"The Silken Tent" is an extended comparison, whereas, "She is as ..." a tent: a beautiful guise of summer, with the silken ties of love held back her soft covering to show her core. Does Frost describe a maypole or the sturdy, steady, love he feels, or is this a phallic symbol? The reader gains a sense of responsibility, obligation and higher cause (her central pole of cedar points heavenward). This is truly a poem of love and thought, in iambic pentameter, and a typical Frost sonnet.
Frost speaks with maturity and experience over exuberant youth. His voice is aged and wise, which gives a reader respect for his art. The second half of his career was remarkable, as he captured the heart of America at JFK's inauguration, which was televised and had many viewers, giving him the exposure to set his career fully in motion. JFK named Frost an American diplomat to the (then) USSR, where Frost sent a visage of love and was well received.
Even though mostly considered a New England poet, Frost moved to England’s Lake District and wrote his first collection, being marketed as an American poet. Once a publisher in the 'States picked up his book, Frost returned home with his family, but only then. He inspired many an English poet, rendering, as an artist, the truth accessible to everyone, describing nature very honestly. He actually had worldwide influence and traveled rather extensively.
Robert Lee Frost was given his middle name because his father was a Southern sympathizer. Frost married his co-valedictorian from high school, and then became a farmer. He always wrote, and it had been a gutsy move to England, but he was successful there. Back in New England, Frost continued to write and resumed farm life, always being associated with the land, especially connected with New Hampshire, Vermont, and other regions north of Boston, MA. One exception to his rural style is "Acquainted With The Night," which is urban.
He has such interesting use of timing over rhyming (very enjoyable), as present in "Acquainted With The Night." It’s similar to Whitman’s poetry, in that it cries, "Here I am! I lived too!" It is a strong piece, reflecting a sense of isolation, darkness, and sadness, without ever saying those words, using natural images and echoing the loneliness of human existence. He lacks the spiritual consolation Whitman offers by focusing on realistic moments (such as in "Home Burial"). God isn’t mentioned, and I wonder if this correlates to his never receiving the recognition due to him.
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