Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Introduction 

American poet Robert Frost wrote "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in 1922 and published it in 1923 as part of his collection New Hampshire. The poem is narrated from the point of view of a traveller who stops to watch the snowfall in the forest, reflecting on both nature and civilization. Frost claimed to have composed the poem in a single sitting. Though this is most likely mythical, it would have been especially amazing given the poem's technical skill: it is written in perfect iambic tetrameter and employs a tight-knit chain rhyme typical of a form known as the Rubaiyat stanza.

Summary of the Poem

The speaker considers who owns the woods through which he or she is travelling and is reasonably certain of knowing the proprietor. However, because the owner's home is in the village, he is physically unable to observe the speaker halt to watch the snowfall in the woodland.

The speaker imagines that his or her horse must find it weird to come to a halt thus far from civilization. On the longest night of the year, they are surrounded only by woodland and a frozen lake.

The horse rattles its harness bells, as though wondering if the speaker made a mistake by halting. Aside from the ringing of these bells, the only other sound is that of the wind and falling snowflakes, which the speaker compares to goose-down feathers.

The speaker is lured to the woods because of their darkness as well as how huge and all-encompassing they appear. However, the speaker has other commitments to perform. As a result, while the speaker would want to remain and rest, he or she is aware that there are many more kilometres to travel before that is feasible.

The Theme of the Poem

The speaker discusses halting to watch the snow fall while riding a horse through the woods at night in "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening." The speaker muses on the natural environment and its implied contrast with civilisation while alone in the forest. Though Frost's poem defies categorization, the natural scene it describes is both "beautiful" and overpowering. The fact that it appears to entice the speaker to stay in the dark and cold shows that nature is both an enticing and frightening force, a domain that opposes people's efforts to control it while simultaneously providing refuge from the responsibilities of civilized life.

The poem depicts the natural world as different from human civilisation. The poem opens with the speaker wondering who owns the property he's going through—"Whose woods they are I suppose I know"—yet it's evident that no one is there to stop him from trespassing. "He will not see" the speaker since the owner's "home is in the village." While this owner may believe the woods are his, he has no control over who goes through "his" land, nor can he prevent the woods from "fill[ing] up with snow." The absence and futility of the landowner, in turn, show that the human drive to rule the natural world is misplaced.

Meanwhile, the complete lack of signs of civilisation widens the chasm between mankind and the environment. There are no farmhouses nearby, and the only sound is the wind, not the speaker's horse's "harness bells." Though the speaker is aware that he or she is standing in someone else's woods, the physical isolation reveals the insufficiency of conceptual frameworks such as ownership in the first place. In other words, people can claim all they want to "own" something, but it doesn't really matter if those people aren't there. The speaker stands alone "between the woods and frozen lake" on the "darkest evening of the year," distant from the sights and noises of the village.

At the same time, the woods are "beautiful" enough to entice the speaker to stay for a while, confounding the image of nature as a wholly hostile environment for humans. Despite the dreary surroundings, the speaker describes a "sweep / Of soft breeze and downy flake." This phrase makes the environment appear peaceful and welcoming. The wind, according to the speaker, is "easy" or "mellow," and the snowflakes are "downy," like the soft feathers that fill a blanket or pillow. Finally, the speaker states unequivocally in the last verse, "The forests are wonderful, dark, and deep." This indicates the speaker's special interest in the seclusion provided by the woods.

Though the speaker is aware that he or she "had obligations to uphold," implying that some societal responsibilities compel the speaker to continue, the woods are an enticing location to relax. For a little period, the speaker is allowed to halt merely to observe the falling snow. Nature, however brutal and cold, also provides the type of calm thought that individuals may struggle to find in the middle of society's stimuli.

Exercise of Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening

A. Find the words from the text for the following meanings.

a. the main house on a farm, usually where the farmer lives 

- Farmhouse

b. covered in something very soft

- Downy

c. a small and very thin layer or piece of something

- Flake

d. strange or unusual

- Queer

e. an area of trees, smaller than a forest

- Woods

f. movement of the air

- Wind

g. a set of leather and metal pieces that are put around the body of a horse

- Harness bells

B. Choose the best answer.

a. Why does the speaker stop while on the journey?

i. to watch the woods filled up with snow 

ii. to find food for his or her horse

iii. to say hello to the owner of the woods

iv. to go skating on a frozen lake

b. What is the setting of the poem?

i. in the woods on a bright, snowy afternoon

ii. in a village on a dark, snowy evening

iii. by a frozen lake on a bright, snowy afternoon

iv. near the woods on a dark, snowy evening

c. Which one of the following statements is true?

i. The woods are far away from the village.

ii. The woods are near some houses.

iii. The owner of the woods and speaker are friends.

iv. The speaker of the poem does not like the owner of the woods.

d. How did the horse respond when the speaker stopped there?

i. shook its harness

ii. did nothing

iii. stood calm 

iv. asked the speaker a question

e. What does 'miles to go before I sleep' mean?

i. The speaker feels tired and sleepy.

ii. The speaker has lots of desires to fulfill.

iii. The speaker has lots of responsibilities to fulfill.

iv. The speaker has a long distance to travel.

C. Fill in the gaps with appropriate words from the box to complete the summary of the poem.

promises,     traveler,     journey,     death,     the woods,     destination

The poet compares human life with a……journey…. The speaker of the poem is a……traveler…... He has to reach his ……destination…before taking a rest. However, he is distracted by the momentary pleasure in the form of……the woods... His companion, the horse, reminds him of his ……promises…….in life. The speaker realizes that he has to fulfill many responsibilities before his……death……...