Scribd
Upload
1K views

Dust of Snow

The poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost describes how the poet's mood was instantly lifted from bad to good by a simple act of nature. The poet was having a bad day when a crow shook snow from a hemlock tree onto him. Though the hemlock tree is poisonous and crows often symbolize doom, the falling snow brightened the poet's day. The poem illustrates how unpredictable acts of nature, even from ominous sources, can unexpectedly improve one's mood and save an otherwise dismal day.

Uploaded by

John Wick
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1K views

Dust of Snow

The poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost describes how the poet's mood was instantly lifted from bad to good by a simple act of nature. The poet was having a bad day when a crow shook snow from a hemlock tree onto him. Though the hemlock tree is poisonous and crows often symbolize doom, the falling snow brightened the poet's day. The poem illustrates how unpredictable acts of nature, even from ominous sources, can unexpectedly improve one's mood and save an otherwise dismal day.

Uploaded by

John Wick
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Dust of Snow

Summary
The short poem by Robert Frost throws light upon the unimaginable healing
power of nature and tiny things. From a bad mood to ill-health, there is nothing
that can’t be cured by nature. The author was experiencing one such bad day
when a crow’s movement near a hemlock tree dusted snow upon him. The snow
instantly makes him happier. His day gets a lot better. Thus, the supremacy of
nature as a whole made him realise how petty his problem was. The fact that
hemlock tree is poisonous combined with crow being the indicator of doom and
fear are used in the poem as the carriers of happiness in the life of narrator is
ironical. The poet, through these objects has tried to highlight that sometimes
creatures linked with negative aspects of life can be the bringer of change and
happiness. Being outdoors in nature, with all it’s unpredictability can benefit
anyone, anywhere at any time.

Explanation
Para 1:-
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree.

Explained:-
The poem is set in a scene where the poet is in a bad mood and is walking by a
tree, a hemlock tree. Hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. As he passes by, a crow
happens to throw some snow dust on him. Whether it falls on his head or
shoulders is unknown as there is no specific mention in the poem. Also, the
readers are left in doubt about the bird’s specific action. Whether the crow was
landing, shivering with cold, re adjusting itself on the branch or taking off, it
happened to send some particles of snow upon the author. Here, the two agents
of nature, the hemlock tree and the crow are signifiers of sadness and gloom just
like the poet’s mood was in the opening scene.

Para 2:-
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Explained:-
For reasons unknown, the author was having a terrible day. But the falling of the
snow on his head lifted his mood instantly. He had already spent his day in a bad
mood but the rest of it was saved by the crow and the hemlock tree. Generally,
hemlock tree and crow are used for negative references but the poet used them
beautifully to portray that inauspicious things can bring joy and happiness too.
One must not take things for granted and should be open and accept whichever
way the nature chooses to bless us.

You might also like