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stopping by woods on a snowy evening literary device
stopping by woods on a snowy evening literary elements
literary devices in the poem stopping by woods on a snowy evening
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The poems 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost and 'The Chalk Pit' by Edward Thomas both convey a sense of place in their meaning. 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' is about how the narrator stops outside the snow-filled woods to admire the scenery along with his horse. The narrator does not stay for long as he has 'promises to keep'. 'The Chalk Pit' involves the conversation of two people about a chalk pit nearby. Speaker A adds a lot of imagination to the conversation while Speaker B is more plainspoken and mundane. The theme of the two poems is of nature and place. In 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' the narrator is captivated by the scenery of the woods in Winter time. The conveys an image of beauty to the reader. In 'The Chalk Pit' the speakers discuss the chalk pit. Speaker A finds the place to be filled with wonders where as speaker B finds the place to be an ordinary chalk pit that is overgrown with weeds. 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' is made up of four quatrains and is in the form iambic tetrameter. The rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD. This is a clever rhyme scheme and the repetition of the penultimate line illustrates that the poem is ending and the narrator is leaving the snowy landscape that he was drawn to on his travels. Where as, 'The Chalk Pit' is made up of one stanza and is in the form iambic pentameter. There is no noticeable rhyme scheme. Having only one stanza keeps the conversation between the two speakers flowing which conveys a more natural image of the place to the reader. The tone of 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' is rather light and smooth in the first three stanzas and the rhyme scheme makes it flow pleasantly. In the fourth stanza the ton... ... middle of paper ... ... and then suddenly everything stops. For example, 'the drop of an axe and the smack' and 'a silent place that once rang loud'. The first speaker in the poem is more deeper and imaginative than the second speaker, for example when speaker A says, 'as if just before It was not empty, silent, still, but full of life of some kind, perhaps tragical.' The second speaker is more down-to-earth and certain, for example when speaker B says, 'Not that I know of. It is called the Dell.' This conveys two different images of the place to the reader, an imaginative one and a realistic one. Speaker B's reaction to Speaker A conveys to the reader that Speaker A is too pensive and thinks in to things too much. Speaker A's reaction to Speaker B conveys to the reader that Speaker A wants to keep his imaginations alive and that he doesn't want to know the truth surrounding the chalk-pit.
The first stanza begins with a familiar setting, a “… winter evening”(1). This is associated with a lack of growth and a loss of vitality. It also describes death and desolation. This does not last long when we are confronted,” with smells of steaks in passageways”(2) paints a picture of a polluted and mundane environment. The precise use of descriptive words composes this mood of decline and despair. As seen when you read ” …the burnt-out ends of smoky days”(4).
The voice of the speaker in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” is that of an individual that is stressed out or overwhelmed. He or she just needs to take a mental break from everything and, “stop by the words/to watch [them] fill with snow.” The reader knows that this person needs to take this mental break based upon how long they stay there. He or she stays in the woods so long that their horse “give his harness bells a shake/to ask if there is some mistake.” In other words, the horse is confused; here he stands in these woods “without a farmhouse near [and] the only other sound [he hears, aside from his own bells, are,] the sweep of easy wind and [a] downy flake.” This sense of being overwhelmed, and needing to take a mental break in order to remain sane, is something any reader can relate to, whether they have had a stressful day at work, a parent is using the poem as an example to show a child who has had a temper tantrum that they are being puni...
Epictetus once wrote, "First say what you would be; and then do what you have to do." This aphorism of self-discovery and obligation clearly describes Robert Frost's poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." In the course of the poem, Frost's speaker is confronted with two choices: he can either forget his problems or he can follow through with his responsibilities and make the most of life. It is through Frost's remarkable presentation of the speaker's thoughts that the reader may see how difficult this decision can be. Through powerful elements, such as alliteration, rhythm, and imagery, Frost stresses the importance of perseverence and facing one's fears and obligations.
Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the
Allusion first helped describe the ironic aspects of the poem by focusing on the odd setting of the poem. Collins description of the speaker’s town shares many traits of a regular town, but also incorporates traits from a school environment. The following lines will help explain the setting and how it relates to a school environment. The first example of this is shown in lines four through six; “I can see it nestled in a paper landscape, chalk dust flurrying down in winter, nights dark as a blackboard” (Collins). In these lines Collins describes the physical setting outside. Paper landscape is being compared to actual grass landscape outside. Chalk dust is white and powdery, as is fresh snow falling from the sky. And black boards are dark and cold, as are dark nights when the sun goes down. Chalk, paper, and black boards are all found in a school environment, and each one of these aspects help bring the setting to life in the readers mind. The reader can relate to what they are picturing as they continue reading the poem. Th...
Robert Frost composed “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” in June of 1922, after he wrote the poem “New Hampshire,” he went outside his home in Shaftsbury, Vermont, and had the idea for “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Frost’s poem has multiple meanings, but the
Life and death is the basic key in the poem “stopping by woods on a snowy evening.” Frost illustrates to the reader how this man took a moment to enjoy nature and life with no obligations to attain
The falling snow soon covers the irregular jagged surface of the earth and this visual scene is gradually overwhelming the senses and sensitivity as the mind is going in a state of numbness. In such a state of numbness one becomes concerned and confined with ones own self. The poet is trying to find refuge in the lap of nature but the cold whiffs of night seals out his approach. The falling snow has further aggravated the chances of his meeting with nature.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a short read with one character in it, but yet there are many details to ponder upon and analyze. And like Cather, Frost places a lot of emphasis on the details of setting in his works. In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Frost describes the journey of a man who in between “the woods and frozen lake,” and “the darkest evening of the year,” stops suddenly with his horse to see the magnificent nature that has perhaps drawn his attention (233). The idea that it is unusual for an individual to stop from his usual route in dark and snowy conditions is prevalent in this very poem, but the idea that there is human connection with the environment is even
Robert Frost uses metaphor and symbolism extensively in ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’, developing deeper and more complex meanings from a superficially simple poem. Frost’s own analysis contributes greatly to our appreciation of the importance of metaphor, claiming that “metaphor [is] the whole of thinking,” inviting the reader to interpret the beautiful scene in a more profound way. However, the multitude of possible interpretations sees it being read as either carefully crafted lyric, a “suicide poem, [or] as recording a single autobiographical incident” . Judith Oster argues, therefore, that the social conditions individual to each reader tangibly alter our understanding of metaphor. Despite the simplicity of language, Frost uses conventional metaphors to explore complex ideas about life, death and nature. The uncertainty, even in the concluding stanza, that encompasses the poem only adds to the depth of possible readings.
The tone and emotion of the poem changes as the speaker goes on. The first stanza of the poem convey...
"Stopping by Woods" The visible sign of the poet's preoccupation is the recurrent image of dark woods and trees. The world of the woods, a world offering perfect quiet and solitude, exists side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligations. Both worlds have claims on the poet. He stops by woods on this "darkest evening of the year" to watch them "fill up with snow," and lingers so long that his "little horse" shakes his harness bells "to ask if there is some mistake." The poet is put in mind of the "promises" he has to keep, of the miles he still must travel. We are not told, however, that the call of social responsibility proves stronger than the attraction of the woods, which are "lovely" as well as "dark and deep"; the poet and his horse have not moved on at the poem's end. The dichotomy of the poet's obligations both to the woods and to a world of "promises"--the latter filtering like a barely heard echo through the almost hypnotic state induced by the woods and falling snow-is what gives this poem its singular interest.... The artfulness of "Stopping by Woods" consists in the way the two worlds are established and balanced. The poet is aware that the woods by which he is stopping belong to someone in the village; they are owned by the world of men. But at the same time they are his, the poet's woods, too, by virtue of what they mean to him in terms of emotion and private signification.
In the opening stanza, Frost describes coming to a point during a walk along a rural road that diverges into two separate, yet similar paths. The narrator finds that he ...
Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is about a person the speaker, who stops near the woods when it is snowing out to take a break and look around. He notices how beautiful it is to look at the snow falling in such a peaceful way out of the dark sky.
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” examines the relationship between the narrator and his surroundings. It appears as if the narrator admits a close personal connection with nature that can be viewed as irrational to the rest of the people. The narrator meets a horse for who he is sorry for being in the dark along. This horse being abandoned is without food and water. He is exhibiting his humanism and for his love for animals as well. A meaning behind the horse can be is that horse are domesticated animals. Being an animal, it is a part