). It demonstrates in the 2nd stanza the ideas conveyed in the article through a sense of relationships and ends in a robust love.

The form and content of The Pasture also initiate the flow of the poem from love to wisdom. Love is evident in the refrain where the speaker is reluctant to part ways with his subject. Moreover, a sense of relationship is created in the 1st stanza when the speaker says, "away and may," which carries away the readers. The potential clarity that comes with separation and patience from the beloved. Furthermore, the unity of the 2nd and 3rd line is stressed by the repetition of vowel sound "w" as seen in the word "watch," "water," "wait" and some other variety of sounds that promises clarity (Frost 819).

The wisdom of the 2nd stanza comes from the theme of separation since the speaker observes at a close range and realizes meaning in a scene that suggests that he may have gone unnoted if he had a different person in his life. He has come to search for a young calf, a vulnerable creature that cannot stand alone unless supported, and when licked by its mother, it totters. Separation is evident here since the speaker has come to look for the calf leaving his beloved behind (Frost 819).

Additionally, the sense of relationship performs a role in the 2nd stanza the frequent use of alliterations stops the audience in their tracks as they pause and conjure that when the young calf is separated from its mother. Also, the end rhymes of the 2nd and 3rd stanza "tongue" and "young" brings together the vulnerability of the calf and mother's care. The theme of separation; everything in the Pasture shall be taken care of, including the child. The calf somehow loses balance as the mother licks it with the tongue. The repetition of the line "...I shan't be gone long- you come too" makes the poem rhythmical and also creates emphasis on the central theme (Frost 819).

This poem depicts an understanding of dependence and vulnerability of the person who loves and gets loved in return. There is a sense in which being alone develops unavailable experience when an individual is distracted by affectionate love and, in the end, receives wisdom and clarity of thoughts that present with solitude. The audience or reader is then invited to take part in the isolation just as the refrain stresses "come too" to show solidarity in the cat of reading (Frost 819).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the poem is about the interaction of humans with animals out in the field, having a serene life. In the initial stanza, the speaker mentions someone on the farm, making arrangements to clean the pasture springs of fallen leaves awaiting water to clear (Tuten 11). He reveals that he will not take long and calls on the audience to join him. The 2nd stanza extends the same invitation this round to fetch for a calf. The purpose is to make the child comfortable as he is afraid to be left alone. The adult assists the child to overcome his fears through invitation, "You come too. You come too." (Frost 819).The attention of the little child is brought to the mother-cow to show love and protection. This poem is typically for children. The Pasture is metaphorically protection and love, the love of the cow to her calf in contrast to the love of a mother to her child, offering protection and guidance during childhood.

Works Cited

Frost, Robert. The figure a poem makes. Gaspereau Press, 2017.Accessed: https://vinhanley.com/tag/robert-frost/Frost, Robert. The collected poems of Robert Frost. Chartwell Books, 2016. Accessed: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=iK-TDgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA5&ots=VJ-0DQnouV&dq=Frost%2C%20Robert.%20The%20collected%20poems%20of%20Robert%20Frost.%20Chartwell%20Books%2C%202016.&lr&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q=Frost,%20Robert.%20The%20collected%20poems%20of%20Robert%20Frost.%20Chartwell%20Books,%202016.&f=false

Tuten, Nancy Lewis, and John Zubizarreta, eds. The Robert Frost Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Accessed: https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=RjZuWeTJpAkC&lpg=PR7&ots=nY5bu2B_Tf&dq=literature%20for%20composition%20by%20robert%20frost%20eleventh%20edition&lr&pg=PR7#v=onepage&q&f=false