Abstract

This paper deals with some of the short poems of the modern American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson. Robinson lived, wrote, and died during a critical period in America's history, and a turning point in its culture and literature; which was the late 19th century and the early 20th.
While other poets of his age were busy experimenting and innovating in forms of poetry, he kept trying to revive the, almost dead, romantic naturalistic tendency in poetry. To accomplish this mission, he became deeply concerned with the human psychology, and began exploring the human depths trying to offer the readers hints about the motivations behind man's traumas. His short poems suggest that the various kinds of modern life's entanglements were behind man's suffering.
His sketches, in the poems under discussion, are mostly of defeated, pathetic, and isolated individuals. Yet, the poet shows a deep understanding and sympathy towards these wretched characters; since he has gone through almost all of their same tormenting experiences.
Robinson historical significance to American poetry is not debatable no matter what may be his final stature as a poet. His readers, many of his fellow poets, contemporary critics, and even the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt, admired and appreciated his excellent qualities. He even won three Pulitzer Prizes for his distinguished poetic contributions.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.