IB English
December 12th, 2012
December 12th, 2012
Commentary on “To
Earthward”
The
poem “To Earthward” by Robert Frost consists of eight cross-rhymed stanzas with
each 4 lines. Using iambic trimeter in the first three lines of each stanzas
and dimeter in the fourth, the poem can be read with a certain rhythm; fast in
the first three lines and transitioning rather abrupt after every fourth line
of each stanza. There is a shift with regard to the content in the middle of
the poem so that it is divided into two parts of equal length (each four
stanzas à four lines). The first part is about the past and the second one is
about the present, or everything that is named “now” (line 17). The poem
illustrates how life changes over time: there were sweetness in youth, including
pretty, pleasant things for the narrator; then in later years, life is more
complex, rather “salty” (line 13), and the narrator craves relief from pain.
There is also another possible interpretation: The narrator has sexual
intercourse; he becomes very fierce and in the end he is frustrated because he
could not get satisfied enough. In consideration of this interpretation, the
structure would suggest that the love act is very rhythmic but controlled by
the narrator himself.
The following deals with the first interpretation mentioned above. Literally, the narrator describes in the first half of the poem how everything was about sweet things: kisses (line 1), scents of musk, grapevine, and honeysuckle (line 6, 7, and 10), a rose petal (line 14). In the past, those sweet things were overwhelming for the narrator: The touch of lips was “too much” (line 3) and a rose’s petal, not its thorns, was enough to cause a stinging sensation in him. The narrator could have lived only from the scents he smelled (Line 4 -5: “I lived on air that crossed me from sweet things”). In the second half of the poem, reference are made to salty things such as tears (line 21). The narrator sits on the ground with his hand pressed to the earth, “leaning on it hard” (line 27). He feels pain and soreness but it is “not enough” (line 29) for him. He wishes he would be able to feel the earth’s roughness “to all (his) length” (line 32).
One gets the feeling the narrator was dreamlike, romantic, and very innocent back in his youth. Alliterations such as “love” and “lips” (line 1) or “downhill” and “dusk” (line 7) emphasize the meaning of the line without actually stating it; in line 1 the meaning is kissing, in line 7 the meaning is decreasing or diminishing. Having grown older, the narrator faces the complexity of the world, realizing there are both negatives and positives. He is not caught up in the pretty superficialities anymore, like when he was younger. The stanzas of the second half of the poem are somewhat darker than the first stanzas (line 17:“no joy”, line 18: “dashed with pain”, line 19: “weariness” and “fault”), which could be interpreted as that the narrator became a realist and more experienced over the years.
Another interpretation of the poem goes into a very different direction, namely a very sexual one. One could read the poem as if accompanying the narrator having a sexual intercourse. If seen under that light, the language Frost used for that description is very lyrical, as can be seen in line 6 (“The flow of – was it musk”) or line 9 to 10 for instance: “I had the swirl and ache from sprays of honeysuckle.”
The first and second stanza describe the foreplay – the narrator is fascinated and sexually aroused, suggested for example by line 4 (“I lived on air”). It is probably in the evening (Line 8: “at dusk”). The third stanza describes how the love act intensifies. “Dew on the knuckle” (line 12) could be a metaphorical expression for sweat. In line 15, the narrator reveals that “the petal of the rose”, which is probably a metaphor for the female sex organ, “stung” so it can be interpreted that the female part of the act is very aroused now, too. It seems like the sexual intercourse became rather violent than romantic in stanza five and six: There is “no joy” (line 17) but “weariness and fault” (line 19) and the narrator craves “the stain of tears, the aftermark of almost too much love.” One wonders if he does something with the woman out of lust that she maybe does not want. The scents have changed: Now, there is “the sweet of bitter bark and burning clove” (lines 23 – 24), two very opulent and vigorous odors, indicating his desirousness. In the seventh stanza, the narrator seems to lever himself up and he is “stiff and sore and scarred.” The use of both alliteration and polysyndeton here emphasize his weariness so it almost seems like he is groaning. It seems like the love act is over now, as he “take(s) away (his) hand” (line 26). He has “lean(ed) on it hard”, which adds to the impression that he was rather fierce in the act than gentle. The last stanza could show the narrator’s final frustration and it could be interpreted that he had not have enough yet (Line 29: “I long for weight and strength to feel the earth as rough to all my length”). One could assume that he did not feel fully consumed yet. One is left with the question what was missing for him: Is he not satisfied with himself, or with his sexual partner, or with something else? Since he craved “the stain of tears, the aftermark of almost too much love,” one gets the impression that he expected or wanted prove for that he was a very strong sexual partner.
These two interpretations are very different in that the first one clearly shows a change in the middle of the poem while the second one is more of a developing view into the situation. Moreover, the first interpretation does not deal with the sexual topic at all while the second interpretation is only about that. Both interpretations can be seen as valid and for both there is evidence to support the points given. Personally, I can somehow not imagine Frost to write about a sexual topic, but at the same time I view the second interpretation as more evident than the first interpretation. Whether Frost wanted to express something in the direction of my first interpretation, my second interpretation, or a complete different direction, he was definitely able to craft the poem “To Earthward” as masterful and ambiguous as that many extremly different meanings can be taken out of it.
The following deals with the first interpretation mentioned above. Literally, the narrator describes in the first half of the poem how everything was about sweet things: kisses (line 1), scents of musk, grapevine, and honeysuckle (line 6, 7, and 10), a rose petal (line 14). In the past, those sweet things were overwhelming for the narrator: The touch of lips was “too much” (line 3) and a rose’s petal, not its thorns, was enough to cause a stinging sensation in him. The narrator could have lived only from the scents he smelled (Line 4 -5: “I lived on air that crossed me from sweet things”). In the second half of the poem, reference are made to salty things such as tears (line 21). The narrator sits on the ground with his hand pressed to the earth, “leaning on it hard” (line 27). He feels pain and soreness but it is “not enough” (line 29) for him. He wishes he would be able to feel the earth’s roughness “to all (his) length” (line 32).
One gets the feeling the narrator was dreamlike, romantic, and very innocent back in his youth. Alliterations such as “love” and “lips” (line 1) or “downhill” and “dusk” (line 7) emphasize the meaning of the line without actually stating it; in line 1 the meaning is kissing, in line 7 the meaning is decreasing or diminishing. Having grown older, the narrator faces the complexity of the world, realizing there are both negatives and positives. He is not caught up in the pretty superficialities anymore, like when he was younger. The stanzas of the second half of the poem are somewhat darker than the first stanzas (line 17:“no joy”, line 18: “dashed with pain”, line 19: “weariness” and “fault”), which could be interpreted as that the narrator became a realist and more experienced over the years.
Another interpretation of the poem goes into a very different direction, namely a very sexual one. One could read the poem as if accompanying the narrator having a sexual intercourse. If seen under that light, the language Frost used for that description is very lyrical, as can be seen in line 6 (“The flow of – was it musk”) or line 9 to 10 for instance: “I had the swirl and ache from sprays of honeysuckle.”
The first and second stanza describe the foreplay – the narrator is fascinated and sexually aroused, suggested for example by line 4 (“I lived on air”). It is probably in the evening (Line 8: “at dusk”). The third stanza describes how the love act intensifies. “Dew on the knuckle” (line 12) could be a metaphorical expression for sweat. In line 15, the narrator reveals that “the petal of the rose”, which is probably a metaphor for the female sex organ, “stung” so it can be interpreted that the female part of the act is very aroused now, too. It seems like the sexual intercourse became rather violent than romantic in stanza five and six: There is “no joy” (line 17) but “weariness and fault” (line 19) and the narrator craves “the stain of tears, the aftermark of almost too much love.” One wonders if he does something with the woman out of lust that she maybe does not want. The scents have changed: Now, there is “the sweet of bitter bark and burning clove” (lines 23 – 24), two very opulent and vigorous odors, indicating his desirousness. In the seventh stanza, the narrator seems to lever himself up and he is “stiff and sore and scarred.” The use of both alliteration and polysyndeton here emphasize his weariness so it almost seems like he is groaning. It seems like the love act is over now, as he “take(s) away (his) hand” (line 26). He has “lean(ed) on it hard”, which adds to the impression that he was rather fierce in the act than gentle. The last stanza could show the narrator’s final frustration and it could be interpreted that he had not have enough yet (Line 29: “I long for weight and strength to feel the earth as rough to all my length”). One could assume that he did not feel fully consumed yet. One is left with the question what was missing for him: Is he not satisfied with himself, or with his sexual partner, or with something else? Since he craved “the stain of tears, the aftermark of almost too much love,” one gets the impression that he expected or wanted prove for that he was a very strong sexual partner.
These two interpretations are very different in that the first one clearly shows a change in the middle of the poem while the second one is more of a developing view into the situation. Moreover, the first interpretation does not deal with the sexual topic at all while the second interpretation is only about that. Both interpretations can be seen as valid and for both there is evidence to support the points given. Personally, I can somehow not imagine Frost to write about a sexual topic, but at the same time I view the second interpretation as more evident than the first interpretation. Whether Frost wanted to express something in the direction of my first interpretation, my second interpretation, or a complete different direction, he was definitely able to craft the poem “To Earthward” as masterful and ambiguous as that many extremly different meanings can be taken out of it.
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