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Poet: Robert Frost (Robert Frost Art)
Poem: 12.
Birches
Volume: Mountain Interval
Year: Published/Written in 1916
Poem of the Day:
Aug 22 2004
Comment 58 of 58, added on June 5th, 2010 at 7:27 AM.
Birches
I think this poem contains a number of different themes but is centered largely around the theme of swinging between two polar opposites: Truth and imagination, youth and age, heaven and earth. From the first few lines we see the contrast between the playful activity of swinging birches and the 'straighter darker trees' which I believe represent the realism of life. Just as the voice of 'After apple picking' seems to long to return to its youth, there is an element in 'Birches' of the voice dreaming 'of going back to' his youth so that he may re-influence his future. Climbing the birch tree will also help him to navigate the 'pathless wood' that his life has become lost in. Ultimately though there is a strong sense that, in order for the voice of the poem to achieve the 'Truth' he must be prepared to take control of his own actions by not 'launching out too soon'. In my opinion this truth seems to be the ability to connect the real with the ideal as a rational thinker to achieve an equilibrium, which the boy can achieve by accepting the concrete and the imagination.
J from United Kingdom
Comment 57 of 58, added on January 29th, 2010 at 11:58 AM.
lol
some of the comments r funnier than hell. like #24
jeff from United States
Comment 56 of 58, added on January 8th, 2010 at 12:25 AM.
:P
The first time I read this poem I was really confused. It is hard for me to understand Poetry. My teacher then told us about it and good golly this is definatly not a G rated poem if you look into it. I thought she was just pulling my leg, but I was curious so I looked up some information about Robert Frost so I could better understand his miliue a little better and I do believe that this poem is very sexually related. It's too bad.
Charlie C from United States
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I think this poem contains a number of different themes but is centered largely around the theme of swinging between two polar opposites: Truth and imagination, youth and age, heaven and earth. From the first few lines we see the contrast between the playful activity of swinging birches and the 'straighter darker trees' which I believe represent the realism of life. Just as the voice of 'After apple picking' seems to long to return to its youth, there is an element in 'Birches' of the voice dreaming 'of going back to' his youth so that he may re-influence his future. Climbing the birch tree will also help him to navigate the 'pathless wood' that his life has become lost in. Ultimately though there is a strong sense that, in order for the voice of the poem to achieve the 'Truth' he must be prepared to take control of his own actions by not 'launching out too soon'. In my opinion this truth seems to be the ability to connect the real with the ideal as a rational thinker to achieve an equilibrium, which the boy can achieve by accepting the concrete and the imagination.
J from United Kingdom