21 pages • 42 minutes read
Robert FrostPutting in the Seed
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1916A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
"After Apple-Picking" by Robert Frost (1914)
In “Putting in the Seed,” the speaker is invigorated and entranced by planting apple seeds. In “After Apple-Picking,” the speaker is worn out after picking apples. “Putting in the Seed” is from Frost’s third book, “After Apple-Picking” is from his second, but read together they form a more complete picture of the relationship between man and nature than either poem offers on its own: Farming is both invigorating and exhausting.
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost (1916)
“The Road Not Taken” is the first poem in Frost’s third book of poetry, Mountain Interval. “Putting in the Seed” is also included in this collection. Moreover, the two poems share common themes, including the relationship between man and nature and the exploration of the physical world and the imagination.
"Birches" by Robert Frost (1916)
“Birches” is also included in Mountain Interval, and also explores themes of nature and the imagination. As one might expect from poems in the same book, “The Road Not Taken,” “Birches,” and “Putting in the Seed” speak to each other.
Further Literary Resources
"Robert Frost: Tortured by Love" by Henry Hart (2018)
After being hazed at Dartmouth and dropping out, Frost visited his high school sweetheart, Elinor White, with a pamphlet of his poems, but she rebuffed him leading Frost to try to drown himself in a Virginia swamp. This anguishing early courtship between Frost and white is recounted in this excerpt from The Life of Robert Frost: A Critical Biography.
"The Valedictorians: Robert Frost and Elinor White, His Reluctant Wife" by the New England Historical Society (2021)
Robert Frost and the woman who he eventually married were co-valedictorians at their Lawrence, Massachusetts high school. At their graduation, they both delivered speeches; Elinor’s was titled “Conversation as a Force in Life.” This is significant because many of Frost’s poems feature dialogues between a husband and a wife. “Putting in the Seed” is more a monologue than a dialogue; nonetheless, the poem is something the speaker says to his domestic partner. While Frost’s poetry is a creation of Frost’s imagination and shouldn’t be read as an autobiography, White influenced Frost’s work and life and is the likely inspiration and model for “Putting in the Seed.”
"What Went Wrong Between Robert Frost and Ezra Pound" by B. J. Sokol (1976)
The relationship between Frost and Pound played an important role in both their lives and careers, but it was not uncomplicated. This article details the friendship and falling out of two of the most important American poets of the 20th century.
"The Figure a Poem Makes" by Robert Frost (1939)
In this essay on the content and craft of poetry, Frost pledges allegiance to the nation of poetry:
Originality and initiative are what I ask for my country. For myself the originality need be no more than the freshness of a poem run in the way I have described: from delight to wisdom. The figure is the same as for love. Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting (Frost, Robert. “The Figure a Poem Makes”. 1939. Poeticous).
Like the trajectory Frost describes in this essay, “Putting in the Seed” rushes into love; love is the climax and conclusion of the poem.
Listen to Poem
David Kern, host of The Daily Poem podcast, reads Frost’s poem out loud. Following the reading, Kern analyzes the poem.
Related Titles
By Robert Frost
