On Grief and Reason

Joseph Brodsky analyzes Robert Frost's poems 'Come In' and Home Burial', detailing the dark themes of both. They are briefly compared, but emphasis is put on 'Home Burial's elements of dialogue and communication. An interesting comparison made about 'Come In' is the parallel of a bard and a bird, suggesting Frost's personal role within the poem. For the longer piece, 'Home Burial', Brodsky suggests that the nature of a pastoral may apply to this narrative, but not in full. Most of the dialogue, Brodsky states, adds a vehemence to the piece that then accentuates the ominous nature of the piece. His central claim is that 'Come In' examines the thoughts surronding death while 'Home Burial' describes the inescapable tension after it.  I sympathize with these claims for the simple reason that there is a parallel between the two poems. One seems to be a continuation of another, but with a whole different appraoch and issue addressed. Underneath the surface, the diction and tone may be positive or fluctuate at the very least for both poems, but there is a dark, almost violent aspect dwelling inside the two. Brodsky also notes that Robert Frost may deal with agony in varying ways that result in the accompanying tone of his characters. My interpretation was close in thought with this essay but the interesting aspect is that every stanza, every line, is given a meaning that cooperates with Frost's history.