Frost at Midnight

Frost at Midnight is a blank verse poem written by Samuel Coleridge, and follows his train of thought one idle night while holding his young son in his arm. The poem tells of a very calm night where it is so calm that it becomes distracting after awhile. Coleridge then is reminded of past memories because it is so quiet. He starts to reminisce about his childhood when he would daydream while in school. Coleridge would daydream about his birthplace and the church bells.

This effect that the quiet has on Coleridge is similar to the effect that being out in nature and sitting on a rock had on Wordsworth. The quietness then can be seen as a therapeutic device like nature. Each setting can invoke a different sense in a person. For Coleridge, the quietness brings back memories from his childhood. I can see how Coleridge feels the way he does, because the calmness and tranquility also invokes a deep passion in me. During times of quietness like the one described in the poem, my mind is at ease and I am able to reflect on many different aspects of life.

Next, Coleridge is holding his infant son in the poem. He wishes that his son grow up with an upbringing that is in touch with nature like his friend, Wordsworth. This goes back to the idea that nature can teach a person. Coleridge is the father of this infant and is seen as the influential figure in the child's life. To teach his son the important lessons of life, Coleridge in a way wants to hand him off to the greatest teacher, nature. Coleridge just wants his son to have the best experience that he himself did not experience as a child. And nature can teach the child the appreciation that Coleridge now feels.