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.
Summary and appreciation of the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”
This poem, written in 1922, by Robert Frost, has a story to tell and the poem successfully engages the audience to listen to it. The language is very plain and the final punch is delivered in the last line which is a refrain. The poem is very popular because it is the story of everybody.
In this busy world. Nature is beautiful; the world is beautiful and everybody wants to enjoy this beauty of the world but everybody is busy and has some promises to keep; some assignments to be completed; some duties to be performed on the top priority and finally he has to move on to the call of his duty leaving behind the beautiful nature to itself.
The poem has four stanzas containing iambic tetrameter following the rhyme scheme AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD. The last line is repeated to enhance the power of the final punch.
The poem is about stopping just one stop to see the beauty of the woods and the frozen lake. The setting of the poem is the woods of North America. The poet is on his journey on his sledge driven by his pony. It is the darkest evening of the year. He stops to watch the woods filled up with snow and the frozen lake at the side of it but his dutiful pony is not able to understand why the poet stops there without a farmhouse nearby. He sends a message by giving a shake to his harness bells. He wants to ask if there is any mistake. The poet’s attention is drawn to his duty and he is reminded of the promises that he must keep and he has to undertake a long journey before he sleeps. The sleep too here is symbolized. It represents death and the journey is symbolized to be life. A person has several assignments to complete before he finally departs from this world. In the end, the poet has no choice but to focus on his duty leaving the beauty of nature to itself.
This poem reminds us of another poem “Leisure” by W.H. Davies. Frost himself called it “my best bid for remembrance,” A copy of this poem was discovered from the drawer of Pt, Nehru at his death.
The literary devices that are used in this poem are alliteration and personification. “The woods are lovely deep and dark”. Repetition of ‘d’ sound. “The only other sound's the sweep of easy wind downy flakes” The repetition of ‘s’ sound. Sleep is personified here as death and the journey is personified here as life..
About Robert Frost
Robert Frost (Full Name Robert Lee Frost) is
an American poet. He was born in San Francisco in America on March 26, 1876. His father William Prescot Junior was a journalist. But his untimely death forced his mother to move to Lawrence Massachusetts so that the children may be taken care by their paternal grandparents while their mother taught at various schools. Robert got his higher education from Dartmouth college. Robert was very bright from his childhood. He had started his poetic career in his childhood itself. He continued his poetic career after his higher education. His first title A Boy's Will was published in 1913. He became an English Professor in Amherst College from 1916 to 1938. Frost's work was highly well known among so many people. He won Pulitzer Prize at four different times. Robert Frost died on January 29, 1963. He was buried at Old Bennington cemetery, Vermont.
Questions and answers
Short Answer Questions
Question 1. Does the poet know the owner of the woods?
Answer: Yes. the poet admits in the very first line that he knows the owner of the woods.
Question 2. Why does the poet say that the owner will not see him watch his woods?
Answer: The poet says so because he thinks that the owner of the woods may raise objection to his watching the woods.
3. What is the reaction of the pony of the poet at his stopping?
Answer: The pony finds the stopping of the poet between the woods and frozen lake very strange because there is no farmhouse nearby so he shakes
his harness bells to ask the poet if there is any mistake in stopping there.
4. In spite of the fact that the woods are very lovely and the poet wants to watch their beauty, why does the poet not watch the woods and leave for home?
Answer: The poet does not watch the beauty of the woods and leaves because he has promises to keep and he has to travel several miles before
he finally reaches his home and sleeps there.
5. What are the promises that the poet has to keep?
Answer: The poet admits that he has promises to keep but he does not reveal the audience what promises these are. He keeps it a secret.
6. What is a refrain?
Answer: A refrain is a part of a poem or a song (especially at the end) which is repeated. E.g. the last line of this poem.
Multiple Choice Type Questions
1. The poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is written by.............
(a) Rabindranath Tagore
(b) Walt Whitman
(c) Robert Frost
(d) W.H. Auden
Answer: (c) Robert Frost
2. The poet Robert frost stops his sledge………….. .
(a) In the woods
(b) Beside a lake
(c) Between the woods and a lake
(d) Between the woods and a frozen lake
Answer: (d) Between the woods and a frozen lake
3. The poet Robert Frost was born on .............
(a) March 26 1874
(b) March 26 1974
(c) March 26 1864
(d) March 26 1994
Answer: (a) March 26 1874
4. The poet Robert frost stops his sledge between the woods and the frozen lake………….. .
(a) to give rest to his pony
(b) to see the beauty of woods
(c) to meet the owner of woods
(d) to catch the fish in the lake
Answer: (b) to see the beauty of the lake
5. Whose house is in the village?
(a) Robert Frosts'
(b) The lake owner's
(c) The owner's who owned the woods
(d) of both (a) and (b)
Answer: (c) The owner's who owned the woods
6. When The poet stopped to watch the woods, the sounds that could be heard were………….. .
(a) the sound of easy wind
(b) the sound of downy flakes
(c) the sound of harness bells
(d) both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) both (a) and (b)
7. His little horse gives his harness bells a shake .............
(a) to ring the bells of his harness
(b) to ask if there is some mistake
(c) to show his anger
(d) both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) both (a) and (b)
8. The poet does not watch the beauty of woods and leaves because ………….. .
(a) he feels sleepy and wants to sleep.
(b) his little horse was tired.
(c) it was too cold and dark.
(d) he has promises to keep.
Answer: (d) he has promises to keep.
9. The poet leaves because he has promises to keep. What promises does he have to keep?
(a) he has to reach home in time.
(b) he has to go to bed in time.
(c) he has to travel a long distance.
(d) the poet does not mention what promises he has to keep.
Answer: (d) the poet does not mention what promises he has to keep.
10. If the poet's journey stands for life what does sleep stand for?
(a) rest
(b) death
(c) comfort
(d) happiness
Answer: (b) death
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