TOW #6

“The Figure a Poem Makes” by Robert Frost

            Robert Frost was an American poet who won four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and the Congressional Gold medal for his works. When he wrote “The Figure a Poem Makes” in 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt was still president of the United States, and John Steinbeck had just published The Grapes of Wrath. This text focuses on Frost’s definition of a poem, and how he believes both the author and the reader should think and feel whilst reading a poem. He thinks that poems should be spontaneous, original, thought-provoking, and long-lasting. Throughout the passage, he describes how and why poems can be produced to reach all of his expectations, and how this connects to his political views. Frost’s audience is directly stated at the end of the text: Americans, but especially the youth of America. He urges the people of the United States to be unique, and to relax, write a poem, and eternally bask in the glory of its meaning. Additionally, he wants to show the country that poems are important. Frost is able to achieve this purpose of encouraging young Americans through personification. Throughout the passage, the author gives poems a new meaning by providing them with human-like qualities. This makes the reader prioritize poems and see the importance in them that Frost is trying to display because of their seemingly human characteristics. In addition, Frost repeats the same phrase “The figure is the same as for love” multiple times in the essay. He hopes to further convey the importance of poetry through this repetition by applying it to the matter of love. Love is a feeling that all humans have, and that all humans can relate to. Comparing poetry to love appeals to his target audience and others as well because love is a universal topic that people spend a lot of time thinking about or acting upon. Frost wants the youth of America to put as much time into their writing as they do in affinity. These rhetorical devices were successful in helping Frost achieve his purpose because they appealed to his specific audience.