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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

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.

 

A relaxing calming mood prevails in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". The only reference to sound is "the sweep / of easy wind and downy flake". There is complete silence with the exception of this beautiful sound; there is no loud cacophony to imply the violence of death. The prevailing visual imagery is of a lovely wintry scene; at one point the woods are described as "lovely, dark, and deep" . This visual scene further contributes to the restful feel of the poem. The persona's only companion is his horse; this adds a solitary feel to the poem which when combined with the vivid imagery show the peacefulness of a moment alone.

 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

 

  1.  What are the topics of this poem?

Answer:

·        Choice (choosing to pause/continue; decision of life)

·        Death

 

  1. In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, Frost writes that the speaker imagines his horse to think him strange. What might be the significance of this?

Answer: The opinion of the horse could represent the opinion of society; the speaker recognizes that, in the eyes of his peers, his actions are unusual.

 

  1. What is the rhythm of this poem?

Answer: There eight syllables in each sentence.

 

  1. What is the rhyme of this poem, what is the effect?

Answer: The rhyme is AABA, this creates unity in the sound.

 

  1. Why is the last stanza in irregular rhythm?

Answer: This is because the writer finally leave the woods and regions the society reluctantly because he has promises to keep.

 

  1. Why is the last two sentences repeated?

Answer: to emphasize the idea that the writer still have a journey to go before he can sleep/death.

 

  1. What is the rhyme scheme of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (excluding the last stanza)?

Answer: The rhyme scheme is aaba.

 

  1. What is the effects of nature imagery?

Answer: The nature imagery shows the emotion of the character in the poem.

 

  1. What is the metaphor of this poem?

Answer: The metaphor is that life is a journey and the writer still have a long way to go before he dies.

 

  1. What does “I” suggests?

Answer: “I” shows authentic poet’s sense of personal experience.

 

  1. What is the tone of this poem?

Answer: Thoughtful, meditative, colloquial.

 

  1. Why does the poet use colloquial language?

Answer: The poet uses common man language so that it’s easy for the audience to relate to.

 

  1.   How does Frost uses nature imagery to give a deeper impressions to the audience?

Answer:

·        ‘the darkest evening of the year’  – it is mid-winter, the woods are at their darkest. There is a contrast between the darkness and the pure white of the snow. The extreme dark produces a mysterious quality of the woods.

·        “easy wind and downy flake” – the adjectives suggest peace and absence of sound. This is a contrast to the hints about the speaker’s world.