Robert Lee Frost, short note for UP PGT English

                                 Personal Biography and Early Life

1. Full Name: Robert Lee Frost.
2. Birth Date: March 26, 1874.
3. Birth Place: San Francisco, California, USA.
4. Era: He is a 20th-century American poet.
5. Father's Name: William Prescott Frost Jr..
6. Father's Profession: He was a teacher and later the editor of the San Francisco Evening Bulletin.
7. Mother's Name: Isabelle Moodie.
8. Mother's Origin: She was a Scottish woman from Scotland.
9. Naming Significance: He was named "Robert" after the Scottish poet Robert Burns and "Lee" after the American General Robert E. Lee.
10. Move to New England: His mother brought him to New England at the age of 11.
11. Father's Death: His father died of tuberculosis in 1885.
12. Relocation after Father's Death: The family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts.
13. High School Graduation: He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1892.
14. College (Harvard): He attended Harvard University from 1897 to 1899.
15. Lack of Degree: He left Harvard due to illness and never obtained a formal degree.
16. Marriage Date: He married in December 1895.
17. Spouse: Elinor Miriam White, who was his high school classmate.
18. Children: They had six children in total.
19. Childhood Tragedy: Only one daughter survived; five of his children died young.
20. Mother's Death: His mother died of cancer in 1900.
21. Teaching Career: He taught English at Pinkerton Academy from 1906 to 1911.
22. Hardship Period: For 12 years, he made a minimal living through teaching and farming while continuing to write.
23. Move to England: In 1912, he moved his family to England.
24. Settlement in England: They settled in Beaconsfield, a small town in England.
25. Return to America: He returned to the US in 1915 after World War I broke out.
26. Farmhouse Purchase: Upon returning, he bought a farmhouse in New Hampshire.
27. Teaching at Amherst: He taught at Amherst College from 1916 to 1938.
28. Wife's Health: His wife developed breast cancer in 1937.
29. Wife's Death: She died of heart failure in 1938.
30. Death Date: January 29, 1963.
31. Death Place: Boston, Massachusetts.
32. Cause of Death: Complications following prostate surgery.
33. Burial Site: Old Bennington Cemetery in Bennington, Vermont.
34. Epitaph Source: His epitaph is the last line of his poem "The Lesson for Today" (1942).
35. Famous Epitaph Quote: "I had a lover's quarrel with the world".

Literary Style and Recognition

36. Realistic Depiction: He is highly regarded for his realistic depiction of rural life.
37. Regionalism: His poetry is deeply associated with the New England region.
38. First Publication: His works were first published in England before being published in America.
39. Pulitzer Prizes: He won the Pulitzer Prize four times.
40. First Pulitzer (1924): For the poetic volume New Hampshire.
41. Second Pulitzer (1931): For Collected Poems.
42. Third Pulitzer (1937): For A Further Range.
43. Fourth Pulitzer (1943): For A Witness Tree.
44. Unique Distinction: He is likely the only author in American history to win four Pulitzers for poetry.
45. Congressional Gold Medal: He received the United States Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 at age 86.
46. Poet Laureate: He was appointed Poet Laureate of Vermont in 1961.
47. JFK Inauguration: He was invited to recite a poem at John F. Kennedy's inauguration on January 20, 1961.
48. Inauguration Poem: He read "The Gift Outright" at the ceremony.
49. Historical Context: He was the first poet to read at a presidential inauguration.

Major Poetry Collections

50. First Collection: A Boy's Will (1913, England).
51. Second Collection: North of Boston (1914, England).
52. American Release: A Boy's Will was published in America in 1915.
53. "Book of People": North of Boston is frequently referred to as a "Book of People".
54. Mountain Interval: Published in 1916.
55. Selected Poems (First): Published in 1923.
56. New Hampshire: Published in 1923.
57. Several Short Poems: Published in 1924.
58. Selected Poems (Second): Published in 1928.
59. West-Running Brook: Published in 1928.
60. Collected Poems: Published in 1930.
61. Selected Poems (Third): Published in 1934.
62. A Further Range: Published in 1936.
63. Collected Poems (Revised): Published in 1939.
64. A Witness Tree: Published in 1942.
65. Come In and Other Poems: Published in 1943.
66. Steeple Bush: Published in 1947.

Key Poems and Analysis

67. "My Butterfly: An Elegy": His first published poem (1894) in his school magazine.
68. First Poem Sale: He sold "My Butterfly" for $15.
69. "Into My Own": The first poem in A Boy's Will; shows how he turns away from people.
70. "The Tuft of Flowers": Discusses how he comes back to people.
71. "Mowing": A lyric published in A Boy's Will.
72. "Mowing" Theme: Hard work and reality; "the fact is the sweetest dream that labor knows".
73. "Mending Wall": Published in North of Boston (1914).
74. "Mending Wall" Form: A monologue written in blank verse.
75. "Mending Wall" Quote: "Good fences make good neighbors".
76. "Mending Wall" Theme: Explores boundaries between people.
77. "After Apple-Picking": Published in North of Boston.
78. "The Death of the Hired Man": Published in North of Boston.
79. "The Road Not Taken": Published in Mountain Interval (1916).
80. "The Road Not Taken" Theme: Choices and the difficulty of decision-making.
81. "The Road Not Taken" Quote: "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference".
82. "Birches": Published in Mountain Interval.
83. "Birches" Style: Known for its fusion of fact and fancy, observation and imagination.
84. "Birches" Quote: "Earth's the right place for love: I don't know where it's likely to go better".
85. "Out, Out-": Published in Mountain Interval.
86. "The Runaway": Published in Selected Poems (1923).
87. "Fire and Ice": Published in New Hampshire (1923).
88. "Fire and Ice" Form: A compact 9-line lyric.
89. "Fire and Ice" Symbolism: Fire represents desire/passion; Ice represents hatred.
90. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening": Published in New Hampshire.
91. "Stopping by Woods" Fame: Favorite of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who kept the last lines on his desk.
92. "Stopping by Woods" Symbolism: The woods are lovely but represent temptation; "sleep" symbolizes death.
93. "Stopping by Woods" Quote: "But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep".
94. "Two Tramps in Mud Time": Published in A Further Range (1936).
95. "Two Tramps" Theme: The fusion of work (need) and play (pleasure).
96. "Two Tramps" Perspective: Written in the first person and is autobiographical.
97. "The Gift Outright": Published in A Witness Tree (1942).
98. "The Gift Outright" Nature: Described as a patriotic song and a source of inspiration for Americans.

Dramatic Works (Plays)

99. "A Way Out": A one-act play published in 1917.
100. "The Cow's in the Corn": A one-act play published in 1929.
101. "A Masque of Reason": A blank verse play published in 1945.
102. "A Masque of Mercy": A blank verse play published in 1947.

Specific Exam Facts & Dates

103. 1874: Birth in San Francisco.
104. 1885: Move to Massachusetts after father's death.
105. 1892: High School graduation.
106. 1894: Publication of "My Butterfly".
107. 1895: Marriage to Elinor White.
108. 1900: Mother dies of cancer.
109. 1912: Relocation to England.
110. 1913: A Boy's Will published.
111. 1914: North of Boston published.
112. 1915: Return to the USA.
113. 1916: Mountain Interval published.
114. 1923: New Hampshire published.
115. 1924: Awarded first Pulitzer Prize.
116. 1928: West-Running Brook published.
117. 1930: Collected Poems published.
118. 1931: Awarded second Pulitzer Prize.
119. 1934: Selected Poems published.
120. 1936: A Further Range published.
121. 1937: Awarded third Pulitzer Prize.
122. 1938: Death of his wife.
123. 1942: A Witness Tree published.
124. 1943: Awarded fourth Pulitzer Prize.
125. 1947: Steeple Bush published.
126. 1960: Receives Congressional Gold Medal.
127. 1961: Appointed Poet Laureate of Vermont.
128. 1961: Poem recitation at JFK's inauguration.
129. 1963: Death in Boston.

Poetic Philosophy and Motifs

130. Rural Context: He used the rural landscape to explore complex social and philosophical themes.
131. Blank Verse: Frequent use of blank verse in long narrative poems like "Mending Wall".
132. Human Interaction: Focuses on the relationship between humans and nature.
133. Simple Diction: Known for clarity and simplicity of language.
134. Nature Imagery: Extensive use of New England flora and fauna (birches, apple orchards, woods).
135. The Wall Motif: Represents isolation and the human need for barriers.
136. The Road Motif: Symbolizes the journey of life and the consequences of choice.
137. The Scythe Motif: Symbolizes the whisper of labor in "Mowing".
138. The Tree Motif: Used as a symbol of aspiration and return in "Birches".
139. Patriotism: Later work shows strong American identity, especially in "The Gift Outright".
140. Hardship as Theme: Reflects his own years of struggle and farming.
141. Fact vs. Fancy: A recurring tension in poems like "Birches".
142. Labor's Value: Believed labor provides the truest satisfaction.
143. Symbolist Technique: Uses simple objects to represent deeper universal truths.
144. The "North" Imagery: His focus on the northern rural landscape earned his volume the title North of Boston.
145. Human Boundaries: Explores the paradox of needing both distance and connection in "Mending Wall".
146. Epigrammatic Force: His lines often carry the weight of proverbs (e.g., "Good fences make good neighbors").
147. Musicality: His poems are described as rich in music and melody.
148. Conflict Resolution: Often seeks a balance between opposing forces (fire/ice, work/pleasure).
149. Autobiographical Elements: Many poems reflect his personal experiences as a New England farmer.
150. Legacy: He remains one of the most celebrated and frequently quoted American poets.