Tribhuvan University Relationship between Humans and Nature in Selected Poems of Robert Frost A Thesis Submitted to the Department of English, Faculty of Humanities and Social ScienceRatnaRajyalaxmi Campus Exhibition Road, Kathmandu Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementfor the Degree of Master of Arts in English by ParbatiWagle TU Regd No: 6-1-38-675-97 Exam Roll No: 400198\2072 May 2018 Declaration I hereby declare that the thesis entitled, "Relationship between Humans and Nature in Selected Poems of Robert Frost" To my original work carried out as a Master's student at the Department of English at Ratna Rajya laxmi Campus excepted to the extent that assistance from others in the thesis's design and conception or in presentation style, and linguistic expression are duly acknowledged. All sources used for the thesis have been fully and properly cited. It contains no material with to a substantial extent has been accepted for the aWard of any other degree at Tribhuvan University or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis paper. _________________ Parbati Wagle May 2018 Tribhuvan University Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Department of English, Ratna Rajya laxmi Campus Letter of Approval This thesis entitled, "Relationship betWeen Humans and Nature in Robert Frost's Selected Poems" submitted to the Department of English, Ratna Rajya laxmi Campus, by Parbati Wagle has been approved by the undersigned members of the Research Committee, Members of Research Committee: ---------------------------- Prof. Dr. Anand Sharma Supervisor ---------------------- Pradip Adhikari External Examiner ---------------------- Pradip Sharma Head, Department of English Ratna Rajyalaxmi Campus May 2018 Acknowledgements I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my thesis supervisor Prof. Dr. Anand Sharma and Pradip Sharma, Head of English Department, Ratna Rajyalaxmi Campus, Tribhuvan University, for providing constructive ideas and proper guidelines to produce the final shape of my research work. The office door of my supervisor was alWays open whenever I ran in to a trouble spot or had a question about my research. He consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right direction Whenever he thought I needed it. His constant encouragement, motivation and cooperation brought research in this level. I would like to acknowledge supervisor Prof. Dr.Anand Sharma who directly and indirectly supported me during my research study. I am also indebted to all the faculty of English Department of RatnaRajyalaxmi Campus for their valuable suggestions and genuine insights. I would like to give special thanks to my well-Wisher Mr. Ramesh Chandra Adhikari and other known and unknown well-Wishers for their valuable research guidance. Finally, I would like to thank to all who supported me during the completion of my research work. May 2018 ParbatiWagle Abstract The crux of this research is to explore and represent the inseparable relationship betWeen humans and nature. Core study of this thesis is to create the empirical understanding in human mind about nature versus culture. It mainly focuses on the spiritual union of the humans and nature. The point that will be emphasized throughout the present study is The nature of relationship betWeen humans and nonhumans in which humans are found as dominant figures upon nonhuman species. The research also deals With ecological environment including the fate of the earth. In this research, Frost's selected poems precisely deal with dialectical state of mind of humans and exploitation of The nonhuman species. Since Frost is a nature poet, the spirit of whole organic nature is depicted in his selected poems and these features are explored in this thesis. The poems discussed reveal that everything is related to everything else and more significantly humans can't be separated from nature's company. No nature, no culture; no culture, no use of nature: nature and culture have a dichotomic relationship. Table of Contents Declaration II Letter of Approval III Acknowledgements IV Abstract V Relationship betWeen Humans and Nature in Selected Poems of Robert Frost-I Page Introduction: Robert Frost and His VieWs on Nature 1-8 Relationship betWeen Humans and Nature 9-12 Interconnection betWeen Nature and Culture 13-15 Nature of Nature 16-19 Conclusion 20-21 Works Cited 1 Relationship between Humans and Nature in Selected Poems of Robert Frost Introduction: Robert Frost and His Views on Nature Robert Frost is one of the widely read poets in the 20th century American literature. He is the leading modern American poet of nature and rural life. Nature is for him the most distinguished and constant sources of inspiration. Frost uses nature as a background to illustrate people's psychological struggle with everyday life. His poems usually begins with an observation in nature and proceed to the connection to human situation, such as dramatic conflict like confusion and dilemma, social obligation, dualism, desire and hatred, nostalgia and destructive humans 'relationship towards nature. This research will explore these human conditions with respect to nature in his selected poems. Frost concentrates on the dramatic conflict that happens in the natural world, such as confusion and dilemma as shown in "Mending Wall." Frost is also regarded as a Wise decision maker as in "The Road Not Taken". Man becomes spellbound with the beauty of nature as the poetic persona forgets to move forward in his journey in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". The narrator predicts future of the world; either it will end in fire or in ice as mentioned in his poem "Fire and Ice". According to Frost nature is not only the source of pleasure but also an inspiration for human wisdom. People get enlightenment from observation as in the "Birches". Man and nature has inseparable relation like of mother and baby. Nature is used as object and human's daily life activities are used as entire subject in his all poems. He is very much interested in natural things; he finds beauty in common place. Although he has a keen understanding 2 Frost does not aim at presenting natural scenario and charming rural life. Nature is the prominent feature in the selected poems of Robert Frost. Critic Mark Richardson ansWers that "Frost possesses deep love and sympathy towards nature which is the source for inspiration"(79-83). The typical pastoral life is not the central theme in Frost's poems. Instead, Frost concentrates on dramatic conflict happens in natural world, such as the confusion and dilemma in life as shown in "Mending Wall." The poet says: Something there is that does not love a wall, That sends the frozen- ground-sWell under it. (1-2) It seems an adverse relationship betWeen humans and nature. The wall does not exist constantly and it breaks down time and often due to the boulders come from its origin. The narrator does not love to mend a wall but his neighbor frequently wants it. The given line shows the dramatic conflict betWeen upper class and the lower class people. The poet represents as a lower class and his neighbor represents as upper class people. Similarly, nature stands as boss and both humans stand as slaves as the wall is broken after its completion due to the huge boulders. Actually the narrator does not want to build a wall. He is in dilemma whether he builds a wall or not and he also asks himself that for what purpose he builds a wall? His neighbor wants to build a wall to preserve his cattle but the poetic persona finds none cattle in his neighbor's orchard, which add more confusion to the poet so he does not like to build a wall. The wall even does not remain constant and it falls time and again like a pointless act. The poet wants to create an eco- friendly relationship by not keeping any barriors betWeen him and his neighbor where he 3 can vieW natural properties that are in his garden like apple tree, pine tree, cows, elves, yelping dogs and so on. Similarly, in the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" the poem tells the story of a man traveling through a snowy woods on the darkest evening of the year. He is pretty much in love with what he sees around him. He wants to lose himself with the natural beauty but he can't as he has to fulfill his social duties. He even does not care the land or wood owner and thinks that he knows the owner and his owner allows him to vieW the natural beauty betWeen the wood and frozen lake. He assumes: Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. (1-4) He is being lost with natural beauty but at the mean time he is reminded by his social duties as his little horse shakes his queer and rings harness bell. He wants to be there for whole night of the darkest evening near the frozen lake but he can't. We find eco-friendly relation betWeen humans and nature in the given lines Which helps to maintain peace and harmony in nature. The owner of the woods may be the nature as the mother of a baby. The nature is free to humans. It takes no charge from us and does not care even how we take benefit from it. But when humans go against nature then nature also stands as an enormous enemies of humans. Nature provides us many things unconditionally as a mother provides unconditional love to her baby. The poet is being lost in unconditional beauty of nature and has forgotten to move ahead until his little 4 horse rings its bell.