WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
THE ANALYSIS OF THE DARK SIDE OF HUMANITY
IN ROBERT FROST'S POEM
(Out Out And Stoping By Woods On Snowy Evening)
Aloysius Rangga Aditya Nalendra
Akademi Bahasa Asing BSI Jakarta
Jl. Salemba Tengah No. 45 Jakarta 10440
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
The Objective of the discussion are to understand what kinds of humanity portrayed on Robert Frost’s
“Out Out” and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and to explainthe symbol dealing with the
issue of humanity. The Robert Frost’s Poems “Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening and “Out Out”
are used as the primary data, while the article and some books are used to suppot the analysis. The
writer applies the psychological approach to analyze the firts problem. While, structural approach is
used to answer the second problem. Robert Frost is great naturlist. Through the symbol of nature, the
issue of humanity is built. The writer is interested in both poems because the symbol of natural
elements that are used in his poems that are used in his poems reveal the darks side of humanity.
Finally, through Out Out and Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,the writer learns how to
respect the natureas the part of life.
Keywords : poem, humanity sides, robert frost
I.
BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH
Literature is closely related to life because
it is the work of human being. In an Introduction
of the study of Literature, Hudson states that
“Literature is a vital record of what men have
seen in live. What they have thought and left
about those aspect of it which have the most
immediate and enduring interest for all of
us”(1965:10). It means that it is medium to
express the human experience in real life and it
can be interesting for pleasure.
Literature can be divided into three
branches; there are poetry, drama and prose.
Kennedy states that “poetry is systematical
composition of words expressing an attitude,
design to surprise and to arouse on emotional
response”. (1996:411)
The writer chooses the Robert Frost’s
poems entitled “Out,Out”and Stopping by
Woods on Snowy Evening”.In his Poem Out
Out, Robert Frost tells about fragility of human
being, while in Stopping By Woods he describes
about the loneliness. The writer chooses these
poems because they revealed about the dark side
of humanity.
Roberts Frost was born 26 March 1874 in
San Francisco. His poems show deep
appreciation of natural world and sensibility
about human aspiration. With his down to earth
approaches to his subjects, his readers found it is
easy to follow the poet into deeper truths,
without being burdened with pedantry.
II.
A.
THEORETICAL REVIEW
Theory Of Symbol
Abrhams (1981:68) in Glossary Of Literary
Terms, states that symbol is applied only to a
word or set of words that signifies something
else. It means that, symbol is something which
means different that what it is fact, while C.
Brooks and Waren in Understanding Poetry state
that, symbol is signs pointing to meaning as
standing for something else. Further discussion,
Jones in an Outline of Literature defines symbol
as something that means more than what is it
(1963:93). It means that, trough the symbol; the
readers can broaden their imagination and
emotion from the subject which is applied. The
symbols seldom have definite meaning which
creates different impression to different people.
The symbol can be used in three ways. The
first way, it is used in specific sense. It means
that the author may endow object, details,
character and place even action with meaning
beyond themselves. The second way, the symbol
is used in a more complex way. It means the use
of symbol in literary study for something beyond
itself and often for many things by its definition.
The third function is the symbol as the “private”
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WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
personal symbolism. In conclusion, the symbol is
a kind of sign which emphasizes something to
point real meaning beyond in this sense. In other
word, the main functions of symbol are as the
“things” and as “sign” of something else.
B.
Theory Of Imagery
Imagery has an important role in a poetry.
C Brooks and Waren in Understanding Poetry
state that Imagery is representative of any sense
experience. Imagery doesn’t merely consist of
mental picture, but anything which makes an
appeal of any senses. This is another ways in
saying that poetry in concrete”. (1965 :555).
From the statement is showed that , the sense of
experiences is related to the sense of man (sight,
sound, smell feeling, and taste). Further
discussion, Cluster in his book Adventure in
poetry says that “imagery is abroad term applied
to the representation in words of any experience”
(1964:89).
Imagery can be divided into seven
classification namely visual imagery, auditory
imagery, tactile imagery kinesthetic imagery,
olfactory imagery, gustatory imagery and organic
imagery. The seven classifications are
representative of human sense.
C. Theory Of Humanity
This subchapter, the writer Discuss the
kinds of side of humanity is related in Robert
Frost’s poem. There are four issue of humanity
appears in this poem namely anxiety, loneliness,
frustration and suffering.
1. Anxiety
Anxiety happens when the existence of the
ego as the moderator of id and super ego is
defeated by them. C. Roger states that, anxiety is
the outgrowth of perceived threat to self concept
(Phares 1984 :456). The feeling of fear from the
ego will give signal that the ego stands for
dangerous condition. In other word anxiety is the
conflict between the ego to hold out the existence
from Id and super ego.
Furthermore, Sigmund Frued divides
anxiety becomes three classes such as realistic
anxiety,
moral
anxiety
and
neurotic
anxiety(George Boerce,2006:42). The first type
of anxiety is realistic anxiety. Realistic anxiety
is commonly known as fear. The condition of
fear happens when the ego feels his existence
that stands in dangerous condition. The cause of
realistic anxiety happens when someone gets
some respond of dangerous condition from
outside. For instance, some one feels fear when
he looks at a poison snake. The feeling of fear
42
comes from out side of personality(George
Borece, 2006 :43). The second type is moral
anxiety. The cause of moral anxiety happens
from the inside of personality. It means that the
respond of anxiety is caused from social super
ego which internalizes in live. It is commonly
known as the feeling of shy, guilty, and feeling
to fear from the punishment (George
Bperce,2006:42). The last type of anxiety is
neurotic anxiety. This type is caused by some
respond of id. The id disappears from someone’s
personality. It’s commonly knows as nervous.
(George Boerce.2006:43).
2. Loneliness
Loneliness is feeling in which people
experience a powerful surge of emptiness and
solitude. Loneliness is more than the feeling of
wanting company or wanting to do something
with another person. There are two forms of
loneliness namely emotional and social forms.
(Jhon Stanrock,1988:593). Either type of
loneliness makes someone restless and
depressed. Loneliness is associated with an
individual’s attachment history, self esteem and
social skills.
Loneliness can be summarized as falling
into tree categories. The first type is situational
or circumstantial. The first type is occurs when
someone lose of relationship. The second type is
developmental. This type happens when
someone needs for intimacy balanced by a need
individualism. The last type is internal. This type
occurs when someone feels of low self-esteem
and vulnerability (Jhon Stanrock 1988 :594).
The Existentialist school of thought views
loneliness as the essence of being human (Jhon
Stanrock 1988:595). It means that each human
being comes into the world alone, travel through
life as separate person and ultimately dies alone.
Furthermore Sartre as the philosopher states that
loneliness is fundamental part of human being
because of the paradox between the desire of
man’s consciousness to have meaning met with
the isolation and nothingness of universe (Phares
1984 :106).
Loneliness is not the same being alone.
Being alone can be experienced as positive,
pleasurable and emotionally refreshing if it is
under the individual’s control. Solitude is the
state of being alone and secluded from other
people. Loneliness does not requires aloneness
and is often experienced even in crowded places.
3. Frustration
Frustration is the element of human being.
C. Roger states frustration is defined as blocking
or thwarting of goal-directed activity (Phares
1984 :226). It means that frustration is an
WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
emotional response to circumstances where one
is obstructed from arriving at personal goal. It is
related to anger and disappointment. Furthermore
he divides the cause of frustration into three
categories namely physical barriers , social
barriers and personal barriers. (Phares 1984 :226)
Physical Barrier is actual physical
impediments on the path to a goal. The social
barrier occurs when the constraints like religious
commandment, community level, and law passed
state are placed in human’s behavior. As the
result each of constraints is a possible source of
frustration since it may block ongoing goal
activities. The personal barrier happens when
someone attempts to achieve goal beyond his
ability.
Sources of frustration may be internal or
external. Internal Sources of frustration involve
personal deficiencies such as lack of confidence
or fear of frustration that prevent one from
reaching a goal. While external sources of
frustration occurs when the external condition
gives some barriers such as blocked road, lack of
money and etc.
and the symbol of humanity that appears from
both Robert Frost’s poem. The third step, the
writer analyzes the kinds of humanity and the
meaning of symbol that are applied. The fourth,
the writer uses the psychological and structural
approaches to solve the problem. The last step is
making conclusion of discussion.
4. Suffering
Suffering or pain in a board sense, is an
individual’s basic affective experience of
unpleasant and aversion with harm or threat of
harm ( Allport 1937 :45). Suffering may be
qualified as physical or mental. It may come in
all degree of intensity, from mild into intolerable.
Factors of duration and frequency of occurrence
usually compound that of intensity. In addition to
such factors, people’s attitude toward suffering
may take into account how much it is.
Commonly suffering occurs in the lives of
sentient being, in diverse manners and often
dramatically. As the result, many fields of human
being activity are concerned, from their own
points of view, with some aspects of suffering.
While the word pain usually refers to physical
pain, but it also a common synonym of suffering.
.( Mayerfield 2005: 59).
1. Anxiety
The Poet uses the anxiety as the element of
humanity that appears in his poem Out Out. He
describes the horrible of terror using the symbol
of nature. C. Roger states that, anxiety is the
outgrowth of perceived threat to self concept (
Phares 1984:456). It means that the anxiety
occurs when the existence of the ego as the
moderator of Id and Super Ego is defeated with
them. The feeling of fear from the ego will give
signal that the ego stands for dangerous
condition. (George Boerce 2006:42).
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In discussion the topic, the writer uses the
library research. The poems of Robert Frost
“Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening and Out
Out” are used as the primary data, while the
article and some books are used to support the
analysis.
To make this research is easy understand,
the writer uses some steps to conduct this
research. The first step, the writer reads the
poems of Robert Frost “Stopping by woods on a
Snowy Evening and Out Out”. The second step,
the writer collects kinds of the issue of humanity
IV. DISCUSSION
This sub chapter the writer focuses the
kinds of humanity that appears in the poems.
Through the symbol of nature, Robert Frost
wants to expose the element of humanity.
A.
The discussion of “ Out Out”
Robert Frost uses the beauty of Vermont to
describe tragedy that happen to a boy. He uses
the paradox between the beauty of nature and the
terrible of nature. The writer conduct the issue of
humanity that appears in this poem into three
categories namely the anxiety, frustration and
suffering.
Table 1. The Proof Of Anxiety
The Buzz Saw Snarled and Rattled
in the yard
Leaped Out at The Boy’s Hand or
seemed to leap
He must have given the hand
He saw all was spoiled. Don’t let
him cut my hand off
He lay and puffed his lips out with
his breath
At the watcher at his pulse took a
fright
Line I
Line 16
Line 17
Line 23
Line 27
Line 28
In this case the poet focuses the element of
anxiety in the sensation of fear. The first
experience of fear happens when the boy gets the
accident. Robert Frost portrays how the accident
happen to the boy. He introduces the terror
through the sound of the saw. He wants to reveal
the reader’s feeling to feel the sensation of fear.
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WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
Through the description of the terror that appears
in the saw, he wants his readers to know the
condition and the situation of the poem.
The fist line , the poet invites the reader to
feel the sensation of the terror. He reveals the
saw as the symbol of the creature, which is made
by man and can give the destruction. The poet
uses the auditory imagery to emphasize the
sensation of fear. He uses the sound of wild
animal such as snarled and ratted to make the
atmosphere of the fear.
In the next lines sixteen and seven teen, the
poet gives the different color of fear. He
introduces to them how horrible accident
happens to the boy. The Line sixteenth and
seventeenth express the process of the fear that
happens. The fear can be felt through visual
imagery. The reader can visualize the blood, the
crying of boy when the saw cuts his hand. The
symbol of the saw cutting the boy’s hand reveals
a betrayal of the creation that is created by
human being.
The drama of terror continues in the line
twenty third. The climax of the tragedy happens
when the boy cries to ask his sister to help him
bear his hand. Through the auditory imagery, the
reader can imagine the sensation of fear. They
can hear the moan of boy. The wounded boy
groans in the pain.
Line one, sixteen, and seventeen are the
bridges to know the accident that has happened
the boy. The twenty fifth line is the effect of fear.
As the result, the moan of boy is the effect with
this tragedy. In conclusion the climax of the
tragedy is the twenty third lines. The poet want
to portray the feeling of fear from the side of the
boy.
Table 3. The Proof Of Suffering
He saw all was spoiled . Don’t
let him cut my hand off
He lay and puffed his lips out
with his breath
Line 23
Line 27
He focuses on the respond of the boy who
faces the pain. The effect of the pain makes the
boy feel fear to bear it.
Furthermore, the poet also portrays the fear
from the side of the watcher. The fear of the
watcher happens when the watchers see the
condition of the boy.The twenty eighth line
shows that how the reaction of the watcher is.
They feel fear when they know the boy is dying.
They think that the boy can die because of his
bad condition. The condition of boy portrays in
twenty seventh line. Through the auditory
imagery, the reader of this poem can guest the
feeling of the watcher.
44
The poet uses comparative of the reaction
of fear that is experienced by the boy and
watcher. He uses this comparative to portray the
sensation of fear. From the boy’s side, The poet
uses the pain to stress the meaning of fear. While
from the watcher’s side, he uses the experience
of facing of death as the stressing of the meaning
of the fear.
2. Frustration
Frustration is defined as blocking or
thwarting of goal-directed activity (runyon1984:
157) It means that frustration is an emotional
response to circumstances where one is
obstructed from arriving at a personal goal. It is
related to anger and disappointment.
Table 2. The Proof Of Frustration
The doctor,when he comes.
Don’t let him,sister!
So the hand was gone
already
The Doctor put him in the
dark of ether
He lay and puffed his lips
out with his breath
Line 24
Line 25
Line 26
Line 27
Robert Frost portrays the frustration from
the boy who struggles from the death. He feels
frustrated from his effort to hold his hand. The
line of twenty forth tells about the boy who
wants to bear his hand. Through the auditory
imagery, the poet invites the
reader to hear the moan of the boy. The
sister is symbolizes of the boy’s effort to save his
hand. The boy hopes his sister can save him from
the amputation.
In the next lines, the twenty sixth and
twenty seventh line, The poet drives his readers
to touch the feeling of the boy who feels his
effort is useless. The line of twenty fifth shows
that the doctor amputates the boy’s hand.
Through the description of this lines, the poet
wants to explain about the hand as the symbol of
power. Without his hand, the life of boy becomes
useless and not important anymore.
Robert Frost continues to describe the
condition of the boy after his hand is amputated
by the doctor. The twenty seventh line show that
the condition of boy after his hand is amputated
by the doctor. Through organic imagery, the poet
invites his readers feel the situation and sensation
of frustration. He uses the symbol of losing the
boy’s hand as meaning of frustration it self. He
describes the boy hopeless after he loses his
hand.
In conclusion, the poet gives clear meaning
of frustration. He explains it with the symbol of
WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
losing of hand. He portrays the feeling of
frustration from the side of the boy. To make it
easy understanding, he uses the logical thinking
from the child to portray the experience of
frustration. The child is usually pure in mind, so
in this case, Robert Frost uses the boy’s mind to
express the frustration. The boy thinks that losing
his hand seems that it is losing of life. The boy
struggle to save his hand trough his sister but in
the fact his sister can not help him.
3. Suffering
Suffering or pain in a board sense, is an
individual’s basic affective experience of
unpleasant and aversion associated with harm or
threat of harm ( Scheizer,1997:45). Robert Frost
reveals the suffering in his poem. He uses the
boy who is the victim of the saw as the picturing
of the suffering’s condition.
The twenty third lines emphasize the
atmosphere of suffering. The boy gets suffer
because of the saw. Saw as the symbol of the
creation which is made by man. Through the
symbol of the saw, the poet want to tell abut
something that is created by human being can
betray and give bad impact. Robert Frost wants
his readers to feel the sensation of pain and
suffer from the boy who his hand is cut by the
saw.
The climax of the atmosphere of suffering
lies in the twenty seventh line. Through the
auditory imagery, the poet invites his reader the
death that fetch as the boy. The sensation of
dying makes this line become the climax of the
sensation of the suffering.
As conclusion, the effect of dying makes
the poem has the atmosphere of suffering. The
reader directly feels the sensation of suffering
through the pain and the condition of the boy.
Through the auditory imagery that reveals in
moaning of boy, the poet gives clear description
about the experience of the boy who faces the
death.
B. Discussion of Stopping By Woods on
Snowy Evening
This poem is a poem of nature which
tells about a man who is passing through a forest
in the winter evening. Robert Frost writes this
poem that seems simple, just like the way of
nature, but after reading and analyze it, the
reader can appreciate the hidden beauty of
nature. The writer concludes the element of
humanity that appears in this poem into two
categories namely loneliness and frustration.
1. Loneliness
Loneliness is a feeling in which people
experience a powerful surge of emptiness and
solitude. Loneliness is more than the feeling of
wanting company or wanting to do something
with another person. Loneliness can come from
two forms, there are emotional and environtment
(Jhon Stanrock: 1998: 593). From the discussion,
the writer divides the element that build the
loneliness into two kinds there are emptiness as
the representative of the emotional loneliness and
solitude as the representative of environment
loneliness.
a. Emptiness
The Reflection of the loneliness creates the
feeling of emptiness (Jhon Stanrock: 1998: 594).
Robert Frost portrays the feeling of emptiness
that is felt by the rider. Implicitly, the poet
portrays the man who makes the long journey in
the snow evening. While explicitly, tells the
deeper feeling of some one who feels empty in
his life.
Table 4. The Proof Of Emptiness
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with
the snow
Line 3
Line 4
The third and fourth lines reveal the
condition of emptiness. The poet drives his
reader to understand the situation of the poem.
Through the organic imagery, the woods covered
by snow, the poet sends the messages of
emptiness.
The writer finds the dichotomy between the
woods and the snow. The poet uses woods and
snows to symbolize
something with seemingly contradictory
qualities. The woods as the symbol of wild
things or something that mysterious, but this
case, the woods is possessed by someone. It
means that the woods symbolize the life or the
thing that is possessed by someone. While the
snow usually used to express something that is
pure, but this case the snow symbolizes of the
sorrow of the death.
In the third lines, the poet visualizes the
rider who stop in the place that is covered by
snow. The fourth lines , the rider watches the
snow which is covered by snow. Implicitly
Robert Frost only talks about someone who stops
in the place in snowy condition. While explicitly,
Robert Frost talks about someone whose life is
covered by sorrow. When the rider watches the
woods that is covered by snow it seems that he
watches his life which is full of many problems
and sorrows. In conclusion, the feeling of
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WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
sorrows that is symbolized by the snow is
expressing of emptiness.
b. Solitude
Another reflection of loneness is the feeling
of solitude. The poet uses the auditory imagery
to express the emotion of solitude. He uses the
silence of nature as his way to deliver his
message.
Table 5. The Proof Of Solitude
The only other sound’s sweep
Of easy wind and down flake
Line 11
Line 12
The atmosphere of solitude express in the
eleventh line. Through auditory imagery, the
readers can hear only one sound sweep in this
area. The readers can use their imagination to
catch the silence night. The reader can think that
the condition is very quiet.
The poet emphasizes the silence of the
nature through the twelfth line. He explains the
atmosphere of solitude through the sound of the
wind.
Through the auditory imagery, the readers
indirectly hear the sound of wind. The phrase of
easy wind would just barely be perceptible; there
is nothing audible about snowflakes unless they
are hard abd frozen, not downy like soft feathers.
By bringing attention to these nearly
immeasurable sounds, the poem offers the
condition of solitude. Robert Frost want his
readers accept his message that portrays the
condition of solitudes through the sound of the
flake and the wind.
CONCLUSION
Line 6
Line 7
Bibligraphy
Line 8
Allport, Gordon. W. 1937. Personality a
Psycological Interpretation.New York:
Henry Holt and Company
Table 6. The Proof Of Frustration
Line 5
Explicitly the fifth and sixth lines give
clear explanation. The poet uses the fifth and
46
V.
Robert Frost is a great naturalist. He
records the social condition through the symbol
of the nature. “Out Out and Stopping by Woods
on a snowy evening, reveal the side of humanity.
The writer uses psychological approach to
analyze the issue of humanity. The writer
conducts the kinds of humanity that appear in the
poem into four they are frustration loneliness,
suffering and anxiety.
Robert Frost uses symbol of nature to
elevate his idea about human being. Through his
idea, the writer learns about the humanity has
many aspect to understand how to respect the
human. Furthermore, both the writer, and the
reader are able to widen and enrich their
capability to respect the nature as the part of life.
2. Frustration
The poet gives the messages of frustration
through the darkest of the snowy evening.
Explicitly, Robert Frost reveals someone who
feels frustrated with his life. He portrays the rider
that has some problems with his life. He
describes the rider can not solve his problem.
My Little horse must think it
queer
To stop without a farmhouse
near
Between the woods and
frozen lake
The darkest evening of the
year
sixth lines to reveal the condition of the rider
who feels depressed with his life. The indicator
of frustration appears in the sixth line. The sixth
lines gives a meaning that the reader gives up
from his problem.
The meaning of symbol of farmhouse in
the sixth lines is life. So,the meaning of the
journey of the rider has correlation with the life.
The writer catches the messages that the rider
wishes to death as the way to solve his problem.
The cause of the rider to stop his journey lies in
seventh line.
Through the visual imagery, the writer finds
some dichotomy between the symbol of woods
and frozen lake as impersonal and inanimate
object. Explicitly, woods symbolizes of the life,
while the frozen lake as the representative of the
sadness and the death which is faced by the rider.
The poet wants to visualize the dilemmatic of the
rider to choose the life and death.
The
dilemmatic of choosing between the death and
life makes the rider get frustration.
The eighth lines emphasize the dark
atmosphere of frustration. The evening has
correlation with the dark. More over, the addition
word of the darkest emphasizes the message of
frustration. Explicitly, the darkest evening
implies the psychological mood that has
correlation with the feeling frustration. In means
that, the phrase the darkest evening of the year
reveals the problem happens in all his life which
is cannot be solved by him.
WANASTRA Vol. III No.1 MARET 2012
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