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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost S.

Clarke This entry represents criticism of Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. INTRODUCTION Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is generally regarded as Frost's masterpiece. The poem was included in Frost's collection New Hampshire (1923) for which he won the first of his four Pulitzer Prizes. It is Frost's most famous poem, and one which he himself viewed as his best bid for remembrance. It is also perhaps Frost's most frequently taught and anthologized poem. The speaker in the poem, a traveler by horse on the darkest night of the year, stops to gaze at a woods filling up with snow. While he is drawn to the beauty of the woods, he has obligations which pull him away from the allure of nature. The lyric quality of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening can be heard in the enchanting final stanza: 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. Plot and Major Characters The speaker (presumably a man, although no gender is specified), while traveling on horseback (or in a horse-drawn sleigh) on the darkest evening of the year, stops to watch the woods fill up with snow. He thinks the owner of these woods is someone who lives in the village and will not see the speaker stopping on his property. While the speaker continues to gaze into the snowy woods, his little horse impatiently shakes the bells of its harness. The speaker describes the beauty and allure of the woods as lovely, dark, and deep, but reminds himself that he must not remain there, for he has promises to keep, and a long journey ahead of him. Major Themes Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, like many of Frost's poems, explores the theme of the individual caught between nature and civilization. The speaker's location on the border between civilization and wilderness echoes a common theme throughout American literature. The speaker is drawn to the beauty and allure of the woods, which represent nature, but has obligationspromises to keepwhich draw him away from nature and back to society and the world of men. The speaker is thus faced with a choice of whether to give in to the allure of nature, or remain in the realm of society. Some critics have interpreted the poem as a meditation on deaththe woods represent the allure of death, perhaps suicide, which the speaker resists in order to return to the mundane tasks which order daily life. Critical Reception Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening was included in Frost's volume New Hampshire, for which he won the first of four Pulitzer prizes. Critics generally agree that its central theme is the speaker's dilemma in choosing between the allure of nature and the responsibilities of everyday life in human society. However, the ambiguity of the poem has lead to extensive critical debate. Some conclude that the speaker chooses, by the end of the poem, to resist the temptations of nature and return to the world of men. Others, however, argue that the speaker's repetition of the last line And miles to go before I sleep, suggests an indecisiveness as to whether or not he will, in fact, keep the promises by which he is obligated to return to society. Many have pointed out that this ambiguity is in part what makes the poem great. Another standard interpretation is

that the speaker is contemplating suicidethe woods, lovely, dark, and deep, represent the allure of death as a means of escape from the mundane duties of daily life. Still others, however, such as Philip L. Gerber, argue that Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is most importantly a lyric poem, which should be appreciated in terms of its formal, metrical qualities, such as the complex, interlocking rhyme scheme, rather than its content or meaning. Gerber notes that Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is widely regarded, metrically, as Frost's most perfect poem. Critics also point to the mood or tone of the poem, as created by its formal properties, as one of a person caught up in a reverie; the hypnotic quality of the repeated closing lines, in particular, suggests a chant or spell. James Hepburn noted that the inability of critics to secure a particular meaning of the poem is due to the quality by which It is a poem of undertones and overtones rather than of meaning. Critical debate over the meaning and significance of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening rages on, but few question the status of the poem as one of the greatest in American literature. Donald J. Greiner has observed of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening that Its deceptive simplicity, its ambiguity, and its interlocking rhyme scheme have been so lauded that it is now one of the most explicated American poems. The extent to which this poem has been discussedperhaps overanalyzed by critics was indicated by the parodic interpretation of Herbert R. Coursen, Jr., who, tongue-incheek, surmised that the speaker is in fact none other than Santa Claus, the little horse who rings its harness bells representing a reindeer, and the darkest night of the year, during which the poem takes place, a reference to the winter solstice, which is only a few days before Christmas. According to this interpretation, the promises that the speaker must keep refer to Santa Claus's responsibility to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

Woods Symbol Analysis The woods in this poem are something to write home about. Our speaker can't get enough of them, telling us that "the woods are lovely, dark and deep" (13), as though he were hypnotized. The woods must be all that and a bag of chips, because our speaker is compelled to stop and stare at them on the freezing, dark winter evening. There's a mysterious element to these woods as well, and we get the sense that the speaker is not alone, even though he is very much by himself. Whenever we see woods in literature, we almost automatically see them in contrast to civilization. If you've read The Scarlet Letter, think about the woods Hester Prynne frequents. We also think of woods as being mazelike and full of hidden obstacles, like the Fire Swamp in The Princess Bride (watch out for the Rodents Of Unusual Size and the quicksand). These are some pretty intense woods, so feel free to interpret them how you will. We will offer a few ideas below. Lines 1, 4, 7, 13: Some interpret the woods as an extended metaphor for death. Line 4: Here we see woods as a clear and crisp image as our speaker describes them filling up with snow

The Natural World Symbol Analysis Our speaker is digging the natural world. Picture him hanging out with his horse, between a frozen lake and the edge of the woods, while the snows falls gently all around him. The ideas of the village, of a farmhouse, or of the promises he must keep are not nearly as appetizing to our speaker as the cold beauty of the world around him. There's something very lulling about the "easy wind and downy flake" (12), and we get the sense that the natural world is pretty compelling and pretty good at convincing our speaker to forget about civilization. Nature is powerful in this poem. Lines 6-8: With these lines, we get a crystal clear image of the snowy woods and frozen lake at night. Line 11: We can almost hear the sound of the wind in the alliteration of "sound's the sweep." Line 13: While the fact that the woods are "lovely, dark and deep" might not seem visually helpful, this description actually helps us visualize the image of the woods even more clearly. Symbol Analysis Alone as alone can be. That's our speaker on this snowy evening. Why then, do we feel like he's not alone? Is it his little horse that seems to have a mind of its own, is it the landowner who is snug in his cozy house in the cozy village, or is it the presence of something else entirely? Line 2: The "village" can be interpreted as a symbol for society and civilization. Line 5: Horses have thoughts? We knew it all along. The horse is personified in this line. Line 6: Farmhouses may not be the most hoppin' places in the world, but they do usually involve people. Because of this, the farmhouse that our speaker mentions seems like a symbol for society and civilization. Line 10: Giving his harness bells a shake, the horse is personified once more as he asks "if there is some mistake." Lines 15-16: "Sleep" is a solitary activity, no? In these lines, "sleep" could be interpreted as a metaphor for death.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a lonely poem, for our speaker finds himself far away from any other human being. He kind of digs this aloneness, however, and is glad that no one is there to watch him. We get the feeling that he'd rather be all by his lonesome in the

freezing cold than back in the village. Nature helps make things even lonelier, too, for it happens to be freezing cold, snowing, and dark out there.

Questions About Isolation 1.Is the speaker alone? 2.Why doesn't the speaker want to head homeward? 3.Why does the speaker stop without a farmhouse near? Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.The speaker wants to be alone. The speaker's loneliness consumes him

The speaker in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" makes several choices, many of which his dearly beloved horse does not agree with. The biggest choice that he wrestles with is whether to return to the warmth and safety of the village or to stay and watch the woods fill up with snow. Our speaker does seem to have a hard time making his decision. He ultimately decides to return home, but it seems to take all of his willpower.

Questions About Choices 1.What decisions does our speaker make in this poem? 2.What does our speaker want? 3.What choices does Frost make in crafting this poem and in telling this story? What information does he include and what information does he leave out? Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate.Our speaker chooses life over death.Our speaker chooses death over life. We're not going to lie, nature seems pretty darn scary in this poem. Not scary like it's going to throw thunderbolts at our speaker or let hungry tigers lose on him, but scary in that it is mysterious and even rather seductive. Our speaker is almost enticed into staying and watching the woods fill up with snow, but if he stays too long, we've got to believe that he might freeze to death, catch a really bad cold, or forget his way home. Nature is a beautiful siren in this poem, compelling our speaker to hang out in spite of the dangerous consequences. Questions About Man and the Natural World

1. Does our speaker like what he sees around him? 2. Is nature a good thing in this poem? 3. Do the woods play a different role in nature than the snow or the lake? 4. What examples of nature do we see in this poem? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate. Nature is a dangerous thing in the world of this poem. The woods represent death to the speaker. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Theme of Society and Class We don't get much information about where our speaker comes from or about the nearby village in this poem, but we do know that he's far away from civilization. We also know that the man who owns the woods lives in town in a house. From this little information, we can deduce that if you own things (like the owner of the woods does), then you live in the midst of society. Our speaker is not so concerned with society. In fact, society to him is about as appetizing as cod liver oil. He'd rather be alone with nature. To us, the village sounds quaint, cute, and warm. To our speaker, the village represents his obligations, responsibilities, and promises. Questions About Society and Class 1. What examples of society and of human interaction do we have? 2. How does the speaker feel about the owner of the woods? 3. Why does the speaker stop without a farmhouse near? 4. What kind of guy is the owner of the woods? Chew on This Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devils advocate. Society is all about ownership and owning things in the world of this poem. The village represents obligation, debt, and promises made. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Isolation Quotes How we cite the quotes: (line) His house is in the village though (2)

Why does the owner of the woods live in town and not near his woods? And have you ever heard of someone owning woods? We've heard of people owning land, but owning woods seems like an entirely different matter. When we hear the word "woods," we think of an untamable, wild expanse. With this second line, our speaker draws a clean line between the village and the woods. They are like oil and water. He will not see me stopping here (3) Our speaker is one paranoid man. The way he uses the word "see" instead of "catch" or "find" or "discover" makes us think that he is worried that someone might be hiding in the trees, watching him. There's also something very forceful about the words "will not," as though the speaker is commanding the landowner or reassuring himself that no one is watching. In any case, our speaker seems to want pretty badly to be alone. The little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near (5-6) We might think it was a bit strange, too, if you stopped in the middle of nowhere. At least there's a horse around. And this is not just any horse this horse is very humanlike in our book. This horse has thoughts and opinions. Our speaker is not entirely alone. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. (11-12) It is quiet out here, and just a wee bit creepy, if you ask us. You know when it gets too quiet that you begin to freak out a little bit? That's the kind of quiet that fills the woods our speaker watches. Our speaker is all by himself, and yet we can't help but feel like he's not alone. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep. (15-16) We've reached the end of the poem, and we still don't know if our speaker has a family or if anyone is waiting up for him at home. The word "I" appears five times throughout the poem, and we get the feeling that our speaker is one individualistic kind of guy.

How we cite the quotes: (line) He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow. (3-4) Choice #1: our speaker decides to stop and watch the snow fall on trees. Why is this a significant choice? Well, it's getting late, it's cold, it's snowing, and he's still a long way from home. It may seem like a docile, serene scene, but we're worried he's going to get frostbite if he stays too long. Get it? Frost-bite? Hehe. The little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near. (5-6) Now we get a little more information about our speaker's choice to stop and watch the woods. Allegedly, he's chosen to stop at a place that is far, far away from any other humans. What does that say about him? We also would like to point out that our speaker is trying to figure out what his horse is thinking, which means that he must be kind of aware of how random it is to be stopping in the middle of nowhere. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. (9-10) You ring those bells, horse. We would too. Why do you think Frost uses the word "mistake" here? What mistake could the horse possibly be referring to? The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, (13-14) Choice #2: our speaker decides to continue on his journey home. It would seem that this is a particularly difficult decision for him, because the lovely and dark woods almost win out over the promises that must be kept. How we cite the quotes: (line) Whose woods these are I think I know. (1) Though this line seems like it was broken in half and then glued back together in the wrong order, we like how the woods are the first thing we hear about when we begin reading the poem. It's almost as if our speaker wants to showcase the "woods" over his own self. He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. (3-4)

The action at hand, the one that occupies our speaker throughout this poem, is that of watching snow fall on the woods. Quite a simple action. What does it say about the speaker that he take pleasure in watching snow fall on trees? Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. (7-8) We don't know about you, but to us the word "frozen" is not such a pleasant word. It makes us feel, well, cold, and it makes us think of things like frostbite and popsicles. This seems to be the first semi-violent word in the poem, the first word that reminds us of the dangers that lie behind such a beautiful scene. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. (11-12) What does a sweeping noise sound like? Well, when we say the word "sweep" aloud, we can kind of hear a little wind come out of our mouths. Try it. That ssss noise along with the wwww noise creates a little storm. It's quiet out here in the wilderness, and this quiet almost becomes another character, another presence. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. (13) What do you make of these three words (lovely, dark, and deep) together? Do they mix well? From what you know of the woods so far, do they seem lovely, dark, and deep. What do these word choices say about our speaker? Whose woods these are I think I know. (1) Can someone can own woods? His house is in the village though; (2) Besides messing up the iambic tetrameter (check out "Form and Meter"), what would be lost if Frost omitted the word "though" from this line? What does that "though" imply? The owner of the woods owns lots of things. Things like woods and a house. He must be living the life. He must also be kind of disconnected from the natural world if he doesn't even want to hang out with his trees. He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. (3-4)

Mr. Speaker, you've already told us that the owner of the woods lives in the village. Why are you so paranoid? Also, why are you watching woods fill up with snow? To each his own we endorse snow watching, if that's what you like. But, we're just curious about why you like this pastime so much. The little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near (5-6) How does the little horse know there isn't a farmhouse near, and, more importantly, why does the speaker choose to stop so far away from any other humans. The farmhouse represents something different than the village does it's a bit more nature-loving than the village. But the one thing that both farmhouse and village have in common is people, and that's the one thing that our speaker doesn't seem to like too much. But I have promises to keep, (14) The word "promises" is an interesting one. Promises usually involve other people, and they usually involve the future (whether immediate or distant). In this way our speaker seems to be choosing people and his future over nature and the present.

Summary On the surface, this poem is simplicity itself. The speaker is stopping by some woods on a snowy evening. He or she takes in the lovely scene in near-silence, is tempted to stay longer, but acknowledges the pull of obligations and the considerable distance yet to be traveled before he or she can rest for the night. Form The poem consists of four (almost) identically constructed stanzas. Each line is iambic, with four stressed syllables: Within the four lines of each stanza, the first, second, and fourth lines rhyme. The third line does not, but it sets up the rhymes for the next stanza. For example, in the third stanza, queer, near, and year all rhyme, but lake rhymes with shake, mistake, and flake in the following stanza. The notable exception to this pattern comes in the final stanza, where the third line rhymes with the previous two and is repeated as the fourth line. Do not be fooled by the simple words and the easiness of the rhymes; this is a very difficult form to achieve in English without debilitating a poems content with forced rhymes. Commentary This is a poem to be marveled at and taken for granted. Like a big stone, like a body of water, like a strong economy, however it was forged it seems that, once made, it has always been there. Frost claimed that he wrote it in a single nighttime sitting; it just came to him. Perhaps one hot, sustained burst is the only way to cast such a complete object, in which form and content, shape and meaning, are alloyed inextricably. One is tempted to read it, nod quietly in recognition of its

splendor and multivalent meaning, and just move on. But one must write essays. Or study guides. Like the woods it describes, the poem is lovely but entices us with dark depthsof interpretation, in this case. It stands alone and beautiful, the account of a man stopping by woods on a snowy evening, but gives us a come-hither look that begs us to load it with a full inventory of possible meanings. We protest, we make apologies, we point to the dangers of reading poetry in this way, but unlike the speaker of the poem, we cannot resist. The last two lines are the true culprits. They make a strong claim to be the most celebrated instance of repetition in English poetry. The first And miles to go before I sleep stays within the boundaries of literalness set forth by the rest of the poem. We may suspect, as we have up to this point, that the poem implies more than it says outright, but we cant insist on it; the poem has gone by so fast, and seemed so straightforward. Then comes the second And miles to go before I sleep, like a soft yet penetrating gong; it can be neither ignored nor forgotten. The sound it makes is Ahhh. And we must read the verses again and again and offer trenchant remarks and explain the Ahhh in words far inferior to the poem. For the last miles to go now seems like life; the last sleep now seems like death. The basic conflict in the poem, resolved in the last stanza, is between an attraction toward the woods and the pull of responsibility outside of the woods. What do woods represent? Something good? Something bad? Woods are sometimes a symbol for wildness, madness, the pre-rational, the looming irrational. But these woods do not seem particularly wild. They are someones woods, someones in particularthe owner lives in the village. But that owner is in the village on this, the darkest evening of the yearso would any sensible person be. That is where the division seems to lie, between the village (or society, civilization, duty, sensibility, responsibility) and the woods (that which is beyond the borders of the village and all it represents). If the woods are not particularly wicked, they still possess the seed of the irrational; and they are, at night, darkwith all the varied connotations of darkness. Part of what is irrational about the woods is their attraction. They are restful, seductive, lovely, dark, and deeplike deep sleep, like oblivion. Snow falls in downy flakes, like a blanket to lie under and be covered by. And here is where many readers hear dark undertones to this lyric. To rest too long while snow falls could be to lose ones way, to lose the path, to freeze and die. Does this poem express a death wish, considered and then discarded? Do the woods sing a sirens song? To be lulled to sleep could be truly dangerous. Is allowing oneself to be lulled akin to giving up the struggle of prudence and self-preservation? Or does the poem merely describe the temptation to sit and watch beauty while responsibilities are forgottento succumb to a mood for a while? The woods sit on the edge of civilization; one way or another, they draw the speaker away from it (and its promises, its good sense). Society would condemn stopping here in the dark, in the snowit is ill advised. The speaker ascribes societys reproach to the horse, which may seem, at first, a bit odd. But the horse is a domesticated part of the civilized order of things; it is the nearest thing to societys agent at this place and time. And having the horse reprove the speaker (even if only in the speakers imagination) helps highlight several uniquely human features of the speakers dilemma. One is the regard for beauty (often flying in the face of practical concern or the survival instinct); another is the attraction to danger, the unknown, the dark mystery; and the thirdperhaps related but distinctis the possibility of the death wish, of suicide.

Not that we must return too often to that darkest interpretation of the poem. Beauty alone is a sufficient siren; a sufficient protection against her seduction is an unwillingness to give up on society despite the responsibilities it imposes. The line And miles to go before I sleep need not imply burden alone; perhaps the ride home will be lovely, too. Indeed, the line could be read as referring to Frosts career as a poet, and at this time he had plenty of good poems left in him.

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