Frost vs. Borson: Comparing Two Ocean Poems

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.

Rhythm and Structure

Robert Frost's poem "Neither Out Far Nor in Deep" has a distinctive rhythm that is contained and deliberate — one that seeks to emulate the rhythmic slapping sounds of ocean water and waves. This quality is apparent throughout all the stanzas, and particularly in the following lines: "As long as it takes to pass / A ship keeps raising its hull; / The wetter ground like glass / Reflects a standing gull" (Frost). The lines are neat and contained, with a strong end-rhyme in each line that creates a staccato effect.

The opposite is true of "Waterfront" by Roo Borson. The rhythm pervading this poem is far less contained and far more languorous. Consider the following lines: "They only care about fish. They yell to one another down the beach / as if this were their ocean. Meanwhile, / ignorant, the smelts plod onto the nets" (Borson, 461). There is a plodding sensation to the way this poem moves — a pervasive feeling of people lounging on the beach, set in juxtaposition with the fishermen at work.

Impersonal vs. Sensuous Imagery

Another key distinction between the two poems is that Frost's creates a more impersonal atmosphere, while Borson's is decidedly more sensuous. This distinction is clear from the opening stanza of Frost's poem: "The people along the sand / All turn and look one way. / They turn their back on the land. / They look at the sea all day" (Frost). Frost creates deliberate imagery of people standing with their backs to the reader — there is a sense of anonymity, of being surrounded by strangers. In this way, Frost establishes a lack of intimacy and conveys the idea of the individual communing silently with the ocean. By turning their backs on the land, these figures signal a greater interest in everything nautical.

Borson immediately creates a strikingly different atmosphere, fostering a sense of all things sensuous and intimate. This is vividly established in her opening lines: "The women's bodies lying in the sand are curved like shells. The men can't take their eyes off them. The seawater spangles like a drink of champagne / but the fishermen don't see it that way" (Borson, 461). Borson develops richly sensuous imagery of bodies and people: women lying in the sand are somewhat objectified through their comparison to seashells, yet the comparison is also complimentary, as the women are connected to extensions of the ocean and, in this likeness, become oceanic themselves (Borson, 461). In this way, Borson seductively blurs the line between human and natural elements.

Borson deepens this sense of poetic imagery and languor by comparing the seawater to champagne, evoking an atmosphere of elitism, celebration, and uproariousness. She then juxtaposes this cavalier environment with the fishermen, who are immune to its pleasures and focused entirely on their work.

Conclusion

While Frost and Borson's poems both explore comparable subject matter, each author creates a different world, and with it, a very different overall message. Frost's poem establishes a stronger sense of rhythm that mimics the sound of the sea, yet it inhabits a more anonymous and contemplative space. Borson's poem, by contrast, is more strongly characterized by languor and the juxtaposition of highly distinct images — the lounging beachgoer and the working fisherman, the champagne-like sea and the indifferent net. Together, the two poems demonstrate how shared subject matter can yield entirely divergent poetic visions.

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.