ANALYSIS OF POEM
STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY
EVENING
By Robert Frost
STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING
by Robert Frost
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.
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.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely,dark,and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
POPULARITY
• The poem stopping by woods on a snowy evening written by
Robert Frost, this poem was published in 1923. It was written
to capture the conflict between man and nature and also to
highlight the difference between wishes and obligations we
face in our lives.
ANALYSIS
STANZA 1
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.
The poem starts with a hint of doubt shown by the narrator about
ownership of the forest that lies in his path towards his
destination.The narrator talks about knowing who might be the
owner of the forest,which is represented by the word woods.
This stanza displays that the narrator’s mood at this point of time
is extremely pensive and philosophical to some extent.It shows
that the narrator considers the whole experience of getting to see
a forest during winter time as a privilege.
STANZA 2
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.
In this stanza the narrator worried at the great darkness that
awaits him.In the woods,the night can be very dangerous for
travelers who are miles away from home.The narrator was
confused between two choices,either to go home or sink into the
beautiful view.
STANZA 3
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
In this stanza the narrator tell us about the horse’s mind,which is
currently shaking the bell.The jingle bells indicate the tendency
of horses to leave the forest.Because the horse cannot speak,the
narrator chooses to.For him,the animal is waiting for detention to
end and continue the journey back to home. The poet affirms only
three sounds in thick woods,it’s wind, snow and bell ringing.
STANZA 4
The woods are lovely,dark,and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
The narrator admits feeling transfixed at the woods,shrouded in
beautiful natural beauty.The narrator begins to worry as the
darkness draws near,he must continue.The word “but” indicates
the narrator has a strong desire to remain his position to observe
the beauty he possesses. For him, he’s untended responsibilities
ultimately bog him down,forcing him against his will towards his
goals.
SUMMARY
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” As the poem is about
nature, it has been written from the perspective of an adult,who stops
by the woods to enjoy the mesmerizing beauty of nature.
The poem comprises the thoughts of an adult, why he stops and why he
wants to stay in the lap of nature,forgetting all his worldly affairs. The
traveler wants to take a moment to pause in the quiet woods to watch
the snow falling. He says he knows whose woods are these, but he is
sure the owner of the woods will not notice his presence because he is
in the village.
He is tempted to stay longer, but the pull of obligations and
considerable distance force him to leave the woods. As he says that he
has to travel a lot, it means he has to perform a lot of duties. Therefore,
he puts his wishes aside and starts his journey again. This poem is
about the boundaries and limits in which human beings pass their lives,
and which do not allow them to get derailed from their respective
paths.
Rhyme
The rhyme of this poem are :
• Stanza 1 : AABA
• Stanza 2 : BBCB
• Stanza 3 : CCDC
• Stanza 4 : DDDD
Literary Devices
1. Personification
Third stanza, lines nine and ten.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
It means the horse gives a shake as if to question why they have
stopped.
2. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the
same lines There are several examples of alliteration in this
poem,such as:
• Whose woods
• His house
• Watch his woods fill up with
• He gives his harness
• Dark and deep.
3. Imagery
Imagery is used to make readers feel things through their five senses.
The poet has used the images for the sense of sights such as woods,
house, lake, and these images help readers see the woods a source of
solace and comfort to a lonely traveler.
4. Metaphor
The poem doesn’t have any metaphors. However, there are two
extended metaphors in the poem. The last line of the third stanza,
“sweep of easy wind and downy flake” and the second metaphor is
used in the last line with repetition, “and miles to go before I sleep.”
Here, miles represent life’s journey, while sleep represents death.
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