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Robert Frost

(1874-1963)

Who Was Robert Frost?

Frost spent his first 40 years as an unknown. He exploded on the scene after returning from England at the beginning of World War I . He died of complications from prostate surgery on January 29, 1963.

Early Years

Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California. He spent the first 11 years of his life there, until his journalist father, William Prescott Frost Jr., died of tuberculosis.

Following his father's passing, Frost moved with his mother and sister, Jeanie, to the town of Lawrence, Massachusetts. They moved in with his grandparents, and Frost attended Lawrence High School.

After high school, Frost attended Dartmouth College for several months, returning home to work a slew of unfulfilling jobs.

Beginning in 1897, Frost attended Harvard University but had to drop out after two years due to health concerns. He returned to Lawrence to join his wife.

In 1900, Frost moved with his wife and children to a farm in New Hampshire — property that Frost's grandfather had purchased for them—and they attempted to make a life on it for the next 12 years. Though it was a fruitful time for Frost's writing, it was a difficult period in his personal life and followed the deaths of two of his young children.

During that time, Frost and Elinor attempted several endeavors, including poultry farming, all of which were fairly unsuccessful.

Despite such challenges, it was during this time that Frost acclimated himself to rural life. In fact, he grew to depict it quite well, and began setting many of his poems in the countryside.

Frost met his future love and wife, Elinor White, when they were both attending Lawrence High School. She was his co-valedictorian when they graduated in 1892.

In 1894, Frost proposed to White, who was attending St. Lawrence University , but she turned him down because she first wanted to finish school. Frost then decided to leave on a trip to Virginia, and when he returned, he proposed again. By then, White had graduated from college, and she accepted. They married on December 19, 1895.

White died in 1938. Diagnosed with cancer in 1937 and having undergone surgery, she also had had a long history of heart trouble, to which she ultimately succumbed.

Frost and White had six children together. Their first child, Elliot, was born in 1896. Daughter Lesley was born in 1899.

Elliot died of cholera in 1900. After his death, Elinor gave birth to four more children: son Carol (1902), who would commit suicide in 1940; Irma (1903), who later developed mental illness; Marjorie (1905), who died in her late 20s after giving birth; and Elinor (1907), who died just weeks after she was born.

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Early Poetry

In 1894, Frost had his first poem, "My Butterfly: an Elegy," published in The Independent , a weekly literary journal based in New York City .

Two poems, "The Tuft of Flowers" and "The Trial by Existence," were published in 1906. He could not find any publishers who were willing to underwrite his other poems.

In 1912, Frost and Elinor decided to sell the farm in New Hampshire and move the family to England, where they hoped there would be more publishers willing to take a chance on new poets.

Within just a few months, Frost, now 38, found a publisher who would print his first book of poems, A Boy’s Will , followed by North of Boston a year later.

It was at this time that Frost met fellow poets Ezra Pound and Edward Thomas, two men who would affect his life in significant ways. Pound and Thomas were the first to review his work in a favorable light, as well as provide significant encouragement. Frost credited Thomas's long walks over the English landscape as the inspiration for one of his most famous poems, "The Road Not Taken."

Apparently, Thomas's indecision and regret regarding what paths to take inspired Frost's work. The time Frost spent in England was one of the most significant periods in his life, but it was short-lived. Shortly after World War I broke out in August 1914, Frost and Elinor were forced to return to America.

Public Recognition for Frost’s Poetry

When Frost arrived back in America, his reputation had preceded him, and he was well-received by the literary world. His new publisher, Henry Holt, who would remain with him for the rest of his life, had purchased all of the copies of North of Boston . In 1916, he published Frost's Mountain Interval , a collection of other works that he created while in England, including a tribute to Thomas.

Journals such as the Atlantic Monthly , who had turned Frost down when he submitted work earlier, now came calling. Frost famously sent the Atlantic the same poems that they had rejected before his stay in England.

In 1915, Frost and Elinor settled down on a farm that they purchased in Franconia, New Hampshire. There, Frost began a long career as a teacher at several colleges, reciting poetry to eager crowds and writing all the while.

He taught at Dartmouth and the University of Michigan at various times, but his most significant association was with Amherst College , where he taught steadily during the period from 1916 until his wife’s death in 1938. The main library is now named in his honor.

For a period of more than 40 years beginning in 1921, Frost also spent almost every summer and fall at Middlebury College , teaching English on its campus in Ripton, Vermont.

In the late 1950s, Frost, along with Ernest Hemingway and T. S. Eliot , championed the release of his old acquaintance Ezra Pound, who was being held in a federal mental hospital for treason due to his involvement with fascists in Italy during World War II . Pound was released in 1958, after the indictments were dropped.

Famous Poems

Some of Frost’s most well-known poems include:

• “The Road Not Taken”
• “Fire and Ice”
• “Mending Wall”
• “Home Burial”
• “The Death of the Hired Man”
• “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”
• “Acquainted with the Night”
• “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Pulitzer Prizes and Awards

During his lifetime, Frost received more than 40 honorary degrees.

In 1924, Frost was awarded his first of four Pulitzer Prizes, for his book New Hampshire . He would subsequently win Pulitzers for Collected Poems (1931), A Further Range (1937) and A Witness Tree (1943).

In 1960, Congress awarded Frost the Congressional Gold Medal.

President John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration

At the age of 86, Frost was honored when asked to write and recite a poem for President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration. His sight now failing, he was not able to see the words in the sunlight and substituted the reading of one of his poems, "The Gift Outright," which he had committed to memory.

Soviet Union Tour

In 1962, Frost visited the Soviet Union on a goodwill tour. However, when he accidentally misrepresented a statement made by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev following their meeting, he unwittingly undid much of the good intended by his visit.

On January 29, 1963, Frost died from complications related to prostate surgery. He was survived by two of his daughters, Lesley and Irma. His ashes are interred in a family plot in Bennington, Vermont.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Robert Lee Frost
• Birth Year: 1874
• Birth date: March 26, 1874
• Birth State: California
• Birth City: San Francisco
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Robert Frost was an American poet who depicted realistic New England life through language and situations familiar to the common man. He won four Pulitzer Prizes for his work and spoke at John F. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration.
• Fiction and Poetry
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Harvard University
• Lawrence High School
• Dartmouth College
• Death Year: 1963
• Death date: January 29, 1963
• Death State: Massachusetts
• Death City: Boston
• Death Country: United States

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Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American poet famous for his mastery of depicting rural life and endowing it with symbolic significance relevant to the human condition. Despite the lack of recognition and fame in early adulthood, Frost continued to write poetry and eventually became America’s most decorated poet. He was awarded four Pulitzer Prizes and the Congressional Gold Medal for his poetry.

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Robert Frost: biography

Below is a summary of important details about Robert Frost's life.

Robert Frost's childhood

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1 874 to William Prescott Frost Jr. and Isabelle Moodie. His father worked as a teacher and journalist but tragically died from tuberculosis when Frost was only eleven years old. After his father’s death, Robert Frost moved with his family to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he was supported by his grandparents.

Frost developed an interest in writing and reading poetry during his time in high school, publishing poetry in the school magazine. Frost graduated from high school at the top of his class and delivered the valedictory ceremony alongside Elinor White, who would later become his wife.

In 1892 Frost enrolled at Dartmouth College for a short time. He also attended Harvard University from 1897 to 1889, though he never managed to graduate due to illness. 1

Robert Frost's adulthood

After leaving school, Frost tried his hand at different occupations, including working as a teacher, a factory employee, and editor of the Lawrence Sentinel. His experience working different jobs made him realise his desire to write poetry and attempt to earn a living from it.

Frost’s first published poem, titled 'My Butterfly: An Elegy' , appeared in the Independent newspaper in 1894. Shortly after in 1895, Frost married Elinor White after she had graduated from St. Lawrence University. The couple moved to New Hampshire, where they lived on a farm purchased for them by Frost’s grandfather.

Frost worked on the farm while also writing a lot of his poetry that would later gain popularity. His efforts at farming proved to be fruitless, so he taught at an academy from 1906 to 1911.

Feeling relatively unfulfilled with his work, Frost made the brave decision to sail to Great Britain along with his family in 1912. His time in Britain led him to meet fellow poets such as Edward Thomas, Robert Graves, and Ezra Pound. The newly gained friendships aided him in promoting and publishing his work and were also influential on his poetic style .

In 1913 Frost published his first poetry collection titled 'A Boy’s Will', and his second collection was published a year later, titled 'North of Boston' (1914). Frost’s name gradually became relevant amongst readers in Britain, and his fame would quickly spread back home in America as well.

Life after fame

Upon news of the outbreak of World War I , Frost and his family returned to the United States in 1915. American publishers and writers took notice of Frost’s uncanny poetic ability and his reputation soon became established in America. New publications of ' North of Boston ' and 'A Boy’s Will' for the US market became best-sellers, which led to Frost becoming one of the most celebrated poets in America.

Frost settled down on his farm in New Hampshire and took on a role as a teacher at Amherst College. He continued to write poetry and further cemented his position among the finest poets of America. Some of the collections he published include ' Mountain Interval' (1916), 'New Hampshire ' (1923), and 'Steeple Bush '(1947).

Frost was honoured with four Pulitzer prizes for his poetry throughout his career. He also served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress from 1958 to 1959, and in 1962 he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Frost continued to teach at different schools such as Middlebury College, the University of Michigan, and Amherst College. He played a significant role in how the writing programs were set at the schools. Although he never graduated from Harvard, he did receive an honorary degree. In fact, Frost was presented with over forty honorary degrees, many of which were from the world's most prestigious universities.

Towards the end of his life, Frost was chosen to deliver a poem at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. At the ceremony, he recited his poem 'The Gift Outright.' 2

Robert Frost died in Boston at 88 years old on 29 January 1963 and was buried in Bennington, Vermont.

Robert Frost's literary style

Robert Frost’s poetry is primarily known for its eloquent descriptions of nature and rural life in New England. He held traditional poetic forms in high regard and pursued mastery of them throughout his literary career. Frost’s ability to question universal aspects of the human condition with the use of colloquial language meant his poetry was accessible and engaging for both the casual reader and literary experts.

Robert Frost's poetic forms

Robert Frost’s poetry has a clear conversational rhythm that’s created by his use of meter and rhyme in his sentences.

Frost commonly used traditional stanzas and metrical lines in his poems. He favoured simple rhyme schemes such as ABAB (alternating rhyme) and AABB (Coupled rhyme). His most common stanza is the quatrain (four lines).

Frost was a proponent of blank verse and used the form with success in many of his poems. Some of his most notable poems written in blank verse include Mending Wall (1914), Out, Out (1916), and Birches (1916).

Blank verse: An unrhyming verse in iambic pentameter.

Frost discovered that the restrictions of writing within a set poetic form helped him focus on the content of the poem and took away the anxiety of having to learn and use ever-changing modern forms.

Frost wasn’t particularly interested in the trending poetic form known as free verse and famously commented that it was

“like playing tennis without a net.” 3

Free verse: A form that doesn’t use a consistent meter, rhyme scheme , or pattern.

Robert Frost and literary movements

Robert Frost is more generally known for being a modernist poet.

The literary movement that Frost’s work represents is a topic that’s frequently debated among scholars. Frost stood separate from the poetic fashions of his day and chose to write on universal themes with a simple and direct style .

Although his career took place during the modern period, Frost’s critics make the claim that his work was somewhat stuck in the past and possess characteristics of 19th-century American poetry due to his reluctance to experiment with new poetic forms and a distinct lack of references to modern technology.

On the other hand, it could be said Frost managed to implement 19th-century techniques in a way that was palatable for the modern reader. Frost created powerful imagery and symbolism through rural settings that showed originality and a sincere tone.

Throughout his career, Frost successfully married poetic forms of the past and present to create a distinctive and unique style that has established his position as one of the best poets of his generation.

Common themes in Robert Frost's poetry

The most important themes that appear in Frost’s poetry are nature, loneliness, and duty.

Robert Frost’s love of nature stands out in the majority of his poems. He depicts pastoral settings and draws profound metaphors and symbolism from his environment. His work reveals the extreme ends of the natural world; its beauty and grace as well as its destructive and omnipotent qualities are laid out in his poetry.

It’s no doubt that the source of Frost’s view of nature comes from the time he spent in the rural parts of New England.

I have been treading on leaves all day until I am autumn-tired. God knows all the color and form of leaves I have trodden on and mired.

'A Leaf-treader' (1930)

Frost’s notable poems that heavily reference nature include 'A Leaf-treader ' (1930), 'Birches' (1916), and ' The Road Not Taken ' (1916).

Frost actually grew up in the city and didn’t spend a lot of time in rural areas until later in his life.

Frost expresses the theme of loneliness through the many different characters that appear in his poems. On the surface, the characters often live seemingly normal and mundane lives, but their sense of isolation is understood from their individual perspective of life and the realisation that nobody else sees the world exactly as they do.

But church-bells open on the blast

Our loneliness, so long and vast.

'Loneliness' (1916)

A good example of a poem with the theme of loneliness is 'The Lockless Door' (1923), 'Apple-Picking' (1914), and 'Loneliness' (1916).

Life in the countryside is endowed with a sense of hard work and duty , which is developed from the tough manual labour necessary for day-to-day life. Frost highly valued the inherent sense of duty in people and made it a theme of a number of his poems.

In the poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' (1923), the speaker is roaming the snow-covered woods and marvels at its beauty. He desires to stay and bask in the scene but comes to terms with the fact that he’s obligated to certain duties, and leaves the forest.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

' Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (1923)'

Quotes by Robert Frost

The following quotes by Robert Frost reflect the themes that occur throughout his works.

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

This quote means that no matter what happens in life, whether it is good or bad, life will continue to move forward. Life is a continuous journey, and it does not stop for anyone or anything. Frost's statement also suggests that we should not dwell on the past, but instead focus on the present and the future.

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.

This quote is about the importance of self-determination and standing up for oneself.

The first part of the quote encourages us to speak up and not let anyone intimidate us into silence. The second part of the quote reminds us that we should not tolerate any form of abuse or mistreatment and must stand up for ourselves.

The final part of the quote emphasizes the importance of defining ourselves and not allowing others to define us. Our lives are our own, and we should not let others dictate who we are or what we are capable of achieving.

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.

Frost emphasises the importance of education in developing the ability to listen without reacting negatively. Frost suggests that education goes beyond just acquiring knowledge and skills, but also developing the ability to listen and understand different perspectives without getting angry or losing confidence in oneself.

Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. ('The Road Not Taken')

This line from the poem is particularly famous for a reason; t he quote is a reflection on the speaker's decision to take the less travelled path and how it affected his life.

The metaphorical 'two roads' represent two different paths or choices in life that the speaker is faced with. The speaker decides to take the less travelled path, which suggests that he is taking a less conventional or risky path that others may not have taken before. By doing so, he sets himself apart from the crowd and takes a unique path that he believes will make a difference in his life.

Robert Frost's notable poems

Frost's most well-known poems are 'The Road Not Taken', 'Mending Wall', 'Out, Out', and 'Fire and Ice'.

'The Road Not Taken' (1916)

Robert Frost published 'The Road Not Taken' after his brief move to England. It was inspired by the countryside walks he took with his friend and fellow poet Edward Thomas. It’s perhaps his most famous and most misunderstood poem.

The narrative of the poem follows the speaker as he comes across a diverging path and his subsequent deliberation over which path he should take. The main themes of the poem are choice and uncertainty, which are explored with the metaphor of the diverging paths.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

'Mending Wall' (1914)

'Mending Wall' is a poem that was published in Robert Frost’s second collection of poetry, North of Boston (1914). The poem narrates the story of the speaker and his neighbour as they meet to rebuild their wall after a harsh winter. Despite having seemingly opposite world views the pair co-operate to mend their shared wall.

'Mending Wall' is a complex poem and its meaning is difficult to pin down. The main theme that Frost elaborates on is boundaries and their importance in human relationships as well as literally in the form of walls.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

'Fire and Ice' (1920)

Robert Frost published his poem 'Fire and Ice' in his fourth poetry collection titled New Hampshire (1923). It’s a short poem made up of a single stanza with 9 lines and a simple rhyme scheme . The poem presents fire and ice to represent the human emotions of desire and hate and discusses which of these forces would bring an end to the world.

The main source of inspiration for the poem is likely to be from Dante’s ' Inferno', which is a section of the epic poem Divine Comedy (1320) that describes a soul’s journey through hell.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

The speaker in Frost's Poems

The speaker in Frost's poems generally maintains an objective viewpoint and narrates the poem. Scholars have commented that the speakers in his poems often represent Frost's personal ideas and opinions on the subject matter that's being discussed.

In some of his poems, however, the speaker goes beyond being a third-person narrator and gives his personal opinion on the events in the poem. This is the case in the poem 'Out, Out' (1916) , where the speaker expresses his thoughts about the tragic accident and how he wished things would have gone differently for the boy.

Robert Frost - Key takeaways

• Robert Frost is one of the most decorated American poets of his generation.
• Frost had a passion for poetry at a young age and published his first poem in high school.
• Robert Frost met his wife Elinor White when they were in high school together.
• Frost was honoured with four Pulitzer prizes.
• Robert Frost’s poetry is primarily known for its eloquent descriptions of nature.

1 Jay Parini, Robert Frost: A Life. Macmillan , 2000

2 'John F. Kennedy: A Man of This Century'. CBS . 1963.

3 Richard Ellman and Robert O'Clair. The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, 1988.

Frequently Asked Questions about Robert Frost

--> what did robert frost write about in his poems.

Robert Frost wrote about nature-based settings and explored many themes including nature, loneliness, duty, death, and love.

--> Where is Robert Frost buried?

Robert Frost is buried in Bennington, Vermont.

--> Who is the speaker in Out, Out by Robert Frost?

The speaker in Out, Out generally maintains an objective perspective of the events that occur. However, there are sections where the speaker provides his perspective on the events.  

--> Where was Robert Frost born?

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California, USA.

--> What was Robert Frost's poetic style?

Robert Frost’s poetic style can be described as being pastoral, conversational, and introspective.

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Fill in the gap: 'The Road Not Taken' is thought to be one of the most _____ poems in American Literature.

What is the rhyme scheme of 'The Road Not Taken'?

What is the main theme in 'The Road Not Taken'?

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In which poetry collection was 'The Road Not Taken' published in?

Mountain Interval (1916)

What inspired Frost to write 'The Road Not Taken'?

Frost’s friend Edward Thomas was indecisive about what path to take during their walks, and this inspired Frost to write the poem. 

Which poetic device has been underlined in the following passage?

'Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim ,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear ;'

Personification

Fill in the gap: 'The Road Not Taken' is thought to be one of the most _____ poems in American Literature.

What is the rhyme scheme of 'The Road Not Taken'?

Fill in the gap: 'The Road Not Taken' consists of 20 lines divided into four _____.

'The Road Not Taken' consists of 20 lines divided into four quintains .

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Robert Frost

Robert Frost (Robert Lee Frost) was an American Poet. Before his works were published in America, they were published in England. Frost is known for his accurate description of country life and his grasp on the colloquial speech of America. Frost wrote about the rural life of New England in the early 20 th century. He used the settings of New England to analyze the philosophical and complex social themes.

Frost was admired and honored for his poetry. He is the only poet who received four Pulitzer Prizes in Poetry. He turned out to be one of the rare literary figures of America who was almost an artistic institution. In 1960, he was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal for his poetry. He was named as poet laureate of Vermont on 22 nd July 1961. 

A Short Biography of Robert Frost

Robert Frost was born on 26 th August 1874 to William Prescott, Jr. and Isabelle Moodie Frost. His father, William, was a journalist and was ambitious to make his career in California. He has only one sister Jeanie Frost. In 1885, his father died, and his mother shifted to Lawrence, Massachusetts, with her two children. The children were taken by the paternal grandparents of Robert and grew up in Lawrence, whereas his mother started teaching at different schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In 1892, Robert graduated from high school. He was a top student in the class and shared his valediction honors with his beloved Elinor White.

Both Elinor and Robert shared interest in poetry; however, they were separated as Robert continued his education at Dartmouth College, and Elinor went to St. Lawrence University. The poetic career Robert had started in high school was continued by him. He published his first poem, My Butterfly: An Elegy” in 1894 in a weekly journal, The Independent. Frost left Dartmouth College before the completion of his first year because of the tiring academic routine. 

In 1985, he married Elinor. However, life was difficult, and Robert started teaching and farming to support his family. His fields of career did not meet any notable success. In the following twelve years, they had six children. Two of the children died at an early age. In 1897, Robert resumed his education at Harvard University and left the university after two years. From1900 to 1909, the family started poultry on a farm in New Hampshire; Frost also started teaching at the Pinkerton Academy in Derry. Frost turned into an ambitious botanist and attained his poetic identity of a rural sage of New England during these years. He was writing poetry during the time, but the publishing opening shows that he did not have much interest in it.

Frost was struggling against the discouragement by 1911. For him, poetry was regarded as a game of a young person. Whereas Frost, who was almost 40 years old, could not publish a book and only had published a few handfuls of poems in magazines. In 1911, Frost got ownership of the Derry farm. He made a sudden decision to sell the farm and started a new life in London. To him, the publishers in London were more approachable to new talent than in America. In 1912, Frost, along with his family, moved to England. Frost also took his poems with him that he had written in America but did not publish it. Indeed the publishers of England proved receptive to an innovative verse of Robert Frost. Frost n with his own efforts and help of Ezra pound published his book A Boy’s Will in 1913. His poems “The Tuft of Flowers,” “Mowing,” and “Storm Fear” from the first book were the standard pieces.

In 1914, he published his second collection North of Boston. The collection contained the major and most popular poems of Robert Frost. These poems include “The Death of the Hired Man,” “After Apple-Picking,” “Mending Wall,” and “Home Burial.” In 1914, Anne Lowell, the Boston poet, traveled to England and encountered Frost’s work in the bookstore. She took the books with her to America and launched a campaign to publish it in America. In the meantime, she also started writing a complimentary review of North of Boston.

Frost had achieved great fame without his knowledge. In 1915, Frost returned to America because of World War I. Till that time, the review of Amy Lowell was already published, and everyone was aware of the unusual qualities of Robert Frost. His book North of Boston had been published by Henry Holt Publishers in 1914. It was the best-seller, and when Frost was moving to America, it had already started publishing the American edition of A Boy’s Will. Frost was instantly approached by various magazines to publish his poems.

In 1915, at Franconia, New Hampshire, Frost bought a little farm. However, he was unable to support his family with the income of poetry and farm.  Thus, he started lecturing part-time at Amherst College. From 1916 to 1938, he taught at the University of Michigan. In 1916, he published a new collection of poems, Mountain Interval. The collection continued to be as successful and the previous one. In 1923, he published New Hampshire. This collection received a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. 

His further collection was published in the succeeding years. He published Collected Poem in 1930, Further Range in 1936, and A Witness Tree in 1942. He also published volumes of poetry that includes West-Running Brook in 1928, In Clearing in 1962, and Steeple Blush in 1947. From 1939 to 1943, he served as the Poet-in-residence at Harvard; from 1943 to 1949 at Dartmouth; and from 1949 to 63 at Amherst College. He gathered awards and honors from every year in his last years. He also served as the poetry consultant to the Library of Congress from 1958 to 1959.

In 1962, on a goodwill tour, Frost visited the Soviet Union. However, he, by mistake, altered the statement by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev after the meeting. The good intended by the visit was unwittingly undone.

On 29 th January 1963, frost faced complications from his prostate surgery and died. He left two daughters, Irma and Lesley. His remains are buried in Bennington, Vermont, in a family plot. 

Robert Frost’s Literary Style

A regional poet.

Robert Frost was living in the region of New England, almost in New Hampshire. He considered it to be one of the two best states in the United States of America; the other was Vermont. He was a poet in his region. He did not include the region of all of America in his poetic scope. However, he also did not attempt to bring regional unity to his characters and also create a Utopian world for them. According to John Lynen, “Frost is the best known to the public as the poet of New England. Like Faulkner, he stands forth as both the interpreter and the representative of his regional culture.”

The setting of New England offered him stories, characters, attitudes that he needed. He loved the tradition of New England and sought strength from it. His works fall in the pastoral literary tradition. His characters, subjects, and events belong to rural New England. He focuses on the ordinary setting and events of rural areas.

Symbolism in Robert Frost’s Poetry

Symbolism is an indirect and veiled mode of communication. Along with the surface meaning, a literary piece also has a deeper meaning, which can only be understood when one reads the poem/literary work through close examination. The poems of Robert Frost have symbolic meaning.

For example, the poem “Mending Wall” apparently suggests that good neighbors are made by good friends. However, the poem symbolically deals with one of the significant problems. It put forwards the question of whether to make the natural boundaries strong to protect ourselves or to remove them as they limit our interaction with other people.

Similarly, the poem “Stopping by Woods” symbolically suggests the struggle of every individual between their social duties towards others with the stresses of our practical life and the moving longing to escape into nature and relax. Moreover, darks woods in the poem that is covered with the snow, and the speaker is greatly attracted to it, symbolizes death. However, the speaker turns down the call of nature (wood) and decides on fulfilling his social obligations. The speaker says:

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep

  But I have promises to keep,

  And miles to go before I sleep,

  And miles to go before I sleep.”

The poem “Stopping by Woods on a snowy evening” has a new sort of symbolism, unlike the outdated traditional pastoral symbolism. The subtly and indirect nature of Frost’s symbolism in the poem is due to its fondness for inference than obvious statements.  It is due to this subtle quality that readers admire Frost’s poetry. Another unique quality in the reading of the poems of Frost is that our surface understanding of the poem does not coincide with deeper meaning. 

 Though the poems or subject matters, Frost’s poetry is complicated. However, clarity in verse veiled the complications and made the poem comprehensible. Even if the poems had nothing but surface meaning, Frost would be admired for his clarity of verse.

Seriousness and Spontaneity in Frost’s Poetry

The whole life of Robert Frost was dedicated to his poetry, which shows his seriousness for his art. But in the initial life, he did not pay much attention to his poetic talent or analyze the source of his poetic gift. This turned the poetry of Frost having unforced, simple, and lyric charm. It appears to be written effortlessly and naturally, just as breathing.

The verse of Robert Frost d stately, formed, and easily anticipated. The technique he employed is simple. He carefully handles the language and rhythm that his most sophisticated poems have spontaneity. Therefore, his ideas seem to be suddenly discovered, not conceived earlier.

Isolation and Loneliness in Robert Frost’s Poetry

One of the important themes of the poetry of Robert Brown is the isolation of man in the universe and his feeling of alienation from nature. The Majority of his poems deal with the feeling of loneliness and sense of isolation. These themes are also influenced by Frost’s personal experiences. Frost’s sister Jeanie has been mentally ill for a long period due to which she became completely alienated from the world. Jeanie was not able to cope with the stiffness and cruelty of existence. For her, the reality of love, birth, and death was conflicting. The ideal world of Jeanie never reconciled with her real world.

In the poem “Home Burial,” the plight of the husband is similar to the plight of Frost in being powerless to deter her sister from the view of the world. The woman in the poem is unable to accept the reality of the situation, just like Jeanie. The woman is unable to reconcile herself to the death of her child and becomes totally alienated from the world.

Similarly, in the poem “An Old Man’s Winter Night” is about an old man roaming alone in the empty house on a winter night and then goes to the store and sleep beside it. The poem efficiently portrays the loneliness of old age and shows deep hostility of life counter to death.

“One Aged Man—-One Man—Can’t Keep A House,

  A Farm, A Countryside, Or If He Can,

  It’s Thus He Does It Of A Winter Night.”

The Portrayal of Characters and Psychoanalysis

Frost’s poems also depict the characters with a psychoanalytical approach. The psychoanalytical approach shows the features of modernism in Frost’s poetry. In these poems, Frost explores the unconscious mind of his characters, although Frost does not seem to be directly influenced by Sigmund Freud. His poetry also focuses on abnormal psychology, dealing with morbid and unconventional behavior of humans. In these poems, the characters are lonely and neurotic. For example, in the poem Home Burial , there is an over-wrought mother who is outrageous in the grief of the death of her child.

Similarly, in “The Death of Hired Man,” the decaying Silas is adhering through carelessness and failure to his need for self-respect. The characters of Robert Frost are full of blood and flesh; he enters into their mind with intense awareness and brings into reality their movements, actions, and speeches with psychoanalytical power.

Narrative and Dramatic Quality of Frost’s poetry

Robert Frost’s poetry is essentially dramatic, no matter what the theme is. He dramatizes his poetry for his readers by creating full scenes of situations and a realistic atmosphere. The dramatic quality is at the peak in the poem at denouement when the fact of the world in the poem attains its metaphysical significance.

For example, in the poem “Home Burial” and “The Death of Hired Man” characters, scenes, and dialogues are shown with full narrative skills like a stage drama.

Fancy and Fact in Frost’s Poetry

The poetry of Robert Frost is beautifully blended of fancy and fact. He inculcates everything in his observation. In the poem “Stopping by Woods,” Frost blends the fancy and facts through the feeling of enjoying the scene of beautiful wood and trying to escape from reality. The speaker is captivated in a lovely scene, but at the same time, he realizes his social obligations of the real and practical life.

Conversational and colloquial Style of Robert Frost

Robert Frost mastered the colloquial and conversational style. He uses sober, quire, and bewitching sort of words. His dialogues are homely, such as in Poem “Home Burial” and “Death of The Hired Man.” His poetry has actual speech rhythm and employed it with mastery. One of his distinguishing features includes the movement of blank verse. The diction he uses is also simple and colloquial. Just like Wordsworth, he employed the language really used by the common man.

Poet of Nature

One of the dominant subjects of Frost’s poetry is Nature; however, he is not nature-poet like that of Thomas Hardy and Wordsworth. His poetry focuses on a man in nature, whereas the poetry of Wordsworth deals with the prospect of the natural world. He perceives no infusing essence in the natural objective and hardhearted. For Frost, nature provides comfort as well as a threat. 

Philosophy, Moral Didacticism, and Aphorism

The wisdom that develops by tolerance, understanding, and observation is preferred by Frost. He is a philosophical poet, and his philosophical value lies in the incentive of intelligence which assists human actions in everyday life. The main characteristics of Frost’s poetry are: it is philosophical, didactic, and aphoristic. The aphoristic verses in the poem provide philosophical and didactic quality. The Following are the examples of his aphoristic lines from different poems.

“A Home is a place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in” from the poem “Death of Hired Man.”

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” From the poem “Mending Wall.”

“Earth’s right place for love

I do not know where it’s likely to go better ” From the poem “Birches.”

“But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep” from the poem “Stopping by Wood.”

Though the poems of Frost have a moral purpose, however, the moral lesson is given through either an argument moving the lyric or in a dramatic situation. The moral lesson is not explicit and obvious. Similarly, he deals with the notions of life, birth, truth, and death to make his poem philosophical.

Lyrical Quality

In his poetry, Frost employs the oldest way to make a new and distinctive lyrical form of poetry. Musicality is an essential feature of a lyrical poem, and musicality in the verses is achieved by rhyme, meter, and traditional patterns of stanzas. Frost’s main reputation is based on the lyrical quality of his poetry. For example, in the poem “Stopping by Wood” and “The Road Not Taken” is full of lyricism. In his poetry, Frost not only renews the subject of lyricism in poetry but also brought originality and astonishing sophistication to it. Frost focuses much on the tune and sound of his poem.

Fusion or Integration in Frost’s Poetry

In Frost’s poetry, heterogeneous ideas and elements are fused together in a single independent unit. The main problem is to achieve fusion and integration. Once the integration is achieved, wonder, mystery, and magic are observed in the poetry. According to Frost, a variety of poetry lies not in its uniqueness of form but in the uniqueness of its subject matter. The two ideas fused together in a poem may be difficult to separate from each other. In Frost, poetry, two different subjects are happily united, not forcefully.

Metaphysical Elements in Frost’s Poetry

Just Emerson and Emily Dickenson, Frost is also a metaphysical poet. His metaphysical quality permits him to see beyond the ordinary. Throughout the poems of Frost, like other great metaphysical poems, there is an increased tension created between the simple feet and the mystery revolving around it. The conflict is resolved at the end of the poem with a moral lesson. 

The Irony in Robert Frost’s Poetry

In “Two Ways of Looking at Robert Frost, Randel Jarrell writes: “At its best, Frost’s irony is the sharpest of poetic weapons; at its worst, it is the forgivable pun of a wise old duffer.”

There are two personalities of Robert Frost. The one that everyone knows and the one nobody really knows it or talks about it. The personality of Frost that everyone knows is the one who writes poetry with good puns, and these puns are easily understood by the common readers. For academic writers, the easy side is very attractive, and it is this side that the other personality of the poet is neglected. Similarly, the poetry of Frost has two sides: simple and ironic. The irony is hardly understood by anyone. 

Works Of Robert Frost

• The Road Not Taken
• Mending Wall

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About Nelson Mandela

Full Name - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Date of Birth - July 18, 1918

Date of Death - December 5, 2013

Cause of Death - Prolonged respiratory infection

Age - 95 years

Nelson Mandela spouse(s) -

Evelyn Ntoko Mase (m. 1944; div. 1958)​

Winnie Madikizela (m. 1958; div. 1996)

Graça Machel ​(m. 1998)

Who is Nelson Mandela?

Nelson Mandela belonged to the Thembu Dynasty cadet branch which reigned (nominally) in the Transkeian Territories of the Cape Province Union of South Africa. He was born in the small village of Qunu in the Mthatha district, the capital of the Transkei. Ngubengcuka (died 1830), the Inkosi Enkulu or King of the Thembu people, was his great-grandfather and was ultimately subjected to British colonial rule. One of the king's sons, named Mandela, became Nelson's grandfather and the source of his surname.

His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa (1880-1928) was appointed chief of the village of Mvezo. However, he was stripped of his position after alienating the colonial authorities and he moved his family to Qunu. Gadla, however, remained a member of the Privy Council of Inkosi and was instrumental in the ascension of Jongintaba Dalindyebo to the Thembu throne, who would later return this favor by informally adopting Mandela upon the death of Gadla.

Mandela's father had four wives, with whom he fathered a total of 13 children (four boys and nine girls). Nosekeni Fanny, daughter of Nkedama of the Mpemvu Xhosa tribe, in whose homestead Mandela spent most of his childhood, was born to Gadla's third wife ('third' by a complex royal ranking system). His given name, Rolihlahla, means "one who brings trouble upon himself."

Nelson Mandela Education

Rolihlahla Mandela became the first member of his family to attend a school at the age of seven, where a Methodist teacher gave him the name 'Nelson,' after the British admiral Horatio Nelson. When Rolihlahla was nine, his father died of tuberculosis, and the Regent, Jongintaba, became his guardian. Mandela was attending a Wesleyan mission school next door to the Regent's palace. He was initiated at age 16, adopting Thembu tradition, and attended Clarkebury Boarding Institute, learning about Western culture. Instead of the standard three, he completed his Junior Certificate in two years.

In 1937, Mandela moved to Healdtown, the Wesleyan college in Fort Beaufort, which was attended by most Thembu royalty, as he was supposed to inherit the place of his father as a private counselor. He took an interest in boxing and running at the age of nineteen. After registering, he began studying for a B.A. and met Oliver Tambo at Fort Hare University, where the two became lifelong friends and colleagues. He became active in a protest by the Students' Representative Council against university policies at the end of his first year and was forced to leave Fort Hare.

Mandela initially found employment as a guard at a mine upon his arrival in Johannesburg. This was quickly terminated, however, after the employer learned that Mandela was the runaway adopted son of the Regent. Thanks to connections with his friend and fellow lawyer Walter Sisulu, he then managed to find work as a clerk at a law firm. He completed his degree at the University of South Africa (UNISA) through correspondence while working, after which he began his law studies at the University of Witwatersrand. Mandela lived in a township called Alexandra during that time.

About Nelson Mandela Marriage and Family

Nelson Mandela married thrice and had fathered six children, 20 grandchildren, and an increasing number of great-grandchildren. His first marriage was to Evelyn Ntoko Mase, who, like Mandela, was also from what later became South Africa's Transkei region. They first met in Johannesburg.  The couple had two sons, Madiba Thembekile (born 1946) and Makgatho (born 1950), and two daughters, both named Makaziwe (known as Maki; born 1947 and 1953).

Nelson Mandela’s second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was also from the Transkei region, even though they also met in Johannesburg, where she was the first black social worker in the city. The marriage bore two daughters, Zenani (Zeni), born on February 4, 1958, and Zindziswa (Zindzi), born in 1960. The union, fuelled by political estrangement, ended in separation (April 1992) and divorce (March 1996).

In 1998, on his 80th birthday, Mandela married Graça Machel, née Simbine, the widow of Samora Machel, a former Mozambican president and an ANC ally killed 12 years earlier in an air crash. His traditional sovereign, King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, born in 1964, carried out the wedding on Mandela's behalf (which followed months of international negotiations to fix the unparalleled bride price sent to her clan). Ironically, it was the grandfather of this paramount leader, the Regent, whose selection of a bride for him compelled Mandela to flee as a young man to Johannesburg. 

About Nelson Mandela Political Activity

Nelson Mandela was influential in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Movement and the 1955 People's Congress. They adopted the Freedom Charter which provided the basic program of the anti-apartheid cause, after the 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner-dominated National Party with its apartheid racial segregation policy. Nelson Mandela and fellow lawyer Oliver Tambo ran the Mandela and Tambo law firm during this period, offering free or low-cost legal advice to many blacks who would otherwise have been without legal representation.

Initially influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and devoted to non-violent mass struggle, on December 5, 1956, Mandela was arrested and charged with treason along with 150 others. The 1956-1961 marathon Treason Trial followed, and all were acquitted. As a new class of black activists (Africanists) emerged in the townships seeking more drastic action against the National Party government, the ANC witnessed disruption from 1952-1959. Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, and Walter Sisulu's ANC leadership thought not only that events were moving too rapidly, but also that their leadership was being questioned.

The ANC lost its most militant support in 1959 when, under Robert Sobukwe and Potlako Leballo, most of the Africanists, with financial support from Ghana and major political support from the Transvaal-based Basotho, split away to form the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).

Arrest and Imprisonment 

In 1961, Nelson Mandela became the chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation, also abbreviated as MK), the armed wing of the ANC, which he co-founded. He coordinated a campaign of sabotage against military and government objectives and if sabotage failed to end apartheid, made preparations for a future guerrilla war. MK did indeed wage a guerrilla war against the regime a few decades later, especially during the 1980s, in which many civilians were killed. Mandela also collected funds and organized paramilitary training for MK overseas, visiting different African governments.

He was captured after living on the run for 17 months on August 5, 1962, and imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort. Three days later, at a court appearance, the charges of leading workers to a strike in 1961 and leaving the country illegally were read to him. Mandela was sentenced to five years in prison on October 25, 1962.

On June 11th, 1964, two years later, a verdict was reached concerning his prior participation in the African National Congress (ANC). Nelson Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for the next 18 of his 27 years in prison. It was there that he wrote the bulk of his 'Long Walk to Freedom' autobiography. Mandela did not disclose anything in that book about the suspected involvement of President F. W. De Klerk, or the role of his ex-wife Winnie Mandela in the brutality of the 1980s and early 1990s. In Mandela: The Authorized Biography, however, he later cooperated with his friend, journalist Anthony Sampson, who addressed these issues.

Mandela remained in jail rejecting an offer of conditional release in exchange for renouncing armed struggle in February 1985 until concerted ANC and international activism came up with the resounding slogan “Free Nelson Mandela!”. President de Klerk simultaneously ordered the release of Mandela in February 1990 and the revocation of the ANC ban.

Post-apartheid

On April 27, 1994, South Africa's first democratic elections were held in which full enfranchisement was given. In the election, the ANC won the vote, and Nelson Mandela, as ANC leader, was inaugurated as the country's first black president, with de Klerk of the National Party as his deputy president in the National Unity Government.

As South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Nelson Mandela urged black South Africans to get behind the previously despised Springboks (the South African national rugby team). Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok jersey, presented the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar, an Afrikaner after the Springboks had secured an epic final over New Zealand. This has been widely seen as a significant step in white and black South Africans' reconciliation.

It was also during his administration when, with the launch of the SUNSAT satellite in February 1999, South Africa entered the space age. It was developed by Stellenbosch University students and was used primarily to photograph land related to vegetation and forestry issues in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela Awards

Nelson Mandela has received many South African, foreign, and international awards, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, Queen Elizabeth II's Order of Merit and the Order of St. John, and George W. Bush's Presidential Medal of Freedom. In July 2004, during a ceremony in Orlando, Soweto, the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, conferred its highest honor on Mandela by granting him the freedom of the city.

As an indication of his popular international recognition, he had a speaking engagement at the SkyDome in the city of Toronto during his tour of Canada in 1998, where 45,000 school children welcomed him with intense adulation.

He was the first living person to be named an honorary Canadian citizen in 2001.

In 1992, Turkey awarded him the Ataturk Peace Prize. He declined the award, alleging abuses of human rights committed during that period by Turkey, but later accepted the award in 1999. He has also received the Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International (2006).

Retirement and Death

Nelson Mandela was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in the summer of 2001. Mandela declared in June 2004, at the age of 85, that he would retire from public life. His health had been deteriorating, and he and his family decided to spend more time. 

He passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95, after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. He died, surrounded by his relatives, at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg.

Some facts about Nelson Mandela

From 1994 until 1999, Nelson Mandela served as President of South Africa. He was South Africa's first black president and the first to be elected in a fully representative election.

The leadership of Nelson Mandela concentrated on overthrowing the country's Apartheid government, which had enforced racial segregation through the law.

Nelson Mandela studied law at school and then went on to become one of South Africa's first black lawyers.

He was chosen leader of the African National Congress (ANC) liberation movement's youth section in the 1950s.

Mandela established a hidden military movement after the government banned the ANC for racial reasons. He had previously participated in nonviolent protests, but as the government responded with brutality, he moved on to promote an anti-government movement.

FAQs on Nelson Mandela Biography

1. When and Where was Nelson Mandela born?

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, according to his biography. His parents named him Rolihlahla after he was born. This African name was eventually complemented with the English first name Nelson, which was given to him by his teacher, Miss Mdingane, as the name to which he should respond at school. He was born in the Transkei province of South Africa.

2. Why is he also called ‘Madiba’?

Madiba is Nelson Mandela’s clan name, indicating that he was a Madiba clan member (named after an eighteenth-century Thembu tribe chief). "I am commonly addressed as Madiba, my tribal name, as a symbol of respect," Nelson Mandela writes in his autobiography.

3. What is his educational background?

Nelson Mandela began his education at a nearby mission school. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University College of Fort Hare in Alice, Eastern Cape, at the end of 1942. Mandela then enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in early 1943 to pursue a bachelor of law degree, but he never finished it. He chose to take the qualifying exam that would allow him to practice as a full-fledged attorney in 1952 after multiple failed attempts. He graduated from law school in the year 1989.

4. When was Nelson Mandela awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? And why?

Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk, the president of South Africa at the time, shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 "for their work for the peaceful end of the apartheid regime, and for establishing the foundations for a new democratic South Africa." Visit Vedantu To know more about his contribution to the establishment of a democratic republic. 

Robert Frost Biography – Project Class 10

The “Robert Frost Biography Project” for Class 10 is an educational initiative designed to explore the life and literary contributions of the renowned American poet, Robert Frost. This project aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of his life, poetry, and the significant impact he had on American literature. Robert Frost, a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, is celebrated for his profound and evocative works that often delve into themes of nature, human existence, and the complexities of life.

Isha Malviya is a famous Indian Television actress & Social Media Influencer who started his Acting career in the year 2019 and is currently known for working in TV Show and OTT platforms only, and she is originally from the Madhya Pradesh. And she is especially known to work in Colours TV show “Udariyan”

Robert Frost Biography (Early Life)

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California, but he spent most of his childhood in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He came from a family of educators; his father, William Prescott Frost Jr., was a journalist, and his mother, Isabelle Moodie, was a teacher. Tragically, Frost’s father died of tuberculosis when he was just 11 years old, and this event had a profound impact on his life and work.

Education and Early Career

Frost attended Dartmouth College and later Harvard University but never completed his degree. He held various jobs, including working at a mill, teaching, and writing for newspapers, before moving to England in 1912 with his family. It was during his time in England that he published his first poetry collection, “A Boy’s Will” (1913), which was followed by “North of Boston” (1914). These collections marked the beginning of his successful writing career.

Return to the United States

In 1915, Robert Frost returned to the United States and settled in New Hampshire. His rural surroundings greatly influenced his poetry, and he continued to write about the beauty and challenges of rural life. His poems often celebrated the New England landscape and its simple, yet profound, aspects.

Literary Success

Frost’s poetic career took off in the 1920s, and he achieved widespread recognition and acclaim. He won his first of four Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry collection “New Hampshire” in 1924. His other Pulitzer Prize-winning works include “Collected Poems” (1931), “A Further Range” (1936), and “A Witness Tree” (1943).

Major Works

Some of Robert Frost’s most famous poems include:

• “ The Road Not Taken “: A reflective piece that explores the idea of choices and the paths we take in life.
• “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”: A contemplative poem that touches on themes of nature and solitude.
• “Mending Wall”: A poem that discusses the notion of boundaries and their necessity.
• “Birches”: A reflection on childhood and the experience of climbing and swinging on birch trees.
• “Fire and Ice”: A concise exploration of human emotions and the destructive forces of desire and hatred.

Awards and Honors

• Four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry (1924, 1931, 1937, 1943)
• Congressional Gold Medal (1960)

Notable Quotes

• “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
• “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
• “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Robert Frost’s poetry is celebrated for its accessible style and deep philosophical themes. His work has had a lasting impact on American literature and continues to be studied and appreciated in schools and universities worldwide. Frost’s life and poems encourage readers to contemplate the human experience and the intricate relationship between nature and humanity.

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On this day — 1 July 1996

​President Nelson Mandela has a pre-British State visit interview with the television host, journalist, comedian and writer, Sir David Frost.

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• This Day In History Jun - 12

Nelson Mandela Sentenced to Life Imprisonment - [June 12, 1964] This Day in History

South African anti-apartheid leader and world human rights activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 12, 1964 for his political activism by the South African establishment. He was freed from prison only after 27 years during which time he became the face of the anti-apartheid movement.

In this article, you can read about Nelson Mandela, the South African leader who fought against Apartheid and became the first black president of the country, for the IAS exam.

Biography of Nelson Mandela

• Nelson Mandela was born on 18 th July 1918 into a royal family of the Thembu tribe in the village of Mvezo in Cape Province. The tribe spoke the language Xhosa.
• His birth name was Rolihlahla. Aged nine, Mandela was adopted by another high-ranking member of the tribe who groomed him for a leadership role in the tribe.
• Mandela became the first member of his family to receive formal education when he attended the local missionary school. He was given the English name ‘Nelson’ at the school, as was the custom then.
• For his secondary education, he went to another missionary school. The Christian faith was to have a profound impact on him.
• In 1939, Mandela entered the prestigious University of Fort Hare which was the only western-modelled institute of higher learning for black African students then.
• However, he never completed his education as he was expelled for boycotting against the policies of the institute. Mandela returned home only to find out that his marriage had been arranged. To escape this, he fled to Johannesburg and started work as a night watchman.
• He also studied for his bachelor’s degree by correspondence and found employment as a law clerk.
• At the University of Witwatersrand, where he enrolled to study law, Mandela befriended many activists, both black and white.
• He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944. He also established its youth wing along with other leaders like Oliver Tambo, called the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).
• In the 1948 elections in South Africa, the National Party came to power and implemented harsh segregation policies. The non-whites were placed under severe restrictions and denied basic rights. They were even barred from the government.
• The ANC started its campaign for full citizenship for all South Africans through peaceful, non-violent means.
• Mandela travelled the length and breadth of the country advocating equal rights. He led the ANC’s Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws in 1952. He, along with Tambo, also started the country’s first black law firm to fight cases for black people affected adversely by unjust segregation laws.
• In 1956, Mandela was arrested. He was released in 1961 after the trial but the situation was becoming increasingly tensed. The Pan Africanist Congress (PAN) had been formed in 1959 which advocated armed resistance against apartheid.
• In 1960, the police opened fire at a group of peaceful black protestors in Sharpeville. 69 people were killed. Riots ensued in different parts of the country. The ANC and the PAC were banned by the government. It was also during this time that Mandela gave up peaceful resistance and started a more radical approach.
• In 1961, he founded the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) with his colleagues. This was an armed wing of the ANC.
• The MK under Mandela’s leadership started a sabotage movement against the government.
• He travelled abroad in January 1962 despite being banned from doing so and met Tambo who was exiled in London. He also received guerrilla training in Algeria.
• In August 1962, he returned to South Africa and was arrested. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He was then taken to trial, which was called the ‘Rivonia Trial’. From the dock of the defendant in the courtroom, Mandela gave his famous 3-hour speech, now called the “I Am Prepared to Die” speech. The trial garnered international attention and many global organisations called for the release of Mandela and his associates. However, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
• The first 18 years of his incarceration was spent at the Robben Island Prison where he underwent brutal hardships. He had to do hard labour in a lime quarry and spent his days at a tiny cell without bedding or plumbing. He also received fewer rations than other white inmates. He and his associates also received harsh punishments for the slightest of ‘offences’.
• Despite being in prison, Mandela became the face of the anti-apartheid movement.
• The international community also put pressure on the government of South Africa by isolating them.
• In 1989, the then South African President F.W. de Klerk cancelled the ban on the ANC and announced the formation of a non-racist country.

Legacy of Nelson Mandela

• In February 1990, Mandela was released from prison after 27 years.
• Mandela and de Klerk received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993.
• The first fully democratic elections were held in the country in April 1994, and Mandela was elected as the first black President of South Africa. He was president till 1999 when he retired from politics.
• He died of a lung infection on 5 th December 2013 aged 95.
• He had received many awards and accolades in his lifetime from various countries and organisations. India awarded him the Bharat Ratna in 1990.

Imprisonment of Nelson Mandela – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

Frequently Asked Questions related to Nelson Mandela

What is nelson mandela famous for, how did nelson mandela’s actions make a difference.

See previous  ‘This Day in History’ here .

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Nelson Mandela

F.w. de klerk.

Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)

Africa's greatest freedom symbol.

F.W. de Klerk (1936 - 2021)

From apartheid to majority rule.