Personal Experience Helps to Understand the Depth of the Poem

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet born in San Francisco. Although he lived a few years in England, he spent most of his life in the United States. He was known for writing about the beauty of nature, with the exception of the poem, “Acquainted with the Night.” This poem was first published in the “Virginia Quarterly Review” in 1927, and soon after it was published in Frost's book “Running Brook” in 1928 (Shmoop Editorial Team).

It is written in terza rima, an Italian stanzaic form consisting of three-line stanzas intertwined with rhyme (Shmoop Editorial Team). This poem has a personal touch, giving insight into deep emotions and experiences. The poem was strategically written to deliver the true meaning behind it.

The title of the poem “Acquainted with the Night,” suggests not just literal darkness, but also symbolic darkness. To fully grasp the meaning of the poem, we must analyze and interpret between the lines. The word "acquainted" suggests a familiar, but not intimate, knowledge. Thus, this poem symbolizes a moment filled with depression and loneliness. The night is a metaphor not only for the lack of light, but for the emotional darkness the speaker experiences. In line 1, “I have been one acquainted with the night” (Twentieth-Century American Poetry, 2004), the speaker intimately reveals his familiarity with sadness and loneliness. As the first and last line of the poem, this statement underlines the importance of the poem's meaning. In line 12, the term “luminary clock” is a metaphor comparing the moon to a clock, imbuing the poem with a hint of hope. In the darkness of night, the moon shines brightly in the sky, its distant light keeping the solitary walker company.

The poem's setting of a lonely, rainy city night could have been inspired by Frost's time living in England, adding authenticity. His personal experience of being away from home enables readers to relate to and understand the poem's depth. Walking alone in darkness can be unsettling and distressing. The phrase “I have been” could suggest that the speaker experienced these late-night walks on multiple occasions, possibly seeking meaning or purpose. Just as depression does not onset rapidly, recovery is also slow. Despite the daunting experience of walking alone in a city steeped in darkness, there is a sense of relief. It could be a form of meditation, providing the opportunity to make peace with one's thoughts.

Frost was known to experiment with different forms of writing, but he seems to have chosen terza rima on purpose for this poem. This poetic form originated in Italy, and although it is much easier to find rhymes in Italian, Frost mastered the technique. The three-line stanzas are linked by rhyme. It consists of ABA, BCB, DED, and EFE. (Shmoop Editorial Team) This gives the feel of going in circles without an ending. The poem is also written in iambic pentameter, with each line having 10 syllables arranged such that one unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. The structure of the poem maintains a steady rhythm of iambic pentameter, similar to the steady sound of footsteps the speaker takes throughout the city. The repetition used in the poem with the phrase “I have” shows that everyone must walk their own path and learn from their experiences. Everyone has struggles and may easily fall into a routine, perhaps losing sight of the bigger picture. The speaker seeks to clearly express that sacrifices must be made to reach one’s true destiny.

The speaker of the poem is surrounded by suffering and despair, with no friends or family. He seems to avoid any human interaction due to fear of any real connections. His only connection in the world is with the night. Familiar with walking back and forth at night, the speaker evokes a sense of homelessness. The fact that he started and ended the poem with the same line emphasizes that his existence is tied closely to the connection he has developed with the night. The symbolism and setting used in the poem, along with the form in which it was written, play an important role in interpretation. They make it easier to understand and make a personal connection with the situation the speaker is going through. The poem conveys deep meaning while maintaining a sense of hopefulness. The use of metaphors is clever and intriguing, but easy to portray. It is a well-written poem.

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