The Life And Works Of Robert Frost
Introduction
“But I have promises to keep/ and miles to go before I sleep.” This quote is said by Robert Frost, a famous American poet. He was saying this at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. He wrote many poems throughout his lifetime. His first ever poem was published in a newspaper, and that spread the word out to people about his works. He also wouldn’t have gotten famous if Amy Lowell didn’t bring his poems to the U.S. Many people got inspired by his works including many other poets.
Childhood
Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California. His father was William Prescott Frost Jr. and is mother was Isabelle Moodie Frost. His only sibling was his sister, Jeanie Frost. They all moved to Lawerance to live with his grandparents, in 1884, when Frost was 11, since his father died of tuberculosis. He soon graduated high school in 1892 and enrolled at both Harvard and Dartmouth for college. During college, he joined a fraternity group while in Dartmouth, the Theta Delta Chi. But while in college, he never got a single formal degree. The days after college were mostly spent with Frost delivering newspapers, working in a factory, learning how to make shoes, or learning how to farm.
Life After Marriage
In 1894, Robert Frost asked Elinor Miriam White to marry him. She refused due to the fact that she thought education was more important at the time. One year later, he asked again, this time she accepted his hand in marriage. Over the course of their life together, they had six children, two boys and four girls, Elliot, Carol, Lesley, Irma, Marjorie, and Elinor. Sadly, Elinor and Elliot died early, leaving Frost and his wife with one son and three daughters. They also traveled to many places like, England in 1912 and Glasgow, Scotland, in 1912. They lived in Massachusetts and Vermont. They soon came back to the United States, in 1915, due to the start of World War One, and purchased a farm in Franconia. Through 1916-1938, he became an English professor at Amherst College. Near the end of his life, in 1961, Frost read a poem at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. He was going to read “Dedication” but decided to read “The Gift Outright.” He became famous only due to the fact that another poet, Amy Lowell, brought one of his poems to the United States from England. Throughout his entire life, Frost won four Pulitzer Prizes.
Death
Robert Frost died in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 29, 1963. He died at the age of 88, due to a heart attack. He is currently buried in the Old Bennington Cemetery, in Vermont
Works
Robert Frost wrote many poems in his lifetime, many of them well known. His very first poem, “My Butterfly” was first published in the newspaper, in 1914. His most well known works are “The Road Not Taken,” “Fire and Ice,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “Home Burial,” and “Mending Wall.” Some of his books were “North of Boston” and “The Death of the Hired Man.” Some of his lesser known poems are “A Hundred Collars,” “New Hampshire,” “Desert Places,” “Further Range,” and “Steeple Bush.” One of his poems “Dedication” was supposed to be read during John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, but instead he read “The Gift Outright.” Two of his poems were written about a woman he loved, those poems were, “The Silken Tent” and “The Witness Tree.” Those are some of Robert Frost’s works.
