Seamus Dunne January 27, 2013 Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric Professor Milberger Frosts Message

Robert Frost, in his sonnet Into My Own effectively uses pathos to convey the idea of venturing out of his comfort zone. On a deeper level, the poems message is that if one should feel the need to leave their comfort zone, they should do so enthusiastically and open-mindedly. Frost relates this to a journey in the woods. His use of descriptive imagery and diction made me relate to the poem on an emotional level. This literary technique not only adds to the poems quality but also how it affects the reader, for it harkens the reader to think back to major changes in his or her life. This could be from a geographical change, or just a new phase in ones life. Regardless of the reason, Into My Owns use of pathos appeals to and affects all of its readers whom are experiencing change by encouraging them to approach it with the same positive attitude that Frost displays in this sonnet. The use of pathos is effective because the poem makes readers relate to the narrators situation. Personally, it made me think about my transition from living at home in New York to moving to attend boarding school in Virginia. I remember feeling the same level of excitement about leaving. I could relate to Frosts lack of anxiety solely because I was so eager to begin that new phase of my life. I then felt that same feeling four years later when I left high school to attend college; same excitement, same lack of nervousness, same preparedness. Frost relays this by

stating: I do not see why I should eer turn back, Or those should not set forth upon my track (12-13). This usage of pathos in the poem is what stuck out the most to me because I could easily relate to it. Through this, I not only got a look into how Frost was feeling when he wrote the poem, but I also looked back into some of the most monumental moments of my own life. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874, but moved to Massachusetts at the age of 11. He married Elinor Miriam White in 1895, and they would eventually have six children. Seventeen years later, in 1912, the two left America and moved to England. This transition could very well have been the basis for Into My Own which was written three years later. The poem explores themes that revolve around traveling to a foreign land, like England. Perhaps Frost is alluding to this when he writes, I should not be withheld but that some day Into their vastness I should steal away, Fearless of ever finding open land, (5-7). The line in the poem was an extremely effective use of pathos because it immediately makes the reader think of a time when he or she was in a similar transition. Much like how Frost was moving from the familiar place of home to an unfamiliar place in England, I too was moving from a familiar place in Virginia. I had grown up in New York City and was incredibly unfamiliar with the non-urban lifestyle. Reading this poem, I thought about how, though I had no idea what to expect, I was excited. Much like how Frost states that he wishes that the dark trees were not a mask of doom because he wished to go beyond them, I thought the same of my home. I wanted to move beyond it and venture out, but I was unable to until my time in Virginia came. This use of pathos not only made me

enjoy the poem much more, but it also made me think about the poem on a deeper level. The line I relate to the most, however, is when Frost writes, They would not find me changed from him they knewOnly more sure of all I thought was true. This almost perfectly sums up my thoughts on going to boarding school. I wanted to experience new things, but not to fundamentally change as a person. This is, personally, the most effective usage of pathos in this sonnet. The poems structure also is a use of pathos because it is ordered to reflect how people, in general, feel about moving from a well-known place. The first stanza represents a persons feeling the desire to move. Frost writes that the narrator, to paraphrase, wishes that the trees that trap him in the area were, stretched away. Thus, the narrator wants to leave but for some reason cannot at this time. The second stanza reflects a person looking in the future, to the day that they actually leave. The narrator states that he would not be withheld to leave and is basically francizing about doing so. In the third stanza, the narrator is now looking into the distant future, after leaving and being far away from where he left. He states that he would never turn back and wonders if the people whom he left worry about whether or not he still cares about them. Finally, the couplet reveals the narrators long term thinking. He states that he would one day like to come across someone from where he once lived, and for him or her to see that he has not fundamentally changed, but is in fact living more truly. The pathos here if effective because of how it outlines the thought process that anyone has when considering moving. They realize they want to leave, and then they think about the leaving process. Then they

think about finding somewhere new to live, followed by thinking about pleasantly reuniting with friends from their former home. Into My Own, in terms of its usage of pathos, is an extremely effective poem that conveys a distinct message to its readers about growing and lifes changes. It focuses on the positives and joys of growing in life as oppose to the negatives such as growing up and leaving the period of childhood. For me personally, it allowed me to look back on and relive the positive changes in my life. This escapist element of the poem makes it unique and allows the reader to truly recall certain exciting memories and emotions.

Sources: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/192 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost