Robert Frost Ideas
Robert Frost - IdeasIt has been said many times that all men have a common bond, or a
thread that joins them together. Robert Frost�s poem �The Tuft of
Flowers� explores the existence of such a bond, as experienced by the
speaker. In the everyday circumstance of performing a common chore, the
speaker discovers a sense of brotherhood with another laborer. Frost
contrasts a sense of aloneness with a sense of understanding to convey
his theme of unity between men.
To understand the setting of the poem, one must first understand how
grass was mowed in the time period in which the poem was written
(1906). Grass was mostly mowed by hand using a scythe. The mowing was
often done in the dew of the morning for better mowing. This left the
grass wet, and it needed to be scattered for drying. The phrase turning
the grass refered to the scattering of the grass for drying.
In �The Tuft of Flowers,� the speaker has gone out to turn the grass.
Whoever did the mowing is already gone, for there are no signs of his
presence. The speaker is alone. Then, a butterfly catches the speaker�s
attention, and leads his gaze to a tuft of flowers, which the mower
chose to leave intact. The patch of beauty left by his fellow worker
causes the speaker to feel that he is no longer alone. There is a sense
of understanding between the speaker and the mower, because an
appreciation of beauty unites them.
Frost uses peaceful images to relate the feeling of his poem. The
setting is in a grassy field with a brook running through it. The
tranquil feeling is added to by a silent butterfly, who searches for a
flower upon which to land. In keeping...
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