“Birches” is a memorable poem, rich and interesting enough to merit more than one reading. Robert Frost provides vivid images of birch trees in order to contrast the harsh realities of life with the human actions of the imagination. “Birches” has a deep theme and its sounds, rhythm, form, tone and figures of speech emphasize this meaning. The “Birches” theme offers an interesting aspect of imagination to contrast with reality. Initially, reality is depicted as birch trees bending and cracking under the load of ice after a freezing rain. They are dragged towards the withered ferns by the load and they do not seem to break; but once they are bent so low for a long time, they never straighten out: reality has its ups and downs. This passage suggests that people never fully recover from being dragged down by life, even if they don't seem broken. Imagination is depicted as “a birch swinger.” The boy's depiction refines this image: One by one, he overpowered his father's trees, taking them down again and again. The boy seems to learn life lessons from these encounters with the trees on his father's land: He learned everything there was to do. Learn not to jump in too early. This boy lives far from the city and has to play alone. He learned his father's lessons. Imagination is the gift of escaping reality that each of us possesses. We should not depend on anyone to take a mental vacation. Mastering your art of imagination will increase your ability to handle the bad things that life throws at you. This is why the narrator recommends using the imagination. On Earth, we can become tired of the daily events of life – this “pathless woods”. However, Earth is the ideal place for living poetry. I could imagine a winter scene: “As the breeze rises” and the effect of “the heat of the sun” on the sheaths of ice covering the branches of the trees. But that's where I ended the scene. I didn't imagine the shards of ice "on the crust of snow" as "heaps of broken glass to sweep away." At first, I didn't feel broken; I felt the scene was peaceful. Conclusion I enjoyed reading “Birches” and I believe my reaction is both personal and aesthetic. This poem was long and complex enough to contain many of the aesthetics of a great poem. I will always remember the vivid images provided by Frost's use of figures of speech and sound. This poem also moved my feelings. Frost, Robert. Frost: Collected Poems, Prose, and Plays “Introduction to Threescore: The Autobiography of Sarah N. Cleghorn,” New York, The Library of America, 1995.