Snowy Evening Diction

Isolated, quiet and burdened, a solitary traveler makes his way through dark woods with only the company of his horse when the gentle beauty of falling snow stuns him. He stops to watch the woods transform in the snow in visceral reaction, but his responsibilities and duties stop him from fully enjoying the experience and corrupt the beauty of the scene. This is the story that unfolds throughout Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. Frost uses rhythm, diction, and repetition in this poem to convey a perversion of good things in life that onus and responsibility cause. He proves that no matter how perfect something is, there is always a negative counterpart that ruins it.

The topic of desire versus duty is very present in this poem and the first half of the poem’s use of curious diction contrasting with hesitant, wary diction in the last two stanzas reinforces the dread and apprehension that comes hand in hand with responsibility. The polarity of these words clearly separates the narrator’s thought process; the narrator goes from unconsciously appreciating a beautiful scene to immediately debating whether or not he should indulge his eagerness or fulfill his burdening promises. Phrases such as “think” (Frost 1), “watch his woods fill up with snow” (Frost 4) and “queer” (Frost

Though the astonishing beauty of the snow is overpowering for a moment, the speaker quickly recollects his responsibilities and promises, settling a burdened weight on his shoulders. The ineviatble encumbrance of unwanted responsibility instills a sense of regret in the speaker, creating a relatable and eye-opening message: beauty, though it may be entrancing, holds the power to have a corresponding negative side such as dread and responsibility. Though inconveniencing, this moral remains