Preview

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Symbolic Setting

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
498 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Symbolic Setting
Robert Frost's love of nature is expressed in the setting of his poem "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening." His elaborate description of the woody setting brings vivid images to the reader's mind. Frost explains the setting so descriptively that the reader feels he is in the woods also<br><br>The setting is a very important tool Frost uses in writing this poem. The setting is obviously in the woods, but these are not just any old woods. Something caught the speaker's eyes in these woods making them a special place for the speaker. It seems as if the speaker has associated these woods with an aspect of his "personal paradise". The peacefulness, tranquillity, darkness, and silence are all important parts of this "paradise". These aspects help the speaker escape from reality. The snow symbolizes the purity and peacefulness the speaker feels while stopping in the woods. (4) The darkness can symbolize many different things. Some times darkness would be considered evil or dangerous, but I do not think this is the case in this poem. I believe the darkness symbolizes the undisturbed atmosphere of the woods. Darkness may also symbolize the mystery of the yet to be discovered secrets deep within the woods. (8) The silence makes the speaker feel secluded from all other aspects of reality. (11-12) <br><br>Stopping by the woods provides the speaker with a temporary escape from reality. Frost does not ever tell what business the speaker is on, but you can assume it may be very stressful. This escape from reality is very important even in today's world. This poem was written in 1923 and still has aspects of 20th century society. <br><br>The speaker knows he can not stay in this "paradise".(14) The speaker does not want to leave this spot, but he has made other promises that he has to keep. (14) I believe Frost uses repetition of the last two lines of this poem (and miles to go before I sleep) to emphasize the importance of this promise he has made, and to support the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Serious Depressions In Robert Frost's A Dust Of Snow
    • 225 Words
    • 1 Page

    Serious Depressions In Robert Frost's A Dust Of Snow

    Robert Frost, in his poem “A Dust of Snow,” reveals that surprising moments can pull us out of serious depressions. He establishes this idea first by using the symbolic meaning of crow to create unhappiness and darkness; second, by the diction of the word snow which would normally mean a slow accumulation, but in this poem, this man’s life has slowly come to the point where everything is bad for him; third, by the connotative use the hemlock tree which is a poisonous tree, but it is used to stirrup some good in the person’s situation; fourth, by ironically saying that the crow saved him and renewed hope and life to him; lastly, by the use of diction with the word rued which means regret, but in this poem, the crow stopped the man from doing…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Isolation In Robert Frost's Acquainted With The Night
    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Isolation In Robert Frost's Acquainted With The Night

    Robert Frost's “Acquainted with the Night” describes a life that is filled with depression caused by isolation. Many believe this could have been written from Frost's own personal experiences, since it is well known that he experienced a very sad life with the losses of many of his close relatives. This would have left him feeling alone and detached, therefore giving him the inspiration for this poem. When examining the title's literal meaning, one can see Frost’s illustration of how he is very familiar with these dark and lonely feelings that seem to come with the night. The night, and these feelings, are nothing new to him. He uses an exceptionally descriptive setting, diverse symbols, and a unique style to develop his poem. In this poem Frost uses many symbols like the rain, the watchman, and the moon to illustrate the speaker’s depression, as…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis of Stopping by a Wood on a Snowy Day
    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Analysis of Stopping by a Wood on a Snowy Day

    In Robert Frosts’ poem “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening”, Frost uses symbolism and personification to tell a story about a man’s battle with responsibility and society versus straying from the accepted path of life. Throughout the poem, Frosts’ use of detail helps push the story along and get the reader into that field. The reader starts to feel the cool, brisk breeze and hear the silence of the nothingness. With as short as this poem is, the reader really feels a sense of a story here rather than just a four stanza poem.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Road Blocks
    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Road Blocks

    Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” both portray weighing of choices in life. The former is about youth and experiencing life and the latter is about old age, or more probably, an old spirit wearied by life. In both poems the speaker is in a critical situation where he has to choose between two paths in life. In “The Road Not taken” the speaker chooses the unconventional approach to the decision making process, thus showing his uniqueness and challenging mentality while in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” the speaker seeks a life without any pain and struggle but at the end, he has to comply with social obligation, which reflects his responsibility towards the society. On the other hand, in the poem "Acquainted with the Night" Frost focuses on the speaker’s depression and loneliness through a depiction of a late night journey. Instead of struggling with choices, the speaker is idle in being dissatisfied. He has walked beyond the city limits…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Metaphor and William Carlos Williams
    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Metaphor and William Carlos Williams

    Robert Frost’s inverted word order in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, gives me, as a reader, a childlike dream like feeling. He uses his repetition and imagery to make you feel as if you are in the woods with him in his head. The way he describes the bells on the horse jingling and the snow doesn’t over complicate the situation at hand; but it makes the atmosphere a lot more physical as a reader. His AB writing method, and rhyming on the second and fourth line of the stanzas keep it childish and give it a rhythm to keep the short and simple poem captivating to the mind. Though the writing itself is simple, the way he reacts and thinks about the horse and his actions make me feel as though as there is some underlying message like he would consider staying and that he’s is captivated by the simplistic beauty of the snow. Robert Frost’s inversion is also used creatively when he says things like “Whose woods these are I think I know”. This is a technique used to set up a rhyme or meter, but the way Robert Frost uses it doesn’t through off any of understanding. By beginning with that line it only opens the readers mind to the narrator’s thoughts of uncertainty making it easier for us as readers to understand. As a reader I enjoyed the story because it was simple and to the point, unlike William Carlos Williams “The Red Wheelbarrow” or Edger Allan Poe’s stories. There isn’t particularly a metaphorical meaning to it, and it can be read over and over again and I can still feel the same simplistic beauty I did the first time. I believe the rhyming and inverted words are used correctly and not overly placed.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Analysis of the Wood Pile
    • 1350 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis of the Wood Pile

    Robert Frost 's poem, "The Wood-Pile", focuses on a man who adventures himself in a frozen swamp. Away from home, he fears the environment surrounding him. Until a small bird, flies ahead of him and draws his attention on a decayed woodpile. This marks a turning point in the poem. The man, hypnotized by the wood pile, feels more comfortable because he knows humans were here before him. He enters in some sort of communion with nature. In his line by line analysis of Frosts poem "On the Woodpile", J.Donald Crowley states that home is a place where one feel 's comfortable and lives peacefully with his self. Through his poem, Frost explains home is an abstraction lost and gained through several stage of life, which requires harmonic relations with nature and our surroundings.…

    • 1350 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    AP Lit Night Compare Contrast Essay
    • 916 Words
    • 1 Page

    AP Lit Night Compare Contrast Essay

    the night can be accustomed to, and it is not always so unknown. Yet, in Frost’s poem, the night…

    • 916 Words
    • 1 Page
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    An Explication of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages

    An Explication of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

    The poem’s title is a very straightforward description of the poem itself, since it says exactly what is going on in the delicately placed words below it. Starting with the first stanza, the speaker decides to stop in the woods to, “To watch [it] fill up with snow” (Frost). He believes that he is acquainted with the owner of these woods; though the owner does not reside there but, “his house is in the village” (Frost). Therefore, the speaker is not worried about the owner spotting him on his property enjoying a tranquil moment on his journey.…

    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Woodpile Robert Frost Analysis
    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Woodpile Robert Frost Analysis

    Robert Frost uses imagery in The Woodpile to show the death of nature and the impact we humans have on it. The use of imagery affects the setting that the speaker is in and causes the reader to see this image of death right from the beginning. The words “frozen”, “snow”, “gray” are examples of nature and color imagery and can be related to winter. A perception of winter is how the days are gloomy and dark and trees have lost their leaves only to look like skeletons and lifeless as there is no color to them. The reader also thinks of how animals have gone into hibernation so the setting is almost dead and quiet. The image left for the reader is one of death as there is no color only grey which is representative loss or emotionless. Then an image…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Snowy Evening Tone
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Snowy Evening Tone

    In the poem, Robert Frost uses the theme of isolation can create peace. In the poem, Robert Frost writes, "between the woods and the frozen lake/the darkest evening of the year," to create the theme by showing how being out in the woods can make a person relaxed even if they are isolated from the world (Frost 7-8). The theme in the poem contributes to the tone by creating a calm, peaceful feeling throughout all the lines. With the feeling of isolation, the person understands that being alone is not as horrifying as others say it is because it can give a person time to…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare And Contrast Birches And Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare And Contrast Birches And Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

    During his life, Robert Frost, the icon of American literature, wrote many poems that limned the picturesque American Landscape. His mostly explicated poems “Birches” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” reflect his young manhood in the rural New England. Both of these poems are seemingly straightforward but in reality, they deal with a higher level of complexity and philosophy. Despite the difference in style and message, “Birches” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” are loaded with vivid imagery and symbolism that metaphorically depict the return to the nature and childhood, the struggle between reality and imagination, and also freedom and captivation.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

    "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a simple poem. Underneath the surface it has a slightly deeper meaning. Looking at the way the poem is written and what words are used will prove the underlying meaning of this poem…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    analysis of stopping by woods on a snowy evening by robert frost
    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages

    analysis of stopping by woods on a snowy evening by robert frost

    He decides to use this opportunity to bond with nature, this shows that the speaker is indeed a nature lover and he cannot help himself but to admire what is seeing. He observes the way the snow is falling and making the trees, land and the lake white and cold. He gets this sense of serenity and simplicity as he gapes on at the act nature makes.…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Peotry Analysis- Robert Frost
    • 1826 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Peotry Analysis- Robert Frost

    Nature has inspired many famous poets to come out with some of the best and fascinating poems. Robert Frost is a popular American poet who has written some of the best poems touching upon various subjects. Amongst the many poems of Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” are quite popular and impressive. The former is about youth and experiencing life and the latter is about old age, or more probably, an old spirit wearied by life. There is a strong connection between these two poems in many areas that makes these best for comparative analysis. Both “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” are about men having to make choices over the options available before in front of him while traveling toward the final destination.…

    • 1826 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

    * Instead of using a word like catch or find, the speaker decides to use the word see, as if someone is looking for him or directly at him right then…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics