Ans: “Home Burial” is one of the most outstanding poems composed by Robert Frost, an American Poet. It is an intense dramatic dialogue between a husband and a wife. A critical analysis of the whole poem is needed to write a critical appreciation of this very poem.

The poem is an intensely tragic in respect of the impact that the death of a first child has no extremely sensitive parents. A conflict arises between the husband and the wife from the death of their child. The conflict originates from the couple’s lack of communication and misunderstanding of one another. The wife believes that her husband does not have enough love for the child to mourn its death and to give it a decent burial.

In the poem, the origin of the wife’s agitation is revealed as she describes the burial day. She observed from the small window that her husband was digging the grave in an apparently light-hearted manner. She has taken this as his lack of grief and considered him very insensitive. In fact, she has failed to understand that her husband has been profoundly affected by the death of the child. The fact is that he has kept his feelings hidden. But the wife thinks that her husband does not have any feelings for his own child. Apparently, it seems so to the wife as her husband does not express opinions like her. Rather it appears that he has accepted the fact with calmness. But she does not consider that each has his or her own way of expression. Outward cool behavior is not always a proof of lacking emotion.

The fact is that the husband has tried to submerge his feelings by hard physical labor. He talks about daily routines to occupy his mind and distract him from his grief. She cannot accept the fact that life should go on and that it is natural for grief to end. She cannot find any way to come out of her grief. Each of the persons fails to understand the other’s point of view. So a conflict occurs.

The form of the poem is dramatic lyric. The argument between husband and wife has been put in the form of dialogue. Their arguments are put through several phases. Though the wife thinks that he will not be able to see the grave because he has no mind to see it. But he can see it. But still, the wife complains that her husband is insensitive to the tragedy of the death of their child, and on that ground, she wants to leave him,

The poem is written in free/ blank verse. There is no end rhyme but there is rhythm in each line of verse and sometimes internal rhyme. The free verse is suitable for the arguments over the questions of the manifestation of grief. The verse from iambic pentameter without rhyme is also very apt. Words have been chosen with an eye to simplicity and expressive power, simple. On the whole, the rhetorical and prosodic devices are very wisely chosen. A few metaphors are there and some sound devices are found.

Considered from all points of view, the poem is a great success. In fact, Robert Frost is very successful to convey his message through the poem “Home Burial”.