But as to what the source of that limitation is, not much is apparent. With regard to “The Sound of the Trees,” another interesting thing about the poem is its sudden shift in point of view, as Frost switches from “I” to “We” in the 2nd and 6th lines of his poem upon mentioning bearing and suffering, obviously two words with similar, negative connotations. In these lines, Frost questions us as to why “we” desire to listen to such a disturbing “noise. ” Here, Frost humanizes the trees-as he did repeatedly in “Tree at my Window”-as being “that that talks of going but never gets away.
” Going back to the point about the narrator’s portent of death towards the end of the poem, the aforementioned line may be the point in which the narrator “talks of going” to death but never in fact manages to do so. Subsequently, Frost writes, “And that talks no less for knowing as it grows wiser and older, that now it means to stay. ” As the trees grow “wiser,” they also need to realize that they are rooted to the spot and are, therefore, not able to leave the place; however, they keep making the “noise” despite this irremovable limitation.
Clearly, this is another line that reaffirms the tree’s role as a metaphorical leitmotif, not an object to be taken literally. Going back to the “Tree at my Window,” there is something to be noted about the role window plays in this poem. It is apparent that the narrator has created a semi-imaginary and semi-authentic field of vision for himself-using the window as a frame-through which he associates the gently swaying leaves with diffuse clouds and the rustling sound of the leaves with the “light tongues talking aloud (lines 6-7). ”
Meanwhile, Frost does not cease to incorporate words with long, complaisant vowels, and thus the notion of fragility and serenity continues to permeate the poem. Though the tiny facet of nature that is visible through the window frame may seem delicate, and perhaps even fragile, its freedom and maneuverability are definitely envied by the narrator. And with these evidences, the role of the window becomes clearer: it is a human construct that represents neither the control and constraint man has placed upon nature nor the struggle between man and nature, but the very constraint that man places upon himself, or in this case the narrator.
In short, this poem is about the profound–and perhaps spiritual–psychic experience of the narrator. The ‘enclosed rhyme’ (abba rhyme) that is apparent in each stanza is a structural representation of the human spirit that desires freedom. With regard to “Tree at my Window,” the most interesting lines are the last four. Whereas the tree is most concerned with the stormy or capricious weather conditions, Frost is most concerned with the weather, or thoughts, in his head. The tension between the nature and man comes to an end when, as Frost writes, “she put our heads together.
It’s not perfectly clear to what or to whom “she” is referring; however, clearly, this line is a reflection of Frost’s ambiguous feelings. Frost sees in nature, namely in the tree, man’s relation to the world. He realizes, basically, our place in the universe, and what it truly means to be a human. In fact, the remoteness of nature-and how it’s partially covered by the lowered “sash”-reveals the tragedy of the narrator’s solitude, and his relative insignificance in the face of vast forces, such as the diffuse cloud.
” To Frost, nature is obviously appealing, but it’s also partially dangerous. It is the mirror of the human world that reflects our blemishes as manifestly our world’s beauty. In conclusion, the most fundamental common ground between the two Robert Frost poems seems to be Frost’s ambivalence towards nature, and in this case, trees.
