Essay

The two poems We Grow accustomed to the Night by Emily Dickinson and Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost are both about darkness, night and can easily both be interpreted as sad poems. If you look deeper than you can see that each poem are completely different. Emily Dickinson’s poem sends out the message of hope, when Robert Frost’s poem sends out the message of depression. These poems seem similar and share the theme of “ Night,” when you first look at them, but really when you look deeper they both send out completely different messages. In the poem We Grow Accustomed to the Night by Emily Dickinson, the central message of the poem is accept what is happening. For example if something bad happens to you, you need to accept that and keep on going with your life. In the poem the author says, “The bravest—Grope a little and sometimes hit a tree directly in the forehead.” The word grope means to feel ones way. So the bravest people will find their way (the bravest—grope a little) to accept what has happened to them (and hit a tree directly in the forehead). In the poem Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost the central theme of the poem has to deal with being sad and depressed. The character in the poem deals with sadness and depression by walking. I know this because of the line, “I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. I have out walked the farthest city light.” The person seems to be doing a lot of walking. It seems to me that he or she is trying to walk away from something. Perhaps the depression and sadness that they are experiencing. Maybe walking makes them feel better. Robert Frost sends out the message of sadness and depression in his poem, Acquainted with the Night. These two poems may project similar images to those who don’t interpret them. But really they are completely different. Emily Dickenson’s poem really projects the exact opposite image as Robert Frost’s poem.