Manipulation of Toil in Frost's Poetry: Interference of Truth and Imagination

Abstract

This paper tackles the idea of toil in some of Robert Frost's poems (1874-1963), with special reference to two relatively important poems: "Mowing" and "Birches". How and why does the union of fact, dream and toil interfere to result in graceful revelations of truth and knowledge?Frost's particular thoughts on the role of metaphor in the making of poetry help in answering such questions, stating that truth and imagination can give a clear image of life. In applying statements from Frost's essays to these two poems, I build in part on some critics' opinions on toil and vision in order to emphasize the ability of Frost's poetry in connecting between imaginative vision and physical toil. Consequently, the discussion will extend the bond between the demanding daily reality and the mythical and metaphorical properties of poem diction