Frost at Midnight in this conversational poem, time is established inthe opening line as Midnight’ The domestic Trition remains undefined but clearly tis 2 cold, winter ight. The focus ison personality and the speaker's evocative musings rather than any Specific place or action. The poet's consciousness apands beyond the confines of this wintry ro0r) vith its low-burnt fie. His late night solitude is brltantly captured asthe reader becomes silent OBST ‘We watch and listen, becoming his only areal companion ashe recalls and describes 2 period In fis life. There isa confidential air about what js disclosed, The dramatic monologue gives access thoughts that have not often been voiced aloud, asaninner world is reveated along wit feelings, hopes and fears via the drowsy musings of the speaker. . We share his vii beside the sleeping babe and almost spent fire in its grate. Solitude, quiet anrroundings and peaceful contemplation highlight tthe Romantics love of contrary opposites: Futter flames give a tactile sense of domestic secur hy and create a comforting buffer against the biter cold outside. The conversational tne and sublect® ‘perspective invites usinto the poem's world, imaginative contemplation is filed with pleasurable anticipation 2s the poet ponders ‘what shalt thou see and hear’ throughout ‘al Seasons in the future’. Itisimportant that no éraraiie sttion or conflicts allowed to break inte the atmospheric mood that enhances the one-sided and fevelatory conversation that is taking place. ‘The focus moves from‘ tothe bale in the third section of the poem even though his gentle re thing has provided a somnotent undercurrent {fom ‘the beginning. A circular movement is oe preved with a return tothe ‘secret ministry’ of frst ‘the last few lines. A physical context has aepatively encapsutated a mental journey that breaks ‘temporal limitations. The speaker has retaphorically travelled beyond the confinement cof the present and returned to the past a5 well a turned his sights to the future. Within this imaginative ‘world he pledges his own experience tohis son, emphatcaly rejecting the limitations ofthe city sand praising the virtues of nature. A balanced taltn predominates, only vexed occasionally by an ‘awtet’s cal’ which adds authenticity tothe scene sathout countering the quiet solitude so valued by the Romantics. Imagery and other figurative methods bulld up a scee that is rich in sensory detail. No location oF specific social context needs to be given for vn ors to picture the scene and identify with it The generalise situation permits the cessation of 29 ‘external reality which allows the poet to se ersalise the issues presented such as parental hopes for the future. Coleridge presents himsetf asa passive speaker, a father somewhat anv jented to find himself as the lone person awaken 2 silent house. There is@ strangely hypnotic quality ‘achieved by is skilful handling of pace, the pauses and hesitations credible and atmospheric. The flow is dictated by various punctuation echniques such as colons, semi-colons and exclamations ‘while the absence of action allows his imagination to explore without hindrance. Romanticist Themes and Elements Romanticist ideas and values are evident in the mood and subject matter of the poem especially ith the role played by imagination as trigger for growth and understanding, The importance of childhood experience is also emphasised, as ls the ‘dealisation of Nature asa better teacher than {the conventional learning that can be found in Schools, In Wordsworth’s epic ‘Prelude’, mention is wn Jo ofthe poet’s sorrow that Coleridge had been cy raised and this is echoed in ‘For | was aad [in the great city, pent mid cloisters dim, / And sa ‘nought lovely but the sky and stars’ Coleridge's ire style uses the typical cydical steucturs a the conversation poems, beginning and coding with references to the frost that Is mentioned in the tite L— an Exploing Gene ond Site: Romanticisn iWordsworth believed that poetry should relate to ‘emotion recollected in tranquillity’ and this is clearly shown by Coleridge's evocation of everything being quiet and calm. Coleridge recalls his own childhood as the frost goes about ‘its ministry’ without; his eye distracted by the fluttering grate within. The cadence is soothing and the external stimulus triggers nostalgia as he ‘dream|s] of [his] sweet birth place’. Memories prompt further reflection and reader identification with the man who quietly ruminates about his life. His upbringing is given negative connotations of it being a form of imprisonment, a time when he was restricted from access to the natural world and forced to live pent up in ‘the great city’. The word ‘great’ is given sarcastic resonance that stresses his preference for closer bonds with a natural rather than man-made environment. is schooling is depicted in similarly negative terms as he recalls how he used to gaze upon the bars overseen by a stern preceptor. Then as now, his imagination had been an escape route for ‘exploration and discovery. Dreams are remembered as sweeter aspects of his youth, ‘the soothing things, | dreamt, lulled me to sleep, and sleep prolonged my dreamst’ Coleridge moves from reverie back to the natural world, and his sensibilities are suddenly overwhelmed by the image of his ‘babe so beautifull’ There are inferences of innocence and fragility and he contrasts the present with his past, where he ‘saw nought lovely but the sky and stars’. Asis the universal desire of parents, he ‘wants more for his child and in his desire to nurture and cosset , he projects his thoughts to ‘enriching his Childs upbringing but surrounding him with nature, so that his ‘babel shalt wander like a breeze by lakes and sandy shores’. ‘The father wants to avoid the oppression of spirit he suffered as a child and so day-dreams about his child being able to recognise in nature, ‘that eternal language, which thy God utters, and thereby coming closer to God, the great universal Teacher!’ His wandering thoughts become ‘grounded once more in the final stanza with references to ‘silent icicles, quietly shining to the quiet moon’. He is reassured that his infant's childhood will be blessed by experiencing the splendour and peacefulness of nature. His paternal joy evident in his response to the sleeping child, ‘My Babe so beautifull It thrills my heart / With tender gladness’. The repetition of the frost’s ‘secret ministry’ marks a return to his original meditative state. This reinforces nature’s inspirational power to elevate the poet's thoughts beyond mere ordinary perception to an enlightened understanding and faith, ‘Himself in all, and all things in Himself. Nature and Childhood There isa mysterious quality ascribed to the frost for it forms secretly and almost without any ‘warning. This mystical quality extends to both the night and the speaker. References are also made to flora and fauna; ‘Mossy apple-tree’ and the ‘redbreast’, Religious connotations are also expressed in the hope of God’s eternal and symbolic language will be heard by the poet's child and, enthusiastically responded to. The ‘secret ministry’ of the frosty night is able to spark Coleridge's reverie as he sits cocooned in the shelter afforded by the secluded cottage, Tranquillity is increased by the almost palpable stillness. Only the ‘owlet's cry’ alerts the speaker to his physical context but, being a natural presence, he is not long distracted from his reverie. His thoughts move backwards and forwards in time, retracing the ‘cloisters dim’ of his childhood which only serves to emphasise the superior virtues of Nature as the ‘Great universal Teacher!’ The father hopes his son will also experience the sublime and be inspired by nature’s majestic spaces. There isa fluidity of thought, ‘which allows harmonious links to be made between the sleeping child, the watchful parent and Nature’s bounty. ‘The child that never wakens throughout the poem remains a central focus; a fulcrum around which all else revolves. His gentle breathing and sleeping form is the springboard for assessment, speculation and growing self-awareness. ‘The Dear Babe’ epitomises the joyous potential of life yet to be lived; a catalyst for growth. His presence gives symbolic impact to the unpretentious context Exploring Genre ond Style: Romanticism «30 ——and makes us canscious of the speaker's role as parental guardian, Reflecting on his own upbringing, ahd the one he would lke to provide for his son, readers are challenged to contemplate their own ae ote the ramifications. In this sense, there is a didactic quality to the poem, despite its siinplity for the poet's introspection in turn prompts that of the reader and its inferred potential for growthand insight. The pervading quiet is soporifc lulling the senses and freeing the imagination while he remains conscious ofis surroundings. Readers can identify with his aeike state just 2s they can comprehend his hopes and dreams for hs childs future, A natural raace vprk i created for a very personal, subjective revelation, couched ina father's stream of consciousness in response to his sleeping infant. Poetic Techniques blank verse is used without regular metre or stanza length, This helps reinforce the sense of reverie tad imaginative contemplation by imitating the natural cadence of speech, This attempt to imitate erversational rhythm testifies to the Romanticidealisation of the ordinary and the everyday, in form and subject matter. Italso reaffirms Coleridge's belief that poetry should ‘organically evolve tether than be hidebound by any imposed structural order. As result, the poet's ‘thoughts have Thuiity, despite what some critics have described as cumbersome occasions ‘within the poem where tea digion or versfication becomes discordant, This however is countered by other critics who feel reeds credibility to the narrative context. A mornentin time has been captured and given significance because, TIs calm indeed and all seems Inaudible as dreams. Vivid description evokes areal sense of place and situation so that the reader can shore ‘the poet's experience and awareness of ‘This hush of nature’. The atmosphere is conducive for reflection as, the prevailing sense of peacefulness tempts thoughts to freely wandet beyond the temporal ae ees of the present, Sensory imagery stimulates consciousness of the contrasting qualities of frallty and strength, pastand present, frost and fie, city and county. urative methods develop ‘the poem's soothing ambience, including similes such as ‘wander ike 8 breeze’ and metaphors such ae uttering stranger’ and ‘swimming book. Rhetorical techniques including aiteratow and ‘fbilance augment the drowsy moad by developing conversational tones and rhythms; ‘flaps and freaks. ‘bare branch’, ‘seasons shal be sweet to thee and sit and sing’. Repetition adds emphasis har athercfar other and draws the reader into the poet's world. Punctuation inthe Form of strategically placed colons, semicolons, hyphens and exclamation give pause which adds dramatic impact through tonal shifts and modality. aversion gives emphasis to words, themes and atmospheric nuance; ‘listers dim quivers not. Itis a technique that also guides the reader's focus onto the speaker, ‘So gated, ‘dim, ‘not’ and ‘. Compound words such as, low-burnt, ‘Fair-day, ‘goings-on’, ‘church-tower, ‘apple-tree’, ‘sun- Cernreind leaverdrops help define the setting, past and present. Mid-line caesura pauses and ther moments of hesitancy add credibility by echoing the meandering threads of thought. The contemporary timeframe and religious evertones so commonly found in Romantcist poetry is Sided by Coleridge's use of archaic terms such as ‘Methinks’ and terms of reference ‘thee’, ‘thou’ ahd ‘thy’ which add dignity to the situation and the themes that are developed. Soothing terms including, ‘solitude’, ‘musings’ ‘calm, ‘peacefully, ‘slumbers’ and ‘cradled? strengthen our sense of serenity and the parental bond between father and child. The occasional use of more active terms serv gnatched’ and ‘leapt’ reassert the speaker's role. Our perceptions have been skifuly sanded by such explicit word-choice and lyrical techaiques that create the poem's dream like quality. Li ame | | | | | | | | | | ' | | |