Frost vs. Borson: Comparing Two Ocean Poems
This paper compares Robert Frost's "Neither Out Far Nor in Deep" with Roo Borson's "Waterfront," two poems that share the ocean as a central subject yet approach it in strikingly different ways. The analysis examines how each poet's use of rhythm, tone, imagery, language, and point of view produces distinct emotional worlds. Frost employs a contained, deliberate rhythm and impersonal imagery to meditate on human denial and anonymity, while Borson's looser, more languorous verse foregrounds sensuous, intimate scenes of bodies, fishermen, and celebration. Together, the poems illustrate how subject matter alone does not determine a poem's meaning or effect.
- Introduction: Thesis: same subject, entirely different approaches
- Rhythm and Structure: Frost's contained rhythm versus Borson's languorous flow
- Impersonal vs. Sensuous Imagery: Frost's anonymity contrasted with Borson's sensuous scenes
- The Ocean as Symbol: Frost uses the ocean to critique human denial
- Conclusion: Different worlds and messages from shared subject matter
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper consistently grounds its claims in direct quotation, allowing the poems' own language to carry the analytical argument rather than relying on assertion alone.
- It maintains a clear comparative structure throughout, moving point by point (rhythm, then imagery, then symbolism) so the reader can follow the contrast between the two poets without losing track of either.
- The analysis moves beyond surface description — for example, connecting Borson's comparison of women's bodies to seashells to a broader argument about sensuous blurring of human and oceanic elements.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates sustained textual evidence integration: each analytical claim is immediately followed by a quoted passage, which is then unpacked in the following sentences. This "claim–quote–analysis" pattern is a fundamental building block of literary essays and keeps the argument tethered to the primary sources rather than drifting into unsupported generalization.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a thesis identifying shared subject matter but divergent methods. It then proceeds through three analytical categories — rhythm, imagery, and symbolic use of the ocean — treating each poem in turn within each category. A brief conclusion synthesizes the contrast. The Works Cited list follows MLA-adjacent formatting with a mix of retrieval and print citations.
Introduction
Robert Frost's "Neither Out Far Nor in Deep" and Roo Borson's "Waterfront" explore similar subject matter yet do so in entirely distinct ways. The different approach each author takes is apparent in their diverging uses of tone, structure, imagery, language, and point of view.
Works Cited
Frost, R. "Neither Out Far Nor in Deep." PoemHunter.com, 2003, www.poemhunter.com/poem/neither-out-far-nor-in-deep/.
Geddes, G. 15 Canadian Poets x 3. Ontario: University Press, 2001.
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