Robert Frost is considered one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century. His writings have been praised for their pastoral imagery, emotional depth, and masterful use of American colloquial language. Frost's poem, Home Burial, is an exquisite combination of these elements, exploring the depths of emotional suffering and its effects on marriage. The poem is framed as a deeply emotional dialogue between husband and wife about the coldness of their marriage following the death of their young son. Home Burial is Robert Frost's semi-autobiographical account of the death of his youngest son and the impact this tragic event had on his own marriage. Robert Frost's poem, Home Burial, uses setting and exquisite imagery to develop the relationship between Amy and her husband. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The poem Home Burial is set in rural New England. Setting is an important part of understanding the poem, as the New England tradition of home burial plays an important role in the poem's story. In the 1800s, it was common for deceased family members to be buried near the family home. As houses generally remained within the family, small cemeteries spanning several generations were common. At the very beginning of Home Burial, Amy looks out the window and sees the small family cemetery that sits on the outskirts of the house. Her anonymous husband describes this small plot of land as “the place where my people are,” confirming that it is indeed a family cemetery. Amy is very upset by the sight of the cemetery, while her husband is more comfortable with the idea. As she looks at the graves with a terrified face, Amy's husband says to her, "Little broad-shouldered slabs, there in the sun, on the hillside." It doesn't bother us. The way the husband talks about the graves tells the reader that he is familiar with the sight of the tombstones and that it is a normal sight for him. This may imply that Amy is actually an outsider and so it may be upsetting for her to have a constant reminder of the dead. If she was from the city, it would explain why Amy finds the burial of her own child to be a troubling event (Burns 11). This implies that Amy is not very accustomed to the New England tradition of home burial. When Home Burial was written in 1914, infant mortality rates were extremely high. It was common for children under five to die from illness. The poem presented a very real fear to the early 20th century reader, that of having to bury one's young child. The setting of the poem gives the reader insight into how the different characters in the poem deal with their loss. The husband had already seen three generations of his family members buried in the same plot where he had buried his child, so the reader can assume that he is intimately familiar with death. Amy, meanwhile, is mortified by the constant reminder of the graves. The poem's New England setting helps bring out the differences between the two characters, which sets up the conflict in the rest of the work. This is similar to Robert Frost's own experience when he had to bury his youngest child, Elliot, at the age of eight. It is likely that Frost himself employed home burial, as his family lived in rural New England. This experience would bring significant tension to his and his wife's marriage, inspiring the events of Home Burial. Home Burial uses.