On Grief and Reason

Joseph Brodsky in his essay “On Grief and Reason” describes the various meanings within Frost’s works.  He works to uncover the meaning of the pieces in order to convince his audience that Frost is masterful and why that is true through two poems.  His goal is to “sell him to you as he is” through two of his favorite works, “Come In” and “Home Burial.”  He first describes “Come In” as a poem about death.  The poem illustrates a man wondering if he has the ability to conquer death and if it when it will eventually take him.  He backs his argument with the ideas of “nature poetry” and how poets in America see the natural world.  It was hard for me to see and understand the connections made in this section.  The most interesting part of the essay is the discussion surrounding “Home Burial.”  The way Brodsky describes the simplicity of the diction allows the poem to first become reality.  I was able to hear the poem and understand the use of Frost’s continuous use of certain words.  When rereading the poem I was able to use the word “see” and develop the meaning of the poem surrounding the lack of “sight” both characters possess for the other person.  I enjoyed how Brodsky connected the poem to a physical act.  The image of ballet and the position of the couple of the stairs created a deeper meaning.  One of the main reasons I bought what Brodsky was saying was due to the images and connections he made.  In order for me to believe what he was saying, I need to develop an understanding of the poem for myself.  While I did not originally see the poem from Brodsky’s perspective, I felt he backed his claim with reason.  The conclusion of the essay, connecting Frost’s life to the poems allowed for the meaning to be further develop; but also, when rereading Frost’s “Home Burial” it made the piece much more emotional. 

Comments

  1. Mrs. MacFebruary 27, 2018 at 1:53 PM

    Yes, I think that the more I think about "Home Burial" and the more I read it and read about it, so many more layers emerge. There is such an over powering sense of darkness that pervades these poems. And this actually makes me love then even more!

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  2. UnknownFebruary 27, 2018 at 5:14 PM

    Because Brodsky was so thorough with his analysis, he convinced me to agree with his claims. I was not on board with his claims about "Come In" because of my own beliefs on what the poem meant, however, his argument was backed so well that I had to consider it. I could connect his analysis back to what we read about how poetry has boundaries as to what it could be interpreted to mean. For his case, he backed every single word.

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  3. UnknownFebruary 27, 2018 at 6:45 PM

    When we first read Frost's "Come In," I had no idea what in the world was happening or what the intended purpose was. I have to agree with you that even after reading Brodsky's analysis of the poem, there were still many points of confusion within his claims. Also, I found myself questioning exactly what defines a American poet. I also agree with your comment about Brodsky connecting "Home Burial" to a physical act. That visualization helped me better understand the conflict and feelings between the two characters.

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