Introduction
“Acquainted with the Night” is a poem written by an American poet, Robert Frost. He is a famous figure in the literary world because there are no other poets except for him who managed to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. In this essay, the answer to the question of how an individual perspective of and response to a crisis define him or her will be provided. In addition, three writing techniques that were used by the author to enhance the theme of the poem will be examined.
Main body
The poem consists of six small paragraphs, which, however, did not prevent the author from expressing his ideas. Frost explains his internal feelings by talking about a person who is walking in the rain at night. Judging by the author’s thoughts, it can be concluded that the individual from the poem experiences a crisis in his or her life. It would be logical to suggest that Frost described his emotions through the poem, such as apathy and depression. Therefore, the creation of the composition can serve as a response of the author to the crisis in his life. The image of the night has a symbolic meaning as it represents depression. All the other objects around the author are shown through the prism of the night. In other words, Frost describes how a depressed person sees the world around him or her. Thus, the perspective of and response to a crisis defines the individual from the poem as an uninitiated, passive, and inert person. This person does not have enough power and energy to take any actions and passes the streets being silent and sad.
There are three writing techniques that were used by the author to enhance the theme of the poem. The first technique that is actively utilized by Frost in the poem “Acquainted with the Night” is repetition. The author highlights the key theme of the poem by repeating the title of the composition at the beginning and the end. It emphasizes the main thoughts of the writing and brings the attention of the readers to the primary theme, which is a human’s perspective of depression.
The second technique used by the author in the poem is symbolism. As it was mentioned above, the author used the image of the night to represent the depression of the hero of the composition. Symbolism serves as an excellent tool that highlights the main thoughts of the author. Using the symbolic meaning of the night, Frost describes how people see the world when they are depressed.
In addition, the author used imagery, a technique that is closely connected with symbolism. Imagery is a literary device that provides the readers with specific details to help them to imagine the situation illustrated in the compositions. Describing the rainy night, the city lights, the sounds of feet, and interrupted cries, Frost managed to transfer the main thoughts and theme of his poem to the readers. Moreover, this technique makes the process of reading more entertaining and exciting.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that Robert Frost used three primary techniques to enhance the theme of the poem, namely, repetition, symbolism, and imagery. Each technique serves as an excellent tool that helps the author to attract readers’ attention to the main thoughts and ideas of the poem. In addition, it was revealed that the perspective of and response to a crisis, experienced by the individual in the poem, defines him or her as a passive and inert human being.