DUST OF SNOW (FIRST FLIGHT)

-ROBERT FROST
Summary
Dust of Snow is a beautiful poem written by the famous poet Robert Frost.
Though the poem is very brief, but it has a significant meaning. The poem
describes a very simple happening in very simple words. It tells us that
sometimes even a small incident may prove to be of larger significance. This
poem stands for guiding a person who has lost all hopes and is very sad. The
falling of dust of snow has changed the mood of the poet. The poet was sitting
under a hemlock tree, quiet and upset. This very small incident changed his sad
mood into a happy one. So, it teaches us that we should not be desperate
because there is always an opportunity to change the sad mood into happy
one.
VALUE POINTS
▪ It is a small poem with a deep meaning. Dust particles are very small but
sometimes small things can also be very important in bringing a big
change in our lives.
▪ We usually attach negative notions or beliefs to our lives. For example,
both the hemlock tree and the crow are linked with darker, negative
aspects of nature. The crow signifies sorrow gloom and death in Western
philosophy, and the hemlock tree has properties that cause death. But
here, the irony is that they transform the poet's negative emotions into
positive ones.
▪ The poet Robert Frost gives us a picture of a grey, bleak, desolate winter
landscape. But later his disposition becomes sunny.
▪ The poet wants to contradict that anything which has a negative aspect
can bring some positive change in life. It is just that you have to open
your mind and change your outlook towards that circumstance.
▪ It also shows that if we take hard times of life in stride, eventually
something positive will happen to change our situation into happier
times.
▪ The poem explores some important themes like the communication
between human beings and nature, the power of nature to heal, the
significance of seemingly trivial events, and how natural events can
 influence human lives. In short it can be said that, it brought about a
complete shift in the poet’s perspective and helped in changing his
mood.
RHYME SCHEME
• The rhyme scheme of the poem is abab.
POETIC DEVICE
1. Metaphor: A comparison is made between two different things or ideas
Ex-Mass of snowflakes atop the hemlock tree is compared with dust
2. Enjambment: Sentence continuing without any punctuation mark
Ex: The entire poem
3. Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sound in consecutive words.
Ex: i. And saved some part ii. Has given my heart
4. Symbolism: Hemlock tree and crow are symbols that are generally
associated with negative emotions and aspects. But the poet uses these
symbols to bring about a positive change in him.
Stanza 1
“The way a crow………………………From a hemlock tree.”
Explanation
The poet recounts a small incident, apparently trivial. The poet is in a rural
surrounding, standing under a hemlock tree. A crow has either just alighted on
the tree or is already sitting on the tree. A movement made by the crow
dislodges some snow from the branch of the tree and results in showering the
poet with some snow.
Stanza 2
“Has given my heart………………Of a day I rued.”
Explanation
The dust of snow, as it fell on the poet, uplifted his mood. It changed his
feelings. Thus, some part of a day which the poet had been regretful about was
saved. It was not spent in sadness or regret, as the earlier part had been spent.
Thinking about the poem
1.What is a "dust of snow"? What does the poet say has changed his mood?
How has the poet's mood changed?
ANS: "Dust of snow" refers to the tiny particles of snow. The particles are so
small that poet referred to them as "dust,” as it fell like loose powder.
When the crow perched itself on the hemlock, the tree shook and some loose
snow fell from it onto the poet. The poet was in a bad mood when particles of
snow fell on him. This changed the poet's mindset instantly and his day got a
lot better. He felt that the "dust of snow" had brought a bit of happiness on an
otherwise gloomy day. He felt refreshed and wanted to enjoy the rest of the
day.
2) i. How does Frost present nature or observe nature in the poem, ‘Dust of
snow?’
ANS: The poet presents nature in its raw and natural form. He had observed
nature as a positive medium of change for him which has healing powers. He
had been in a sorrowful and depressive mood but when the dust of snow fell
on him, it changed his mood. It is ironical that both the crow and the hemlock
tree which are considered inauspicious and are associated with bad omen,
death or fear, bring cheerfulness to the mood of the poet and gladdens his
heart. Nature gave the poet the inspiration to behave in a positive manner.
ii. What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow
is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you
think of a crow?
ANS: Usually the birds mentioned in the poems are the ones that have sweet
voices or are pretty and colourful. For example, birds like sparrow, nightingale,
robin, canary, lark and peacock are more than often named in poems.
Unlike these birds, crows are often seen as the indicators of doom and fear.
They are often used for negative references and depicted as evil, ominous or
annoying.
iii. Again, what is "a hemlock tree"? Why doesn't the poet write about a
more 'beautiful' tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
ANS: Trees are said to absorb all the negative energy. Though trees are life-
savers, but there are trees that are poisonous too, like a hemlock tree. The
poet does not write about a more 'beautiful' tree such as maple. oak or pine
because he wants to indicate a sad scene. He is trying to convey the image of a
dark and gloomy day, to reflect the mood he was in. Being poisonous, a
hemlock tree is considered bad and so he refers to it. The crow and the tree
are symbols of his mental state.
(iii)What do the 'crow' and 'hemlock' represent — joy or sorrow? What does
the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
ANS: Initially both the crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow and
depression felt by the poet in this materialistic world. Robert Frost has used
both the negative creatures (crow and the hemlock tree) as the carriers of
positivity and strength that transformed his day for the better. Through this
the poet has told us that we need to let go of negative concepts about certain
agents of nature. He has tried to make us understand that we see the world
not as how it is, but as how we want to see it. Thus, the crow sitting on a
hemlock tree together made his day better. The dust of snow stands for joy.
The dust of snow that the crow shakes off from a hemlock tree is a sign of
nature’s blessing. It has brought the poet out of depressing moments and has
led him towards joy and optimism.
EXTRA QUESTIONS (write within 40-50words)
1. What side of nature do ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ tree represent?
Ans: The crow and hemlock tree present a negative side of nature. The
‘crow’ is black, harsh-voiced bird and annoying and the ‘hemlock’ is a tree
with poisonous white flowers. They represent the dark, depressive,
sorrowful and bitter side of nature.
2. Justify the role of the crow in the poem, “Dust of snow” in changing
the poet’s mood?
Ans: In the poem the way snow-dust was shaken off changed the mood of
the poet. Perhaps, it gave the poet the inspiration to behave in the same
manner- shake off his depressive thoughts and revive his cheerful mood.
3. Explain why the poet was standing under the hemlock tree?
Ans: The poet was depressed and hopeless. He was not in good mood. As
he was lost in his thought, he stood under the hemlock tree. The incident
was not pre-planned.
4. ‘And saved some part of a day, I had rued.’ Explain.
Ans: The day had been rather gloomy, dull, depressing and hopeless for the
poet. He had a feeling that the whole day would go waste. However, the
falling of fine dust of snow on him suddenly changed his mood. The small
and simple incident changed his mood. It cheered his depressed spirits. He
felt that if he had not gone through such an incident, he would have
regretted spending the whole day in a sad and depressed mood. It can be
concluded that the incident had saved some part of the day.
5. Did the snow change the speaker’s mood for better or worse? Support
your answer with examples.
Ans: The dust of snow changed the poet’s mood for better. He had been
gloomy and depressed perhaps, due to a sudden mishap but the dust of
snow lightened it and changed his mood as he realised that he was wasting
his time.
Answer the following long questions: (100-120 words)
1. Often, we ascribe general connotations to certain things. Such
connotations influence our view on things. Do you think the poet has
tried to question such generalisations in his poem ‘The dust of snow?’
OR
Do you think that judging other people with prejudiced eye makes us
impervious to any goodness in them? Discuss in the context of ‘crow
and hemlock tree in this poem.
Ans: Often, we ascribe certain connotations to certain things which
influences our understanding of these things. One such example is that
the poets generally take the birds and trees which are known for beauty
and good qualities. But Frost used two images with completely opposite
connotations, both 'crow' and hemlock tree are filled with negative
aspects which we have accepted. The crow is black in colour with a very
harsh voice and is believed to be a symbol of bad omen. The Hemlock
tree is a poisonous plant. Both these images are taken to bring
depressing and sorrowful images.
However, for the poet both becomes harbingers of happiness. The crow
shook the hemlock trees such that a dust of snow fell on the poet. This
event changed the poet’s depressed mood. It made him think and
 ponder upon the fact that he was wasting his time and decided to enjoy
the rest of day. The poet thus seems to point out everything in nature is
beautiful. Thus, he is questioning the generalised connotations.
2. Positive attitude in life can make the world a better place to live in. Do
you agree or disagree with reference to the poem ‘The dust of snow?’
Express your views.
Ans: I completely agree with the statement that positive attitude can
make the world a better place to live in. Robert Frost, in 'Dust of Snow',
talks of how an otherwise bad day altered into a not so bad one, due to
the action of a crow. It was a seemingly disconnected occurrence that
brought about a change of mood in the poet. One lesson that can be
learnt from the poet, is to see the brightness amidst the gloom. The
crow, the hemlock and the crow are all dark images, and yet, the poet
sees the colour of happiness. Another lesson is that life is made up of
small joys. It is through them that one can always manage to see
positivity in negativity.
3. What are the possible themes of this poem? Cite evidence from the
text to support your answer.
Ans. The poem 'Dust of Snow' revolves around themes of hope. healing
and a positive attitude. Through the poem, the poet highlights that one
should never lose hope. The poet happily and quickly decides that some
part of his day is saved because of the dust of snow that falls on him. He
no longer thinks that his day is wasted and instead has a hope that his
day can be saved.
Further, the poem highlights the natures healing quality. He was
depressed and sad because of something that had happened with him.
But nature made him happy and joyful. In addition, the poem also
revolves around positive perspective.
Firstly, the poet’s perspective changes with a small event. Because of his
sad mood everything around him was seen by him through a negative
perspective, but it changes with the dust of snow.
Secondly, the poet suggests that we can think either positively or
negatively about an event or thing depending on our perspective. The
images of crow and hemlock tree are negative images but the poet uses
them positively to justify the theme of the poem.
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1. The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
a) Who shook down the hemlock tree?
Ans. The crow shook the hemlock tree.
b) Which tree did the crow shake?
Ans. The crow shook the hemlock tree.
c) Where do you think was the poet then?
Ans. The poet was under a hemlock tree.
d) Name the poem and the poet.
Ans. The name of the poem is 'Dust of Snow' and the poet is `Robert Frost
e) What is the rhyming scheme of the poem?
Ans. The rhyming scheme of the poem is abab.
2. Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
a) What had given the poet 'a change of mood'?
Ans. The falling of dust of snow on the poet had changed his mood.
b) Earlier the poet was in a gloomy/ sorrowful mood.
c) What was saved for the poet?
Ans. ‘Some part of the day’ was saved for the poet.
d) Which word is the synonym of ‘feel remorse’ or ‘regret’ as used in
the stanza?
Ans. The word ‘rued.’
Answer the following (100-120 words) Practice questions)
1. Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you
experienced a similar moment that changed your mood that day?
2.What difference do you find between Robert Frost and other nature poets?
3. Nature has the power to lift our mood even when we are slightly
despondent. Comment on the basis of the understanding of the poem ‘Dust
of snow.’
4.Small things in life make significant changes in our life. Elaborate with
reference to the poem ‘Dust of snow.’
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