At first glance, Robert Frost’s “The Oven Bird” may be mistaken for a traditional sonnet. However, the poem’s structure notably fits neither that of the Shakespearean or Petrarchan sonnet, and instead uniquely (and arguably purposefully) manipulates the established structure of the sonnet. Though the poem consists of the conventional 14 lines, unlike a typical sonnet, Frost’s does not strictly adhere to iambic pentameter. Varying stressed and unstressed syllables with no discernible pattern help to further deviate Frost’s poem from tradition and further speak to the irony of his purposeful modification of the sonnet’s form. Additionally, the poem does not follow the rhyme scheme of common sonnet types (i.e the Shakespearean sonnet or the Petrarchan sonnet mentioned above) and instead follows the rhyme scheme AABCBDCDEEFGFG. In the case of this poem, the unconventional format has a function; the bird in the poem, serving as a symbol for the poet, must grapple with the difficulties of creating something novel in world characterized by loss–a world where the bird knows that he cannot merely sing his songs just as the poet knows he cannot merely create poetry which express the niceties of life that are digestible and easily understood. Instead, the poet must find an individual, original way of exposing the inevitable (and oftentimes dreaded) loss that comes with the passage of time. Arguably, this helps to explain the reasoning behind choosing to alter the sonnet format as opposed to simply using a format celebrated for its absence of restriction, known as the free-verse format. While some American poets, like William Carlos Williams, admonished those poets of the Twentieth-Century who chose to continue working within the confines of traditional poetry associated with England, Frost ironically and purposefully chose to manipulate the sonnet, making something novel out of an arguably “diminished” or over-done poetic format, while at the same time meditating on the difficulties of creating unique poetry that ponders on life’s enduring progression towards death, loss, and change. The irony of Frost’s choice to use the sonnet is also evident because of the poem’s rather depressing subject matter. Whereas the sonnet typically deals with more romantic themes, namely the theme of romantic love in traditional sonnets, Frost’s sonnet deals with the inevitability of loss, both in terms of the loss of time and innovation, and the daunting question of what can be created from such a loss. The tone of the poem shifts from an inviting, conversational tone to a more pensive, almost melancholic one as both the poem and the description of passing time progress. In summation, because the poem itself is arguably the innovative product of an old-fashioned, dwindling poetic form, a holistic understanding of Frost’s unfamiliar, inventive approach to the sonnet is arguably crucial in order to fully comprehend the message of “The Oven Bird”.