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Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening

By Robert FrostA Poetry Analysis and Writing Activity

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Robert Lee FrostMarch 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963

• Born in San Francisco, CA. Moved to Massachusetts at age 11• Taught English, sold a few poems, then tried farming• Moved to England, and returned to the U.S. in 1915• Often depicted rural New England life from the early 1900’s• Well-respected in his lifetime• Won four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry• Awarded the United States Congressional Gold Medal in 1960• At 86, he read his poem “The Gift Outright” at President

Kennedy’s inauguration• He died 2 years later from complications from surgery• His farm in New Hampshire is now a museum• He was honored on a U.S. postage stamp in 1974

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Robert Lee FrostMarch 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963

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Type of Work and Publication

“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a lyric poem. Lyric poetry presents the deep feelings and emotions of the poet. This poem was first published in a magazine on March 7, 1923, and later was included in one of Frost’s collections called New Hampshire, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Frost became famous as a well-known American poet.

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Setting“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” is set in a northern woods. Frost wrote the poem in the village of Franconia, NH, and it is believed that the woods near Franconia are what inspired him, and that Franconia is actually the village mentioned in the poem. The time of the poem is “the darkest night of the year.” It is also believed that this refers to the winter solstice, or the longest night of the year, which is December 21st or 22nd.

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CharactersThe Observer (Speaker/Narrator): A person traveling by a horse-drawn wagon (or cart or carriage) on a rural road. The traveler stops to observe snow piling up in woods.The Horse: A small horse with a bell attached to its harness. It shakes its head, ringing the bell, to signal that it does not understand why its master has stopped.Owner of the Woods: A man who lives in a nearby village. He is mentioned in the first verse of the poem.

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 1- 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

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 1- CommentaryThe traveler appears worried that he is doing something wrong by looking upon these woods owned by another man. Nonetheless, he pauses to gaze, for the other man "will not see me stopping here."

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 2- 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.

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 2- CommentaryThe weather is cold enough to freeze a lake, the spot is in a remote location away from farmhouses, and it is the darkest night of the year. The little horse thinks it is strange that the driver has stopped on this very cold night for no apparent reason.

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 3- 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.

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 3- CommentaryImagery here…the author uses sensory language. Sound is important in this verse. All of the sounds are gentle, contrasting with the clamor of everyday life in a town.

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 4- 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.

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Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Verse 4- CommentaryIt appears that the traveler would like to stay awhile, but he has obligations and responsibilities that make him decide to move on. We have to infer that he does.

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Figurative Language

The poet uses figurative language to create his mood and paint a visual picture for the reader. The following slides show some examples of Frost’s use of figurative language in the poem.

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Alliteration

His house is in the village though (line 2)He will not see me stopping here (line 3)

To watch his woods fill up with snow (line 4)

He gives his harness bells a shake (line 9)

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Hyperbole

To watch his woods fill up with snow…

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Personification

My little horse must think it queer…Comparison of the horse to a human. Only a human can determine whether something is "queer."

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Metaphor

He gives his harness bells a shake,To ask if there is some mistake.

Comparison of the sound of the bells to a voice asking if there is a mistake.

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Sound DevicesFrost uses End Rhyme and Internal Rhyme in the poem, which helps create its musical quality.

The rhyme scheme of the end rhyme in the poem is:First stanza, aabaSecond stanza, bbcbThird stanza, ccdcFourth stanza, dddd

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Sound DevicesInternal Rhyme Here’s an example of internal rhyme in the poem:He will not see me stopping here (line 3)Assonance – (repeating vowel sounds)To stop without a farmhouse near (line 6)Consonance- (repeating ending consonant sounds)Between the woods and frozen lake,

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StructureThis poem consists of four stanzas, each with four lines. (A four-line stanza is called a quatrain.) Each line in the poem has eight syllables (or four feet).

A tetrameter is a line containing four feet.

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MeterIn each line, the first syllable is unstressed, the second is stressed, and so on. An iamb is a foot that has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Thus, the poem is in iambic tetrameter.

.......1...............2......…...........3..................4…………..Whose WOODS..|..these ARE..|..I THINK..|..I KNOW .......1.............2............3...................4……………..His HOUSE..|..is IN..|..the VILL..|..age THOUGH

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Interpretations“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" presents a person’s momentary encounter with nature. We don’t know if the speaker is a man or a woman. In fact, we know nothing at all about the person except that he or she has been traveling on a country road in a horse-drawn wagon (or cart or carriage) on "the darkest evening of the year."

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InterpretationsSome believe that the darkest evening of the year is a reference to the person’s state of mind as being depressed, or gloomy. If we assume the person is a man, maybe it is even Frost himself. He sees the lovely dark and deep woods as a place of solace, a place to get away from it all. They appeal to him. He perhaps just wishes to enjoy their silence and mystery, before he carries on.

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InterpretationsSome believe the poem is about a poor man who is tired of living and wishes for death, and that the woods symbolize a desire to rest from life. On the lighter side, some say the poem is a Christmas story. From this view, the horse with bells on his harness is really pulling a man who is delivering gifts for Christmas, perhaps Santa himself, who desires to rest, but has to keep his promises to bring the gifts on time.

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Write About It1. Write a character sketch of the speaker of the poem. Who do you think he is and where is he going? Use evidence from the text to support your ideas.2. Recall and write about the thoughts going through your mind when you have viewed a beautiful scene in nature. Choose your descriptive words carefully to help your reader envision what you saw.