The
Gift Outright -Robert Frost.
Summary.
From one perspective,
this poem may seem to be nothing more than a triumphantly patriotic work; Frost
himself once compared it to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The colonists in
America initially struggled to become one with the land because of their ties
to England. As years passed, however, they were able to build a commitment to
the land and establish their identities as Americans because of their efforts
to build a land that was not based on the traditions of Europe. In this way,
the poem can be read as Frost’s personal celebration of manifest destiny.
The broad enthusiasm for America that characterizes the poem takes an
unexpected turn in the grave thirteenth line: “(The deed of gift was many deeds
of war.)” Suddenly, the poem is not only about a commitment to the land, but
also a discussion of the Revolutionary War and remorse that the battle over the
land caused so many deaths. The use of parentheses in this particular line
ensures that the specifics of the war are not mentioned, but does insist that
the memory of the war should not be forgotten or cast aside.
The poem can also be
read as somewhat defensive and even belligerent in terms of its approach to the
land. Frost repeats the term “ours” numerous times in the text, but insists
that the “we” of the poem is the white settlers from Europe, rather than the
original “owners” of the land: the Native Americans. Frost chooses to ignore
the conflict between the colonists and the Native Americans and instead focuses
on the clash between the Old World and the New World, the European world of
tradition and oppression and the new American world of freedom and destiny. As
a result, the type of American identity that Frost expresses is very different
from the contemporary understanding of the American identity as an amalgamation
of different cultures and ethnicities.
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