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Poetry Analysis SAMPLE

This analysis of Robert Frost's poem "stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" discusses how the poem conveys deeper meaning beneath its simple surface. It suggests the speaker is struggling with depression or responsibilities from which the woods represent an escape. Symbols like the frozen lake and darkness may indicate the pressures of duty and the low point of the speaker's depression. In the end, the speaker chooses to continue on his path of obligation, as shown through the changing rhyme scheme and resolved meter.

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Jayagokul Saravanan
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62 views2 pages

Poetry Analysis SAMPLE

This analysis of Robert Frost's poem "stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" discusses how the poem conveys deeper meaning beneath its simple surface. It suggests the speaker is struggling with depression or responsibilities from which the woods represent an escape. Symbols like the frozen lake and darkness may indicate the pressures of duty and the low point of the speaker's depression. In the end, the speaker chooses to continue on his path of obligation, as shown through the changing rhyme scheme and resolved meter.

Uploaded by

Jayagokul Saravanan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Analysis of "stopping by woods oa a srcwy Evening" by Robert Frost

Robert Frost's "stoppingby Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a seemingly simple piece, one that
conjures the image of a faceless, nameless traveler stopping to enjoy the beauty of nafure's solifude on a
dark and snowy wening. However, Frost did notbecome one ofthe literary world's most respected
poets by simply entertaining his readers with cozy little poems that glorifr the beauty of nature. There is
more to this piece than meets the eye, and one wonders ifFrost deliberately ernployed this illusion of
simplicity to lead the reader to firther speculation of his meaning. This work is infi$ed with refercnce
to the elements of nature, and he uses only plairL simple words and tidy form to oonv€y his rnessage. He
makes no attempt to whack the reader over the head as if to say,'?ay attention; this is important!" Isn't
it true that many of life's important lessons are like that? They are natural events in the oourse of one's
life, yet they seem to sneak up on a person and catch him offgrrard. People are ofte,n lulled by life's
circumstances into the nrts of depression or mediocrity, and then they are suddenly faced with the
realization that they have unforeseen choices to make. Those ruts are not unlike the woods; onoe lost in
therg one must find his way out if one is to go on with his life in a productive or meaningful way.
The speaker's identity is not important; he stands for all men. What is important is the
indecision the speaker faces, the ultimate choice he makes, and those factors that influence his choice. If
it is tnre that form equals meaning, then there are many elements of this poem that seem to reinforce this
message. The inverted synto( seen in the first line of the poem places emphasis not on the speaker but
on the woods he finds himself facing. The poet places the speaker'tefireen the woods and frozeir
lake" (line 7). Perhaps the woods symbolize the speaker's confusion or depression, and the frozcn lake
refers to the dull static life of responsibility, the circumstanoes of which have caused this depression He
is caught between these elements on "the darkest evening of the year" (line 8). This could be symbolic
of the depth of the speaker's depression which has reached a new low. It might also be noted that th€
darkest wening of the year occurs at winter solstice. At this time, the darkness has reached its' pealq
and daylight begins to increase. It could be interpreted that on this nighq the speaker has reached the
peak of his inner darkness, and begins to find a new light emerging from \ilithin himself.

The use of alliteration and assonance when describing the woods reinforces the hypnotic quallty

of the state of mind represented. The speaker's realization of the choice facing him is presented as the

horse's shalcing of his harness bells. It is a harsh realization that breaks his reverie and causes him to ask

himself if he's making a mistake. The next lines, "The only other sound's the swee/ Of easy wind and
downy flake" (lines l l and 12) suggest that these two factors, as represented by the horse's harness bells

and the sweep of wind and snow, are the two factors with wfiich the speaker is struggling. I find the use

of the word "sweep" interesting; it suggests being swept in the depttrs of something diflicult to resist

The final four lines of the poem suggest that the speaker has reached a decision or that he has allowed his

sense of duty to win out for the time being. The use of the word "sleep" denotes rest but it could

connote the rest that comes with the realization that all of one's obligations have been met or eve,n

death. Has the speaker been contemplating suicide or the abandonment of his responsibilities?

The meter of this poem also lends itself to a similar interpretation. The iambic structure clops

along in a fashion reminiscent of a horse's gait. It is rhythmic and lulling, perhaps to the point of being

hypnotic. It is further representation of the speaker's state of mind- It fluctuates back and fortlU as the

speaker himself does in confronting his choices. It also serves to reinforce the suggestion ofthe

monotony of the speaker's life. In only one instance is the stress on a word that represents the speaker

himself and that is when he is reminding himself of the promises he has made. In all other instances, the

stress is on words that represent the speaker's indecision, or on words that represent those facton vying

for dominance in his conflist.


The rhyme scheme is constructed in an a a b a pattern that suggests fluctuation or mimics the
indecision of the speaker. This pattern is broken at the end when the speaker has made his decision. In
fact the pattem is not only brokerl it switches to an a a a a pattern that stresses the fact that the conflict
has been resolved, and the speaker has a new sense of determination to carry on. The repetition of the
last line stresses the importance of the choice he has made. It also reinforces the knowledge that the r.est
he seeks is inevitable; it will come to him eventually.

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