...The Attraction of Woods on a Snowy Evening In Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, we follow what appears to be the traveler’s short journey through a beautiful snowy landscape. Words such as peaceful and serene come to mind. During the first few lines of this poem it seems as if this traveler has found an idyllic setting. However, upon closer examination, we have to ask the question of why this traveler has picked “the darkest evening of the year…to stop without a farmhouse near.” Does this traveler have other things on his mind beyond admiring the scenery? Let’s step into the setting of this poem and see what intentions this weary traveler had. Beginning with the title, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the reader already knows that the traveler is stopping to admire the falling snow in this wintery land. Sounds pleasing enough, yet the very first line alerts the reader to the fact that the traveler is somewhat cognizant as to who’s woods he is journeying through. He goes onto mention that the owner of the woods won’t know he is there since the owner lives in the village. This seems to give some indication that maybe there is more going on in this traveler’s mind. Almost a hint that he is either trespassing on this land or maybe he just doesn’t want anyone to know what he is up to. The fourth line of this poem, “To watch his woods fill up with snow”, seems to be a turning point where the reader is taken from this idyllic setting to almost...
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...poetry, especially New England landscapes. He uses seasons, flowers, fields, stars, and time of day to set a logical sequence of events to paint a psychological feeling inside the reader’s mind. Two of Robert Frost’s poems, “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, take readers through a New England winter setting, reflecting the beautiful scenery through his descriptive imagery. However, even though these two poems are set in a wintry backdrop, they convey very different tones. One has a feeling of loneliness, and the other a welcoming feeling of solitude. In this paper, I intend to illustrate how two very similar natural settings are written to express two very different themes of loneliness. The poems “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” have quite a few similarities. For instance, they both share the same rhythmic scheme; A,A,B,A. They both are set in a snowy, evening where darkness is taking over quickly. In both poems there is a man traveling alone, where no other souls are around. There is a sense that both travelers are stepping away from life for a brief moment in time. The contrast of darkness and whiteness against the horizon is apparent in both poems, however in “Stopping by Woods”, the depth of the darkness is inviting. In “Desert Places”, the whiteness of the snow is blank and meaningless. This is where Robert Frost’s themes in these two poems begin to emerge to the reader. In the Poem “Desert Places” whiteness and...
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...Christol Council Liberty University Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost Introduction The poem is a surprisingly complex poem with voice of the narrator describing the beauty of the snowy night. What drew the narrator to stop on this cold night? The literary breakdown of this poem is vast and gives the reader a sense of presence. 1. The woods • Whose woods were they? • What drew the narrator there? 2. The horse • Understanding with the rider • Yielding the rider to continue the ride 3. The rhythm • The rhyme of the poem • The story line Conclusion The ending of the poem leaves the reader the visual of the night. It is a simple but deep thought of the writer and the feelings behind the words. The poem written by Frost Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a surprise of complexity. The first portion of the poem is giving the reader the visual through the eyes of the writer. It’s a snowy night and the narrator comes upon the woods it gives the impression what drew the rider to stop and admire the view. The view is without obstruction because there is no farmhouse to block the view the anticipation of the night and the view which gave a sense of peace to the rider. The sleigh rider introduces the feelings of obligations and his ability to not have such a wonderful view of such beauty of the woods. Frost is showing the emotions of the narrator during the first few lines of the...
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...The poem I chose to write about is called “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” Written by Robert Frost. The poem is from the point of view of an old man who has been riding through the woods and stops. It is the middle of the night and he is watching the snow fall as we can plainly see from the lines “He will not see me standing here/to watch the woods fill up with snow” and “between the woods and frozen lake/ the darkest evening of the year.” To me it seems that the idea of this poem is stopping and enjoying little things in life, even things like a snowy wood in the middle of the night. Something so simple could be very beautiful if you take the time to notice it. The poem also seems to give the idea that we can enjoy little things in life but not forget our important obligations. This idea is expressed in the lines “But I have promises to keep/ and miles to go before I sleep/ miles to go before I sleep.” I can’t say I can personally relate to this poem. I do however agree with the idea of it. I think it’s very important to take breaks in life. If someone works to hard and takes everything too seriously they will miss out on little things in life. I enjoy nature and being outside so this poem relates to me in that way. I can easily see myself stopping just like the man in the poem to watch the silent woods for a moment. Things like those woods that can keep a person sane. In this poem Robert Frost uses a very effective rhyme scheme to keep a smooth rhythm. He...
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...“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” An Explication The poem’s author, Robert Frost, was born in San Francisco in 1874.He later moved to the New England area with relatives after his father’s death in 1885. His poetic style is very unique, usually needing very close readings. In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” there is no exception. The poem is about a man riding his horse during the night, when he stops to see a wooded area fill up with falling snow. He speaks of somewhere he must be before he sleeps, leaving a reader questioning every aspect of the speaker. The style, language, and actions of the speaker in “Stopping by woods on a Snowy Evening” suggest that he rode away from depression or death, which were held in the woods on that snowy evening. The speaker, in this poem rides his “little horse” (1112) down a path between “woods and a frozen lake” (1112). He stops to stare into a patch of woods that are filling up with falling snow. The speaker mentioned that the woods were “dark and deep” (1112). He seems to be enjoying this scene of nature, but he has a previous obligation to be somewhere before he sleeps. The fourth stanza states “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep” (1112).Here, the speaker is faced with a dilemma to either keep this “promise” to be somewhere, or stay there in the cold, and gaze into the dark, deep woods which symbolize depression or death. The...
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...Examining Robert Frost’s Poem: Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening William R. Spicer, Jr. ENGL 102 Composition and Literature April 23, 2012 Examining Robert Frost’s Poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening has been my favorite poem since the fourth grade. Mrs. Brown, my English teacher, discussed the poem during the week before Christmas break. The entire school was buzzing with excitement at the upcoming holiday and when she introduced the poem, it seemed like everyone and everything slowed and we were transformed to a quite snow-covered forest. The question I chose to answer is about the symbolism in the setting of this poem. In our text a symbol is defined as a person place or thing in a narrative that suggests meaning beyond its literal sense. The simplistic setting represents the author’s need for peace, rejuvenation and a reminder of home, before he starts out again on his journey. Few places can be considered as comforting and peaceful and lovely as a familiar forest covered in snow. Since the writer was not afraid of being alone I believe he must be very familiar with the forest and probably grew up near it. The wood behind my house was a very special place for me. In the summertime it was a place to build forts and have adventures with my friends. On cool summer nights, it’s where my friends and I would pitch a tent and tell scary stories by flashlight. My family and I would go on hikes and discover a new place...
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...Have you ever taken the time to stop and just watch the snow fall from a cold winters night? In the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, he did just that. Not only is this poem about that, but there is also something deeper, as this poem can be read on many different levels. Has this traveler made promises that he no longer wants to keep? While deep into the snowy woods, the man has to make the decision to keep on going or stop and live the way he has always dreamed of. This poem may seem short and simple, but the implications beneath the story are much greater. In the first stanza, Robert Frost goes on to explain that the man is stopping in the woods to watch the snow fall, but he knows that the land he is stopping on is owned by another man. He goes on to assume that the owner lives in the village and will not see him standing out there. Could this be some sort of death wish? In the second stanza, the horse that the man had rode on, seems to think that it is strange that they are stopped in the middle of no where without any houses near. The third stanza also reiterates this by telling us that the horse is shaking his bells, a way to ask the man if there is a mistake or if everything is okay. The fourth stanza is the most important one of this poem. The first line of the fourth stanza Frost writes “The woods are lovely, dark and deep” (line: 13) is the first implication that this poem is darker then what is described in the first three stanzas...
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...a New England setting and deal with the theme of man's relationship to nature. The influence of nature in Robert Frost's works creates a palette to paint a picture filled with symbolism for the reader to interpret. In the analysis of Frost's The Road Not Taken, Tree At My Window, Two Trumps In The Mud Time and Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening we can pick out specific examples to illustrate Frost's overall use of nature. In the first stanza of Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on A Snowy Evening we find the speaker reflecting on the beauty of a wooded area with snow falling. Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. You can feel the speakers awe and reflective peace when looking into the woods that night. He doesn't know the owner of the land but is still drawn to the beauty of the scene. Nature poet Robert Frost gives a scene that is taken into the reader and digested for a time in the speaker's mind. It shows us that it is all right to take a minute out of a hurried hour and reflect upon what is around you, whether it is a snowy wood or a quite room. The extreme fascination and accute love to the nature makes him a great poet of nature. The reader can tell that Frost does love water. He also likes the power of it and expressing to through nature. He also brings up other points of nature, but it always has water. The water is always breaking down...
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...In the poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the speaker stops by some woods on a snowy evening and absorbs the lovely scene. The speaker is tempted to stay longer, but acknowledges that he has obligations and a considerable distance to travel before he can rest for the night. The speaker talks with a tone of satisfaction, but at the end of the poem shows a tone of fatigue or tedium. The mood of poem, devotion, appears in lines fourteen and The poem offers a great deal of imagery, such as dark, deep woods in line thirteen that are being filled with large amounts of snow pouring from the sky in line four, and house in a small village, again the snow coming down, except this time on the roof the house, in line three. Also, a frozen lake, let it be big or small, with the sky darkening fast, in lines seven and eight. In the third stanza, a horse is shown shaking the bells on his reigns, as if to call the attention of the speaker, to inform him that he must have made a mistake. The poem consists of four almost identically constructed quatrains. Each line has iambic tetrameter. Within the four lines of each stanza, the first, second, and fourth lines rhyme. The third line does not, but it sets up the rhymes for the next stanza. The rhyme scheme is as follows: a,a,b,a;b,b,c,b. For example, in the second stanza, lines five through eight, queer, near, and year all rhyme, but lake rhymes with shake, mistake, and flake in the following stanza. The only exception is the last...
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...From the outline of the poem ‘Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening’, it begins with the speaker stopping by a small forest in the evening of deep winter. He savours the lovely view of the forest as he stops with his horse. The silence and tranquility of the wintry landscape captivate the speaker. Although he wishes to stay longer, yet realizing that he has ‘promises to keep’ and some distance to go, so he must move on. The poem comprises four stanzas and each stanza has four lines. The first three stanzas have a-a-b-a rhyming scheme. For example, in the first stanza, the first, second and fourth lines are in rhyme such as ‘know’, ‘though’ and ‘snow’. The exception is the final stanza where all the end of lines rhyme, such as ‘deep’, ‘keep’, ‘sleep’, ‘sleep’ because the last two lines are identical. If we carefully examine its pattern, the third line in each stanza always rhymes with the first line of the next stanza. Hence, this poem is written and arranged systematically by Frost. At first, the speaker is captivated by the scenery he takes in, particularly the woods covered with snow. While he stops, he is wondering whom this woods belong to. From the answering ‘I think I know’, it suggests that the woods is nothing new to him. Then, the speaker affirms that the landowner will not see him stopping there. By talking to himself, this indicates that the speaker is at remote distance from society and he is all alone with his horse. A sense of aloneness fills the mood of the...
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...Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening” is a simple and literal poem that has been interpreted and emphasized in many different ways. Frost tells a simple story that manages to get any reader to think about its scene and how profound this story can actually be. Many different opinions have been expressed as to what the poet was trying to convey in these lines; happiness, life, or maybe even death. The poem was written during the early 20th century, around the 1920s. According to an analysis done on this poem: “...Frost wrote the poem on a hot summer day...” (Gualdoni 2). Quite an interesting piece of information that questions why Frost would use a season opposite to the one he was currently writing through. The poem itself is written in iambic tetrameter so that 4 lines are grouped together in each stanza. There is a visible rhyme scheme and figures of speech that coexist within the piece. The first two lines in a stanza rhyme with each other while the third line stands to temporarily disrupt the balance, only to be followed by a fourth line with a rhyme that will match the previous two. A broad sense of imagery invites the reader to his/her imagination and calmly surrounds them in that cold winter night. In the woods with just his horse, the snow and a frozen lake, is a simple setting the poet used for this piece. The first few lines display a character that is in the middle of nowhere and mentions of an unknown person that the “woods” belong to. “Who woods these are...
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...Valenzuela Blog "I'm Your Horse in the Night" is a story that blurs the lines of reality and our narrator's dream, putting it into the category of magic realism. The story begins with the setting of our narrator's home, when she gets a surprise visit from her lover. After a hot drunken night with Beto, Chiquita is tortured after the police come looking for him. The police then start breaking her belongings and torture her for information about her beloved. The theme of this story uses a stereotypical female who is only wanting love and a man who is only wanting a bed for the night. Both of our main characters are flat, as we know hardly anything about them let alone their real names. This story is fiction however the events seem all too real, especially to a female reader reading from a female's point of view. Mrs. Dutta Blog Mrs. Dutta is a heartfelt short story about a woman who moves to America to live with her son's family after their strong suggestion. The point of view this story is written in is third person; as an outsider telling the events. Mrs. Dutta, being the main protagonist in the story, is struggling to adapt to her new life in America. The biggest change that Mrs. Dutta is struggling with is being a housewife stereotype. The most interesting thing about Mrs. Dutta is the subplot containing her flashbacks back home and the conversations between herself and Mrs. Basu. Being such a round character, Mrs. Dutta shows a lot of progression at the end of the story...
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...The Concept of Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Robert Frost : A Comparative Study Chapter One Introduction 1. Background Poets have long been inspired to tune their lyrics to the variations in landscape, the changes in season, and the natural phenomena around them. The Greek poet Theocritus began writing idylls in the third century B.C.E. to glorify and honor the simplicity of rural life--creating such well known characters as Lycidas, who has inspired dozens of poems as the archetypal shepherd, including the famous poem "Lycidas" by John Milton. An idyll was originally a short, peaceful pastoral lyric, but has come to include poems of epic adventure set in an idealized past, including Lord Alfred Tennyson's take on Arthurian legend, The Idylls of the King. The Biblical Song of Songs is also considered an idyll, as it tells its story of love and passion by continuously evoking imagery from the natural world. The more familiar form of surviving pastoral poetry that has retained its integrity is the eclogue, a poem attuned to the natural world and seasons, placed in a pleasant, serene, and rural place, and in which shepherds often converse. The first eclogue was written by Virgil in 37 B.C.E. The eclogue also flourished in the Italian Renaissance, its most notable authors being Dante and Petrarch. It became something of a requirement for young poets, a form they had to master before embarking upon great original work. Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia and Edmund Spenser’s...
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...may be lonely, but there is always a destination and a light at the end. The many different scenes that this person passes along the way are a tribute to the happiness that the holiday season brings upon most people. The sounds that the person hears are sounds of joy and the undying spirit of children mixed in the utter quietness that we hear when we are alone in our thoughts. The end result of this poem is that there is always a place that we belong and always someone that is happy to us. Another tone to this poem is that we are always the loneliest when night approaches, but are able to see that we are not always alone when everything comes to light. The poem is written in the quatrain form consisting of four stanzas. While the lines in each stanza do not rhyme, all except the last stanza has the common ending of A hooded figure slowly walks alone. I wrote this poem in the fashion of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy...
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