Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

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Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening is a poem that works on so many levels. This poem uses all sorts of literary tools to convey deeper meanings. Such tools as allegory and imagery are used in such simple manner as to not confuse the reader but also get the deeper meaning across. For these reasons, and more, I think that Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening is a timeless classic and my favorite poem.

One thing that Robert Frost does in all of his poems is he writes them in such a way as to not be very hard on the reader. In Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening, there are not any big words to cope with, there are not any confusing words that might make the reader stop and think. It has a very pleasing sound. By this I mean that it rolls of the tongue and that it rhymes. It has a very “Dr. Suess” feel to it. This feel allows the reader to flow through the poem without any real deep thought. The form of this poem is characterized as closed form. That means that is has regular meter, rhyme and length. For example, the first stanza reads:

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.

This stanza is the perfect example of what I am talking about. Each line is 8 syllables long and they flow with a regular beat that can be followed by anyone. Even though the structure is very simple, it offers a sense of great imagery.

This poem, more than any other I have read, paints a vivid picture in my mind. It is as if I am actually the man in this poem. There is one stanza that leaps out at me. It reads as follows:

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.

The last two lines are what paint the picture here for me. I can just see the path that they are stopping on and the horse and the man. It is just so real for me.

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