Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Poem by Robert Frost.
Poem
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.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
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
The Rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD.
Analysis of Poem
The poem opens with the narration of Forest. There is a gentle, slightly mysterious atmosphere created by the second, third, and fourth lines, all suggesting that the owner of the woods lives elsewhere in the village, is separate, and is not able to see this visual trespasser near the woods.
The second stanza concentrates on the horse's reaction to the narrator's stopping. The narrator thinks that his horse must feel it queer to stop without a farmhouse near or in a deep forest where there is no sign of humans.
'Between the woods and the frozen lake The darkest evening of the year
This is a very symbolic language between woods and frozen lakes, meaning there is no voice in the calm and deep forest or sleepy lake. Nothingness becomes the central image. 'Darkest evening of the year'
If we interpret it with the archetype of literature, the season of death and lifelessness means The winds of December fizzle out humans and nature's lives. The darkest evening is like stone on a smooth path, which means when everything goes well and suddenly some disturbance appears,
In the third stanza, there is a reference to a harness bell and a horse reminding the rider that stopping by the woods in a lonely place is a tad disturbing. This is not what he normally does. This is unfamiliar territory.
Here the horse is a symbol of intuition and Nobel grace, showing how he realised something negative about the place and gave a sign to his master to move ahead, apart from being cold and dark.
The last stanza of the poem is very famous, especially the last line of the poem. The metaphor used for woods is very oppositional because it is dark, deep, and lovely!
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep...
The last lines confirm the reality of the narrator's situation. It will be a long time before he disengages with the conscious world, which means that before death, he wants to taste life.
Reading Comprehension
A. Read the poem twice and answer these questions.
1.What is this poem about?
This poem is about the importance of obligations. The poet says that obligations have to be fulfilled first.
2. How has the speaker reached the place where he has stopped?
He came in his horse-drawn cart.
3. Which words in the first stanza tell you about the setting and the reason?
The words ’woods’, ‘village’ and ‘snow’ tell us about the setting and the season.
4. The speaker mentions a person in the first stanza of the poem. How much do you learn about that person from the first stanza?
From the first stanza, we know that the person is a man who owns a stretch of woods, and that his house is in the village.
5. Describe the place where the speaker has stopped.
The speaker has stopped between the woods and a frozen lake, on a snowy evening. The woods are far from the village, with not even a farmhouse nearby.
6. ‘My little horse must think it queer’
What would the speaker’s horse find queer?
The speaker’s horse would find it queer’, because they have stopped in the middle of nowhere with not even a farmhouse nearby.
7. Do the words the darkest evening of the year tell you which month of the year it could be?
The darkest evening of the year refers to the longest night of the year which is December 21st. Thus, the month is most likely December.
8. To whom does the speaker refer to in the line He gives his harness bells a shake? What other auditory imagery does the poet use in the third stanza?
The speaker refers to his horse. The other auditory imagery he uses in the third stanza is the ‘sweep of easy wind and downy flake'.
9. How does the horse communicate with its master?
The horse communicate with its master by shaking its harness bells.
10. Visualize the sound of easy wind and downy flake. Do you think the harness bells would have sounded louder?
Yes, the sound of the harness bells would be louder than the sound of wind and snowflakes.
11. What realization causes the speaker to move on from his dreamy appreciation of the scene?
The speaker realizes that he has a long way to travel, and has obligations to fulfill.
12. Why is the second-to – last line of the poem repeated? What does it tell you about the speaker?
The repetition of lines is almost as if the speaker has to persuade himself to continue on his journey. This indicates that the speaker is tempted to rest, but it is strong- willed enough to continue, not stop.
B. Read the lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.
1. How do these lines reflect the truth about our reality?
In reality too, even though one is tempted to rest, one has to fulfill one’s responsibilities.
2. What does the phrase promises to keep tell us about the speaker?
The lines tell us that the poet is determined to keep his commitments.
3. What do the expression miles to go and sleep stand for?
The phrase ‘miles to go’ and ‘sleep’ could refer to the amount of work to be completed before resting. They could also refer to the long journey of life before death.
C. Discuss
What do you think was the poet’s intention in writing this poem?
The poet possibly intended to talk about the importance of responsibilities over all else in life. But, despite that, the poet could also be saying that it is still possible to enjoy a moment’s rest, though not too long.
