STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY DAY

by Robert Frost

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.

Description of the poem

Imagery, personification, and repetition are prominent in the poem. In a letter to Louis Untermeyer, Frost called it "my best bid" for remembrance.

Summary

This poem is full of simplicity as it made for kids. The speaker was stopping by some woods on a snowy evening then amazed by the appealing scene in near-silence. He or she tempted to stay longer. However, the responsibility of the obligations that need to be pulled off and the considerable distance yet to be travelled before he or she call it a day stopped her from doing so.

Themes

Isolation and Choices

Isolation

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a lonely poem, for our speaker finds himself far away from any other human being. He kind of digs this loneliness, however, and is glad that no one is there to watch him. We get the feeling that he'd rather be all by his lonesome in the freezing cold than back in the village. Nature helps make things even lonelier, too, for it happens to be freezing cold, snowing, and dark out there.

Choices

The speaker in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" makes several choices, many of which his dearly beloved horse does not agree with. The biggest choice that he wrestles with is whether to return to the warmth and safety of the village or to stay and watch the woods fill up with snow. Our speaker does seem to have a hard time making his decision. He ultimately decides to return home, but it seems to take all of his willpower.

Settings

Place

- In the woods

Time

- In the evening

Values

Love

Love to the nature has been the main focus of the poem. This poem is about taking time to appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature. The speaker is overwhelmed by the sight of the snow on the fields, and he stops to enjoy it.

Patience

The speaker patience is shown through the when he waited for the woods to filled with snow in order to appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature. He must move on, however, because he has responsibilities and "miles to go before I sleep."

Reference

https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/frost/section10/