Acquainted with the Night
- Submitted by: emma2112
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- Category: English: Poetic Works
- Date Submitted: 07/01/2010 04:11 AM
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Some people would say the greatest thing in life is to belong, it is a fundamental need in humans, the impulse to form partnerships, but some do not have this privilege. Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost has influenced my own understanding of not belonging and the value of belonging.
Frost begins the poem with ‘I have been one acquainted with the nigh’ and ends the poem with ‘I have been one acquainted with the nigh’, this emphasise that the persona is familiarized with the dark, the gloom, the fear, and most of all the loneliness of the night hours and will continue to be alone, through the repetition of these lines.
Throughout the poem Frost uses an agglomeration of disconsolate dictions such as rain, outwalked, saddest, dropped, stood still, stoped and even cry. All of these words create an apathetic tone from which the theme not belonging and isolation is axiomatic. The persona’s sombre words as well as constant repetition of ‘I’ illustrates that the persona is constantly focusing on himself and the currant state of mind of not belonging that he is in and portrays that he is both physically and emotionally alienated.
This idea is further explored through the line, ‘I have walked out in rain - and back in rain’ allegorizes that the outward weather has not changed along with the inward weather of his soul. His tears have not been dried but continue to fall as relentlessly as the rain outside, lashing his soul as the rain whips his body.
In addition to the dejecting diction, Frost repeats the phrase ‘I have’ several times throughout the poem. This repetition enforces the persona’s ‘matter of factness’ and reassurance that he doesn’t belong. The phrase is also repeated which creates interest because when paired with his grave diction it gives the sense to the reader that the persona feels that he does not belonging because of the situation ‘I have outwalked the furthest city light. I...
Frost begins the poem with ‘I have been one acquainted with the nigh’ and ends the poem with ‘I have been one acquainted with the nigh’, this emphasise that the persona is familiarized with the dark, the gloom, the fear, and most of all the loneliness of the night hours and will continue to be alone, through the repetition of these lines.
Throughout the poem Frost uses an agglomeration of disconsolate dictions such as rain, outwalked, saddest, dropped, stood still, stoped and even cry. All of these words create an apathetic tone from which the theme not belonging and isolation is axiomatic. The persona’s sombre words as well as constant repetition of ‘I’ illustrates that the persona is constantly focusing on himself and the currant state of mind of not belonging that he is in and portrays that he is both physically and emotionally alienated.
This idea is further explored through the line, ‘I have walked out in rain - and back in rain’ allegorizes that the outward weather has not changed along with the inward weather of his soul. His tears have not been dried but continue to fall as relentlessly as the rain outside, lashing his soul as the rain whips his body.
In addition to the dejecting diction, Frost repeats the phrase ‘I have’ several times throughout the poem. This repetition enforces the persona’s ‘matter of factness’ and reassurance that he doesn’t belong. The phrase is also repeated which creates interest because when paired with his grave diction it gives the sense to the reader that the persona feels that he does not belonging because of the situation ‘I have outwalked the furthest city light. I...