It has been said many times that all men have a common bond, or a .

             Robert Frost¹s poem ³The Tuft of .

             Flowers² explores the existence of such a bond, as experienced by the .

             speaker. In the everyday circumstance of performing a common chore, the .

             speaker discovers a sense of brotherhood with another laborer. Frost .

             contrasts a sense of aloneness with a sense of understanding to convey .

             his theme of unity between men.

             .

             To understand the setting of the poem, one must first understand how .

             grass was mowed in the time period in which the poem was written .

             (1906). Grass was mostly mowed by hand using a scythe. The mowing was .

             often done in the dew of the morning for better mowing. This left the .

             grass wet, and it needed to be scattered for drying. The phrase turning .

             the grass refered to the scattering of the grass for drying.

             .

             In ³The Tuft of Flowers,² the speaker has gone out to turn the grass. .

             Whoever did the mowing is already gone, for there are no signs of his .

             presence. The speaker is alone. Then, a butterfly catches the speaker¹s .

             attention, and leads his gaze to a tuft of flowers, which the mower .

             chose to leave intact. The patch of beauty left by his fellow worker .

             causes the speaker to feel that he is no longer alone. There is a sense .

             of understanding between the speaker and the mower, because an .

             appreciation of beauty unites them.

             .

             Frost uses peaceful images to relate the feeling of his poem. The .

             setting is in a grassy field with a brook running through it. The .

             tranquil feeling is added to by a silent butterfly, who searches for a .

             flower upon which to land. In keeping with the peaceful surroundings, .

             Frost speaks of a long scythe ³whispering to the ground,² and of .

             hearing ³wakening birds around.² The speaker also listens for a .

             whetstone ³on the breeze² to determine if there is anyone around, and .

             finds a ³leaping tongue of bloom² beside the ³reedy brook.² .

             .