This question is challenging because Frost's poetry has become so

ingrained in American culture that it is hard to imagine the effect that it had
when it was first published. Poems such as "The Road Not Taken" and
"Mending Wall" have been repeated ad nauseam by high school English
teachers and graduation speakers, so much so that it is sometimes
impossible to view the poems with fresh eyes. At the time of its publication,
Frost's poetry - inspired by everyday life and using a variety of poetic
techniques - was unique and completely American. He created a literary
canon in which the struggles and triumphs of real people were elevated to
the level of high art; even the most simplistic activity could contain a
deeper metaphysical meaning. Ironically, Frost's successful creation of the
rural American genre of poetry could be what makes him seem irrelevant in
today's society: the sense of American "reality" that he revealed in his
poetry has become such a fundamental part of the American sensibilty that
Frost's poetry seems almost simplistic. Although people find flaws in Frost's
style and choice of topic, he is still worthy of praise as America's unofficial
poet laureate for having created a new approach to poetry in America.