HOUSE FEAR
by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)
ALWAYS--I tell you this they learned--
Always at night when they returned
To the lonely house from far away
To lamps unlighted and fire gone gray,
They learned to rattle the lock and key
To give whatever might chance to be
Warning and time to be off in flight:
And preferring the out- to the in-door night,
They learned to leave the house-door wide
Until they had lit the lamp inside.
by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)
ALWAYS--I tell you this they learned--
Always at night when they returned
To the lonely house from far away
To lamps unlighted and fire gone gray,
They learned to rattle the lock and key
To give whatever might chance to be
Warning and time to be off in flight:
And preferring the out- to the in-door night,
They learned to leave the house-door wide
Until they had lit the lamp inside.
I really liked the first Frost poem, so I figured I would pick another one. In "House Fear", the setting is at night, at a house which is lonely and dark. The situation being that the residents of the house had been out for the night. The feeling that I get from this is that when the people leave the house, either some kind of "spirit" lives in the darkened house or the people fear that there is a burglar. Whichever it is, the people have great fear for it and want, "to give whatever might chance to be warning and time to be off in flight". The darkness of the setting puts fear in to the reader so that they can relate to the owners of the house. I think this is more effective than the situation because it brings the reader closer to the story. On a side note I think these people should just leave the light on when they go out for the night :)
8 comments:
I agree that the fact that the setting is at night adds to the spookiness of the poem. The situation is that every time the people come home, they are scared of their own house. The fact that the house is dark may represent the confusion the characters have within themselves.
I agree that the situation is less important than setting in this poem. Without this dark house, the poem is meaningless. The setting kind of has a symbolic meaning. Whenever a person thinks dark and empty house, they think it's haunted, so the house may represent fear,
The signifigance about the dark and night in this poem, and many other instances where hte dark is noted, is that people fear the unknown. The dark is a lonely place, as no one knows what is going on at all time, since one of our senses, vision, is shut off and/ or dulled. The loss of a sense inquires fear in most people, as sight and knowledge is important in order for people to feel safe.
The fact that this poem is in the past tense made me think that these people's life span has already passed, he is talking about them as though they are ghosts of the past. "They learned," which means they probably have made mistakes in the past, but since the setting, like everyone has stated, is dark, it shows they might be repressing these mistakes. They light the lamp inside, which might be hiding the dark past they once had. (Kind of a stretch :P)
How does it relate to tone folks?
I think that the speaker tone is slightly mocking towards the inhabitants of the house. The dark house does add a spooky element to the poem, but I think that the speaker wants the reader to see how ludicrous it is that the people "leave the house-door wide/Until they had lit the lamp inside." The repetition of the word "always" in the beginning and the reference to "whatever" they think might be inside the house shows the speaker's skepticism of the people who, as Kerry said, are afraid of "their own house."
I think the tone is mocking but in a funny way. It makes fun of the people of the house and their seemingly silly fear of the "out [and] in-door night." The speaker repeating, "I tell you this they learned", in an almost joking way. But the poem still holds more depth of fear, in the title and setting of "the lonely house." This description creates the feel of true fear in the houses inhabitance, of the unknown things supposedly living in it.
The situation and setting of this poem all add to its “spooky” and “mysterious tone”. There is clearly an unknown presence that the home owners are afraid of. They have trained themselves to “rattle the lock and key” to give whatever presence that is in their home, ample time to get out before they enter. They hope that the presence will leave and enjoy the “out” to the “indoor night”. The people feel safe in the light, and leave the door open for either an easy escape for them or the presence, before they turn on the light.
Post a Comment