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Acquainted in the Night,” by Robert Frost is a very dark and emotional poem. It tells the story of
someone who is depressed and feels isolated from the rest of the world. At a young age Frost
lost both of his parents, and in his twenties his sister died as well. These difficult and depressing
moments in his life led him to write this poem. He aimed to tell the audience about the
depression that he had, and the experiences that occurred because of it, as well as allowing the
reader to connect to it with his or her own experiences. Ample amount of literary devices were
used in the poem to help him make his point to the reader, and to tell the story of one who has
become acquainted with the night. Frost uses metaphors, repetition, imagery, and symbolism to
accomplish the portrayal of his point.
An overlying literary aspect throughout the entire poem is the metaphor of ‘night’. Night could be
the depression that the speaker feels about losing so many of his loved ones at such a young
age. However, it is not limited to this interpretation for what it stands for. Night could easily stand
for regret he has felt because of something he had done, or something completely different. By
using this metaphor, Frost enables the reader to have his or her own interpretation of the
meaning of the poem, while clearly and cleverly making his point. This way the reader can
connect with it and develop his or her own beliefs about the poem and perhaps apply it to his or
her own life experiences.
In the first two stanzas of “Acquainted with the Night”, Frost uses repetition in the beginning of
each line. The phrase, “I have…” precedes each of statements in lines 1-5 and occurs on the
seventh and last line as well. This repetition was used to create a solemn and depressed
because it resembles the endless cycle that depression can have on a person. The repetition
also helps emphasize the statements that follow, which include other literary...
Frost’s poem imbues the night with a negative and desolate meaning
