Anger, despair, depression are all feelings that have been deemed as not being "well-adjusted". They are not viewed as part of being human, but instead as a reason to shun those who don't fit the mold of the rest of society. The perspective that is revealed in Robert Frost's Acquainted with the Night is not one of acceptance or understanding that there are grim and dismal aspects of humanity, but it is one of shame and loneliness in feeling this way. There is not a balance of both Yin and Yang; the poem seems to be overwhelmed with darkness. In the text, Michael Meyer states; .
"Although we cannot know what unnamed personal experiences have acquainted the speaker with the night, the images suggest that whatever the night means, it is somehow associated with insomnia, loneliness, isolation, coldness, darkness, death, fear, and a sense of alienation from humanity.Daylight -- ordinary daytime thoughts and life itself -- seems remote and unavailable in this poem." (140) .
Even though according to the philosophy of Yin and Yang this darkness is supposed to bring balance to an individual's being, society has taught us that these feelings are wrong and shouldn't be felt by a normal person. We are left feeling out of place and abandoned with only our deviant feelings for company, while the rest of society is able to continue on with their perfect lives. Frost does an exceptional job of conveying this hopelessness through his use of symbolism, poetic structure, and his descriptive language.
Acquainted with the Night is about a man who is struggling with his own inner dark feelings that he has been forced to suppress. As he goes on through his life trying to cope with his depression, he encounters individuals that try to change who he is because he isnt ordinary. He also runs across others who are going through a similar situation as himself, but are blinded by their own grief so that they arent helpful either.
