<p>Hey guys! A few weeks ago, we had to write an essay in AP Lit that I still have saved on my computer, and I wanted to get a sense of where I was on the grading scale. Please help me gauge myself! Thanks! </p>
<p>Prompt: The poems below are concerned with darkness and night. Read each poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, compare and contrast the poems, analyzing the significance of dark or night in each. In your essay, consider elements such as point of view, imagery, and structure.</p>
<p>The two poems are Emily Dickinson's "We grow accustomed to the Dark" and Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night."</p>
<p>I know my essay contains errors, but please do help me grade myself! Thanks!</p>
<p>Essay:</p>
<pre><code>As darkness shrouds the life of human beings, the cheerful hope of the day begins to wane. A seemingly eerie atmosphere envelops the sphere of influence of mankind in all its essence. Man is not an animal of the night. However, the poems by Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost demonstrate the human capacity to accommodate oneself to the night, even to learn from it and be inspired by it. In addition, the passage of time also rectifies the human spirit’s problems as a new day arises. It may be seen that elements such as imagery, thematic statements, and point of view demonstrate the unique qualities of each writer’s ideology, in which Dickinson sees the night as a place to adapt and learn from, while Frost details the sheer acquaintance with the night as an inevitable facet of time.
To begin with, the two poems’ imagery clearly illustrates the viewpoints about darkness as shared by the poets. The first instance that is noticeable is Dickinson’s usage of the words “the neighbor holds the lamp.” Through this verbiage, a clear image of hope in the midst of the generally detested elements of night becomes vivid. There is a generally positive connotation with all that night has to offer to humanity. Dickinson suggests that although our trials and tribulations may hinder us in seeing, as is the “newness of the night,” the lamp of life still shines. Robert Frost, however, begins his poem by painting a gloomy image, that of him “walk[ing] out in the rain.” Although the perseverance in the speaker’s character is commendable, the poem brings about an image of sullen gloominess as opposed to Dickinson’s more optimistic attitude towards life. Frost is much more abstract about his style of writing and this generates images that do not offer as much clarity as those of Dickinson. Dickinson enables the reader tangibility, an unrelenting feeling of experiencing the night with her, while Frost takes a more individualistic role, as also seen by the imagery of “one luminary clock against the sky”. The solitary nature of Frost’s articulation directly translates to a much more somber image.
In addition, theme also has a very powerful effect on the role of night. Both poets make broad human-oriented statements that they lay flat for the fabric of the night to grasp. Dickinson’s statement “But as they learn to see” is a large elucidation of her optimism about life and it serves as a thematic message. Dickinson essentially states that although life may provide obstacles, humanity does have the real capability to acclimate. The “bravest”, in summary, become the leaders who have emerged from the darkness. Frost, however, proposes humanity to be inactive, passive beings in the face of the night when he says, “I have stood still and stopped the sound of my feet.” He presents man as incapable of altering the result of the night, engaging passivity as a solution. Thus, Frost, through his experience, suggests simply living through the darkness rather than tying to adapt to it. Both theme messages, however, converge in the sense that Dickinson and Frost as of the reader to simply experience the night and understand its state as an inevitable facet of life, much life difficulty is.
Finally, point of view also plays an exceptionally important role in relaying the aforementioned theme and imagery to the reader Dickinson, in her poem, includes a speaker of a decisive nature, who is simply restating perceived facts about humanity. Frost, however, includes repeated usage of the word “I”, which showcases a personalized understanding of what night is exactly. Thus, in a sense, Dickinson is talking to humanity in general, while Frost is speaking directly to the reader, almost offering advice as to how problems in life should be dealt with. These differing points of view are indicative of the two opinions of the poets, which give rise to the themes and images.
All in all, the understanding of darkness that both poems illustrate is essential in showcasing to the reader the surprising heterodoxies of night. Through the use of imagery, theme, and point of view, the poets are able to state the fact that night is an essential aspect of life and must be experienced to offer a total sense of what life is.
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