Hi MarryAnn,

I tend to agree with your view. What good is a poem that doesn't incite or move the reader? The only caveat being that these philosophies do not seem to be mutually exclusive. Frost can end up producing a fine poem like "Design" that makes no scientific sense and fails in my view in the arena of "Ideas" but succeeds in spite of its "bad idea". I think it would be a far better poem if the core idea was as compelling as the language. This does not mean that all poems about ideas are doomed but as Wittgenstein observed these points need to be clothed and of course true in the broader sense. I have a much higher opinion of Frost's talent as a "word" poet than as a poet of grand ideas. It seems ironic to me that Frost would argue otherwise. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Cummings said his poems were written to compete with flowers, mountains, and rain. (Only a mad poet could make such a claim and I confess I probably love him more for it). Where would you place him?

Regards,
Elj