Discuss ways in which Frost considers ‘limits and bounds’ in ‘There Are Roughly Zones’.
In ‘There Are Roughly Zones’, Robert Frost uses ominous juxtaposition, amusing yet alarming irony and colloquial language to criticize man’s inability to respect the boundaries between them and Nature as well as their selfish and self-entitled attitude towards the world. He also introduces Nature as a defensive, cognizant being that is very much alive and that will rebel against human’s meddling- thus warning of the severe consequence breaking of barriers.
Firstly, in this poem, Frost exploits humans’ selfish nature and their unjustified abuse of Nature to explore how humans know no limits to their endless self-centred hunt for more for themselves. The juxtaposition of ‘indoors’ and ‘outside’ in the first verse shows the narrators’ self-interested attitude – they are willing to sit comfortably indoors ‘talking’ when the imported peach tree, used as a symbol for Nature that’s been tampered with by man, is outside in ‘the cold’, being ravaged by the storm. They are also helpless, saying ‘there is nothing much we can do for the tree tonight’ (the negative word ‘nothing’ and the use of the firm, final-feeling full stop echoing their pessimistic attitude and self-induced powerlessness). They also have the nerve to blame Nature and express they ‘can’t help feeling more than a little betrayed’, accusing the ‘northwest wind’ of ‘ris[ing] to such a height’ (here the indignant use of ‘such’ further hints at their sense of entitlement over Nature – how dare the wind go against their expectations?). Their satirical self-contradicting irony is also highlighted – they think they are better than nature and treat it like an inferior playground yet then admit to getting upset when it sticks up for itself? The enjambment after ‘height’ forces the reader to pause and imagine their ridiculous pompous shock as if they were rendered speechless by Nature’s rebellion against them. Therefore, in this poem, we can see that Frost is making fun of humans’ belief that the world revolves around and pretence boundaries don’t apply to them.
Furthermore, as well as ridiculing humans’ egotistical sense of importance over Nature, Frost conveys Nature’s angry and vivid reaction at their boundaries being broken by humans’ destructive interfering hand. He describes how ‘every gust that gathers strength and heaves is a threat to the house’. The use of personification and semantic field of violence and danger (‘threat’ ‘strength’ ‘heaves’) paint Nature as a strong, angry force. Frost also hints at the danger of overstepping boundaries by mentioning humans’ attempts to travel to faraway, isolated places such as ‘The Artic’. This sends connotations of danger to the reader – the picture of a world of ice and cold that man is generally not adapted to- and thus sends a warning to man: if man oversteps his boundaries and delves too far into Nature, Nature will react and not spare them from the dangers of the natural world. This is symbolized by the ‘northwest wind’ rising to strip the peach tree of all its leaves – it is a wind that is somewhere from the north, the same place that the peach tree is from, coming to get revenge for its stolen companion. The peach tree comes into play as a sacrificial figure that will teach the greedy rapacious humans their lesson. This weaves a harmonious picture of Nature as a community in stark contrast to the self-obsessed humans – the elements standing up for each other and even offering themselves up as sacrifices so that other elements can be spared from humans. Frost’s message is clear: Nature does not conform to humans’ desires or expectations (the humans think they can predict the wind ‘when the cold went down so many below’ but they are proved wrong). Nature is its own living, breathing entity and cannot be controlled. It has its limits and if those boundaries are ignored, there will be consequences!
Moreover, in addition to warning of Nature’s rebellion against human interference and ignoring of boundaries, Frost explores man’s general inability to respect boundaries, especially between them and Nature, using their displacement of the peach tree ‘very far north’ from its original home as a symbol for this. He uses a first person narrative and colloquial language to help warn us of humans’ nature – we, as the reader, feel we can relate more to the narrators as we experience their thoughts and understand their non-romanticised language more easily. Through rhetorical questions the humans ask themselves, in this poem, why man can’t ‘stay confined’ to ‘limits and bounds’? The irony of the human nature is explored through the use of law-orientated language ‘zones’ ‘laws must be obeyed’. Humans themselves have constructed a very regimented world full of laws yet they cannot respect Nature’s laws? The results of their ignoring of boundaries is reflected in the irregular structure of the poem, creating a chaotic, unorganized effect that echoes the state of a world where humans cannot respect boundaries humans. However, the reader feels comforted to see the narrators becoming aware of the ‘limitless trait in the heart of men’ through their reflective self-posed rhetorical questions. They even blame themselves for the peach tree’s fate – an action which shows they do some guilt and understanding of the consequences of barrier-breaking. Frost uses the idea of waiting until ‘spring’ to see the damage done to the peach tree to further add hope – spring is the time of new growth and renewal and perhaps after seeing the costs of overstepping natural boundaries and trying to contort the natural world, humans will change and make place for new growth in their hearts.
In conclusion, Frost explores the dangers of man’s rapacious tendencies and belief that they control the world by showing how Nature will fight back if humans try to change the ways of the natural world– viciously if necessary. He also contrasts Nature’s kind, unselfish community-centred spirit vs. the self-centred perspective of man – for people, it’s always about themselves but Nature looks out for others, including the stolen peach tree. Another message Frost conveyed in this poem was an ominous one, made evident through his mention that the storm-ravaged house ‘has long been tried’, possibly warning of man’s stubborn nature and refusal to change despite Nature’s punishments.