Critical Appreciation - Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost - Asad Imran Notes

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Background Information

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening is Frost's iconic poem which he wrote when he was working on New Hampshire which was to be published in 1923. He took the whole night to write New Hampshire until he realized morning had arised. On seeing the light, Frost got the idea to write "about the snowy evening and the little horse as if I'd had a hallucination". Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening is also a different take of Frost's treatment of nature as a temporal affection. Man has been portrayed as a realistic devotee to nature but he has to "miles to go before I sleep". This poem has a historic value as when the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was on the way to his eternal sleep, he used to keep Frost's poetic collection close to him while these lines him inspired him to move on,

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.

Situation

The poem opens on a traveler stopping by the woods in an evening "filled up with snow". The poet already knows who is the owner of this jungle. Who has resided in "a farmhouse near". The poet suggests that the owner will not come here to see his "hoary" woods. The poet's horse standing "between the woods and frozen lake" takes it queer to stop without a nearby farmhouse by shaking his harness bells. The only other sound the poet can hear is of the wind. He is fascinated by the enchanting beauty of this jungle in the "darkest evening of the year" but he should continue his journey because he has to cover a large distance before he sleeps.

Critical Analysis of Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Thematic Development

Development of themes in this poem is fairly straight forward. The first three stanzas hint at the poet's enjoyment of Nature in isolation. He expects that no one will notice him staying in these dark woods for a short period of time. The only sound of the soft current of air also denotes the pleasant isolation. But the poet purposefully resorts to such temporal loneliness to take a break from the normal life-routine. When the theme of isolation ends, the theme of returning to responsibility begins. The poet is well aware of the fact that these tranquil moments in the lap of nature should not divert man's attention from his responsibilities because he has to go long before he sleeps.

Figurative Analysis

As for the figurative enterprise of this poem, there is not much to say about it. There are no definite metaphors except the feeble allusions to extended metaphors. For instance, "miles to go" is used as an extended metaphor for the whole journey of life and "sleep" for death. Frost also makes use of personification for the horse by calling it "he" in the third stanza and giving it the ability to show its concern about the poet's stay.

Setting and Imagery

The setting of this poem is "the darkest evening of the year" in woods and rigid lake in the winter season. Frost makes an astounding show of imagery in this poem. For instance, "woods fill up with snow", "frozen lake", "darkest evening" and "dark and deep" are the examples of visual imagery while the shaking sound of "harness bells" and the soft sound of "easy wind and downy flake" are the fine examples of auditory imagery. Both of these type of imagery help a reader to rush forth the dark whiteness of the deep woods. [Its imagery has already given me the sweet memories of ze_boat_escape and ze_woodo_islands in Counter-Strike: Source. 😁]

Structural Analysis

This sixteen-lined lyric is divided into four quatrains, a stanza of four lines. The pattern of rhyme scheme is inconsistent in this poem. For example, the rhyming words in the first stanzas are "know", "though" and "snow". But the third line of the first stanza rhymes with the first, third and fourth line of the second stanza. The same pattern is repeated in the third stanza but the fourth stanza has its own set of rhyming words. Thus forming the rhyme scheme of AABA BCBB CDCC DDDD. This poem is a perfect specimen of iambic tetrameter. Take a look at this line:

Whose woods | these are | I think | I know

An instance of assonance in this poem is shown in the repetition of /i/ sounds in this line,

He gives his harness bells a shake.

Enjambments in this poem are spotted in two different instances, joining two lines whole-heartedly:

My little horse must think it queer/+/To stop without a farmhouse near

…

The only other sound’s the sweep/+/Of easy wind and downy flake.

Conclusion

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening is a beautiful lyric, showcasing the poet's admiration for nature and the message of the return to his responsibilities and duties of life.

Critical Appreciation - Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost