Robert Lee Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26th 1874. He was named after Robert E. Lee, who was the commander for the Confederate armies during the Civil War. He lived in San Francisco for 11 years with his father, and then left after his father’s death of tuberculosis in 1885. He went to go live with his mother and sister, Jeanie. He attended Lawrence High School. There he wrote his first poems. He graduated as salutatorian of his class. He enrolled at Dartmouth College in Vermont in 1892, stayed for less than a term and returned home to teach school (“Robert Frost”).

 In 1894, he sold first poem, ‘My Butterfly: an Elegy’ to a New York magazine, The Independent. He married his high school sweetheart in December 1895. In 1897, Frost entered Harvard University, but had to leave due to health issues. In October 1890, he settled with his family on a farm in Massachusetts, purchased by his grandfather. Over the next nine years he wrote many poems that would start his rise to fame. In the fall of 1912, he sold the farm and sailed to Europe and settled outside London. He became acquaintances with Georgian poets, Wilfred Gibson and Lascelles Abercrombie. In 1914, He moved to Gloucestershire to be nearer to his friends. He was also influenced by their works. Frost met and was influenced by contemporary British poets such as Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke and Robert Graves. He also made acquaintances with poet Ezra Pound, who helped promote and publish his work (“Modern American Poetry”).

 He returned to the U.S. in 1915 and published two full-length collections, A Boy’s Will and North of Boston. This was the start of his rise to fame. By the 1920’s he was the most famous poet in America. He won 4 Pulitzer Prizes. Frosts’ writings consisted of dark meditations on universal themes, complex psychological themes which he accompanied with obscurity and irony. President John F. Kennedy had Frost recite a poem for Kennedy’s inauguration. Robert Frost taught in Massachusetts and Vermont and died in Boston on January 29, 1963 (“Robert Frost”).

Robert Frost was part of the Modernism Literary Movement which took place from 1914 to 1945. Modernism is the movement in visual arts, music, literature and drama that rejected the old Victorian standards. Modernism includes an emphasis on impressionism and emphasis on how seeing or reading takes place rather than what is perceived. There was an emphasis on fragmented forms and tendencies toward self-consciousness.

The shattered water made a misty din.
Great waves looked over others coming in,
And thought of doing something to the shore
That water never did to land before.
The clouds were low and hairy in the skies,
Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.
You could not tell, and yet it looked as if
The shore was lucky in being backed by cliff,
The cliff in being backed by continent;
It looked as if a night of dark intent
Was coming, and not only a night, an age.
Someone had better be prepared for rage.
There would be more than ocean-water broken
Before God's last Put out the Light was spoken.

Title- The title “Once by the Pacific” indicates that the poem is going to be based on an event that occurred on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Paraphrase-

The splash of water created a spray of mist.

Large surges of water overlooked the upcoming waves,

And had an idea to act upon the shore.

Something water never took action to the land in the past.

The clouds stooped low and were wispy,

Like hair blowing past the eyes.

It was not noticeable, but still it seemed like

The shore was being protected by the cliff,

And the cliff was being protected by the continent;

It seemed like an ominous night

Was approaching, and not only for a night, an era.

People must be ready for rage.

There will be more than one casualty

Before God ends the chaos of the storm.

Connotation-

Lines 1-4

Imagery was used in these lines to illustrate the vivid scene of an upcoming storm, such as the “shattered water made a misty din.” He represents nature at her wildest image. He starts with the distant sounds of the waves and moves closer. There was also the use of end rhyme in throughout the poem.

Lines 5-6

The dark and ominous scenery was described with “low and hairy” clouds using imagery. It helped to introduce the malevolent upcoming rainstorm. He uses an unusual simile introducing a human element to describe the clouds. The imagery of the clouds also used to foreshadow the future chaotic event of the storm.

Lines 7-12

There is a repetition of “being backed by,” in lines 7 and 8, shows the continuous support from other elements in the battle against the impending storm. The “night” was personified to have a dark intent which shows that it has an evil plot in store for the land.

Lines 13-14

“God” was mentioned in line 14 to biblically allude to a storm in the bible, such as “Noah’s Ark”. It shows that the storm may be long and violent, but in the end, something beautiful will be created.

Attitude- The attitude was foreboding to illustrate the fear that the speaker felt as the speaker saw the scene unfolding in front of him.

Shifts- Relaxing ->Wrath
Evident in Line 10 " It was an ominous night"- the ocean is now filled with rage and forecasting a storm

Title- The title “Once by the Pacific” indicates the scene of a storm representing the power of nature at sea.

Theme- Just like nature, life is a constant battle.

POV- 3rd person omniscient 

Biographical Perspective:
In Robert Frost’s past, he was deserted at the beach by his parents. During that time, there was an upcoming storm. The poem “Once by the Pacific” relates to his experience on those days when he would be left alone on the beach while his father went swimming out in the ocean. It reflects his childhood fear of the malevolent ocean engulfing his father rendering him fatherless.

Formalist Perspective:
In the beginning of the poem, Frost describes the waves closing in and approaching to foreshadow the unavoidable event. Robert Frost personifies the clouds to illustrate the human like features of nature, that nature can be as harmful, and sometimes even more harmful, than humans. The water symbolizes the fear in life, while the shore symbolizes the positive aspects in life that keep humans strong as an individual. God is included in the last line to serve as an religious aspect to the challenges he lets us face with our free will to remind us that in the end, when he comes for judgment day, our actions will determine our fate. 

Works Cited

"Bing Images - Search the Web for Pictures, Photos & Images." Bing Images - Search the Web for Pictures, Photos &                              Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

"Bing Images - Search the Web for Pictures, Photos & Images." Bing Images - Search the Web for Pictures, Photos &                             Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

Frost, Robert L. "Once by the Pacific." American National Biography Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

Pritchard, William H., and Stanley Burnshaw. "Frost's Life and Career." Frost's Life and Career-. Modern American Poetry,                        2000. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

"Robert Frost Pictures & Images   (150 Results)." Photobucket. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

"Robert Frost." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

"Robert Frosts Use of Nature, P - CollegeTermPapers.com." Robert Frosts Use of Nature, P - CollegeTermPapers.com.                            College Term Papers, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. 

"Once by the Pacific." Once by the Pacific. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.                                           
                     <http://ooi.washington.edu/rsn/jrd/poetry/oncebythepacific.html>.