Mowing Robert Frost Analysis

Keywords: mowing poem analysis, mowing robert frost

“Mowing” is a lyric poem written by Robert Frost in the year 1913. Like many other poets achieve that Frost does not, they talk about their imagination or something that they are wondering. Frost on the other hand expands his poetry into discussion about real life, and real situations. Just as it says in lines seven and eight, “It was no dream of the gift of idle hours, or easy gold at the hand of fay or elf”. Just as it declares, it is not a dream; it is real life reflecting that what he is doing is not easy. It is hard labor but yet he sticks it out and keeps working.

Using the fourteen line method like the sonnet, “Mowing” does not pursue the same rhyme scheme. Instead Frost makes up his own. His rhyme scheme consists of a pattern of ABC ABD ECD GEH GH. Rhythm found here is that of the lines containing about the same number of syllables as each other. The lines are not of different syllables such as one line being 20 syllables and another being five. They are all around the same number which keeps the poem flowing smoothly. And all throughout this poem there is alliteration found. There are numerous words with the W, N, and D sounds. But on the other hand there are no similes or metaphors found in this poem. “Mowing” does not use a good amount of diction. But in some places it does, are examples like “idle hours”, and “feeble-pointing spikes”. All the other words are words such as “heat”, “whisper”, “weak”, “laid”, and “scared”, which could be spiced up to more complex words, since this poem is written by a professional. Meter, also used in this spectacular poem, contains unstressed and stressed syllables, with only five stressed syllables in apiece line.

The scythe in some cases may be referring to reality or how hot it is outside; this may be a sign of why exactly the scythe is “whispering”. Personification is prearranged to the scythe with the “whispering” it does. But the author does not know precisely what the scythe is whispering. This gives Frost’s poem reason for the reader to keep reading. And even at the finish of the poem neither the reader nor the author know what the scythe was whispering. If the author was to give us a clear hint on what the scythe was saying, there would be no point to the poem. This is engaging the reader to establish and “think outside the box” and make their own reason for the scythe to make a sound. Also in the poem there are no clear sounds that reflect. The only sound that is reputable is the sound of the scythe swaying back and forth as the character works. So this gives the reader another reason to keep reading and ponder how the scythe resembles something that is untold. The scythe’s “earnest love” may not always mean love; it may signify destruction at some points. The reason for this is when the scythe scares off the snake. This is an example of personification because the scythe does not experience real love. It is just an expression on how the author is trying to explain the poem.

“Mowing”, told in first person by Robert Frost, since he does not use his imagination to try to explain situations, stops using his own imagination and goes back to talking about the natural evidence. He is leaving it up to the audience to figure out what the scythe is whispering. The theme exemplified here may be the emotions of love. This love immediately turns into “death” with the beheading of flowers and scaring the snakes off. But since Frost advises his poems in the aspects of real life and not the aspect of dreams or his imagination, this poem clearly represents his absolute love for nature. Even though he may not be doing what he loves, such as working in the field with a scythe on a scorching hot day, he still enjoys the fact of being outside in God’s creation and glorifying what he sees and encounters. Just as the theme, the mood resembled in “Mowing” is love. The author wants his audience to enjoy what he is feeling. He wants them to feel what he is feeling and to enjoy what he is enjoying. Such as being out in the hot sun all day and plain out enjoy the creation around them. He is saying enjoy it while it lasts because eventually it will come to an end. The tone the author is trying to express most of all is satisfaction. Even though he is not doing what he really wants to do, he is taking his time into effect and making the better use of it. Also, the author is trying to make his consultation feel guilt or some-what sorry for him because he starting his poem off by saying how there was no sound except for the sound of the scythe swaying back and forth against the hay. There was not even the sound of wind except for what the scythe was making.

At the beginning of the poem, the author expresses not necessarily the problems of what he is doing or what is going on around him, but telling what exactly is going on in the poem. The first eight lines is where he expresses himself with that there was “lack of sound”, with the only sound being the wind of the scythe moving back and forth through the hay. Another thing he “complains” about is the heat. But at the same time he is praising that he is enjoying nature while in this devastating heat. And at the end of the poem the author is saying that this poem is not a dream but real life. And eventually the author’s work is done and it is now time to go home and rest because he is very tired from a hard day’s work. “And left my scythe to make” means precisely that. He is done with his work and is going home to rest until the next day when he fills the same routine. “Mowing” is an exceptional poem that resembles the way we should live our life. Even though life may be hard, keep moving on because at the end of the day, there will be something that you will rejoice and be thankful for. “Mowing” is a poem that teaches his audience about not giving up and pursuing with what they were meant to do and be thankful that they have the ability to do it. Robert Frost’s poetry deals with the art of loving what is set before you and not complaining and most of all, relating it to real life and teaching a lesson.