Analysis Of Mr. John Greenleaf Whittier's Snow-Bound

Mr. John Greenleaf Whittier was born in December on the 17th day in the thriving year of 1807. John Greenleaf Whittier grew up with the standard 19th century family representation -being so, the man is the head of the household, and the woman takes care of the home and the home related duties- on the farm with his parents and siblings. As the years past, he later became a famous poet and editor; before his poems were vastly known, he was known for working hard and passionately for several editorial magazines and papers. In addition, Mr. Whittier was a part of the American Anti-Slavery Society, but due to others being pro-slavery, they made sure they burned every file and document of the American Anti-Slavery Society so that they could no longer
be established. After the fire, Whittier decided to form his own society, so he founded the Anti-Slavery Liberty Party to, of course, rebel against the act of slavery and those for slavery. Meanwhile, Whittier continued to write his poetry.
Out of all his work, Snow-Bound which he published in 1866, was the most prevalent poem he transcribed.
Mr. Whitter wrote Snow-Bound as himself where he was introduced to the readers within the third-person perspective. Mr. Whitter seemed fairly content with his life. Snow-Bound is a poem constructed as a reflection upon his overall life. Snow-Bound is mostly about the time he shared with his family, and how he saw the world evolve throughout time as it passed by. Even though his parents and siblings has longed passed, he still acknowledges the time that they spent together, the joy they shared with one another, and how much they needed and depended upon one another. The poem is quite sentimental (I would think so), but it also shows the appreciation of life, time, and human interdependence. Though there are several examples of where human interdependence is shown, I have selected two prime examples that stood out, and of course, still occurs today. With Whittier, human interdependence is strongly showed during the time he interact with his family while they comfort one another and worked together. So, it
goes.
As an introduction, Whittier first began to paint a very detailed description of what is to occur which is a vicious snowstorm that restricts him and his family into the shelter of their home.
He states, “Meanwhile we did our nightly chores, --Brought in the wood from out of doors, Littered the stalls, and from the mows, Raked down the herd's-grass for the cows, Heard the horse whinnying for his corn; And, sharply clashing horn on horn, Impatient down the stanchion rows, The cattle shake their walnut bows; While, peering from his early perch, Upon the scaffold's pole of birch, The cock his crested helmet bent, And down his querulous challenge sent’’. In simple terms, these stanza’s within the poem describes what he sees and his activities before the storm begins. He says, although the storm is forming, the family continues their nightly chores of bringing in the wood, preparing the stalls of the animals for a colds night rest, and taking care of the rest of the animals -because if the animals aren’t well taking care of they could get sick, and as a food source for the Whittier family, it would mean worse for the
family.
After the animals are taken care of, the family then proceeds to move inside the home. Then he goes on to present his family. Whittier engages in on the time that him and his family has together as the storm occurs. Although the storm is roaring outside, he focuses more so on the calmness and comfort that his family provides for him. After a few stories shared by the family and laughs full of excitement, the night comes to an end, and snowstorm is now over. The family is now awake and their daily duties must continue. “A prompt, decisive man, no breath, Our father wasted: "Boys, a path!", Well pleased, (for when did farmer boy, Count such a summons less than joy?), Our buskins on our feet we drew; With mittened hands, and caps drawn low, To guard our necks and ears from snow, We cut the solid whiteness through. And, where the drift was deepest, made, A tunnel walled and overlaid” (68-76). Within these lines, Mr. Whittier’s father yell out to the boys to let them know that a path is needed to be made, but to do so by shoveling the snow from the vicious snowstorm out of the way so that the path for the barn is clear. He and his brother rely on one another for the support of completely their daily task. He and his brother is to clear a path so that they can make sure their barn animals are properly fed and hydrated, because they rely on the animals to produce the food for their survival.
In conclusion, Mr. Whittier shares his fondest memories with his readers. Although throughout the poem there is a bit of sadness where he feels the pain of the death of his loved ones, he speaks on how he sees the world evolve into a wonderful place where everyone relies on one another to complete tasks. This poetic poetry leaves us with how we all depend upon one another even for the simplest thing like comfort.