Critical Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Critical Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Poetry has a reputation of being difficult to understand and successfully grasp the hidden message that is trying to be portrayed. The majority of people who are searching for inspiration through reading and literature would usually turn to a novel or short story that was written to be obviously understood simply by reading and not by interpreting. owever! several poems have been written that are very inspirational and effectively portray that subliminal message in an easier way. " have found this to be true in the poem! #Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening# by $obert %rost. $obert %rost has written this poem in way that is easier for a reader who isn&t e'perienced in poetry to analy(e and comprehend. #Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening# is a simple poem written with a feeling of appreciation for the little things in life. The spea)er of the poem has a lot of wor) to do and he is stopping in the woods to watch the snow. "t would be very convenient for him to watch the snow as he continues traveling! however he finds it necessary to stop his wagon. This shows that the spea)er is willing to pause his life in order to entirely absorb the tran*uillity of the snow falling in the woods. The appreciative tone appropriately e'presses his purpose for stopping. e wants to truly appreciate this moment. +The dar)est evening of the year, -./ +The only other sound&s the sweep 0f easy wind and downy fla)e, -11/ +The woods are lovely! dar) and deep, -12/ 3ost people would find woods that are *uiet! dar) and deep to be frightening. The positive appreciative attitude of this poem ma)es the woods +lovely -12/, and peaceful. e enjoys the *uietness of +easy wind -11/, and falling snow. e even enjoys the dar)ness. The theme of this poem is commonly e'pressed in the present time by the phrase +stopping to smell the roses, or in other words! noticing the simple pleasures in life. This poem truly and effectively e'presses the importance of ta)ing time out of our lives solely to appreciate the little things with a positive attitude. 3ost people have never stopped to enjoy snow in the mystifying way that %rost e'presses in this poem. e gives us the opportunity to see! through the spea)er4s eyes! a new outloo) that we can apply to our own lives. 5ot just when we have spare time! but even when we are tired and we have a lot of wor) to do. The spea)er in #Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening# is a hard wor)ing man with the awareness of the simple pleasure in life. 6espite his enormous wor)load and tired spirit that is obvious by the repetition of the last two lines! +And miles to go before " sleep! And miles to go before " sleep., -17/ he is ta)ing the time to stop and notice his surroundings. e&s not negatively observing this night as a cold! dar)! lonely night! but as a lovely! dar)! peaceful night. e is even willing to put his time and thought into the well being of his horse. e considers what the horse might be feeling in lines 8 and 7. The language of this poem is very rhythmical with a lot of rhyme. This ma)es it easy to read and easy to understand. e uses uncomplicated adjectives li)e +little! -7/, +lovely! -12/, +*ueer -7/, and +easy -19/, that are basic and smooth. We can assume that this isn&t a man of wealth because of the way he describes his horse as +little., The alliteraton he uses also gives the poem rhythm and flow! which helps the reader follow a simple beat throughout the poem. +.." thin) ".., -1/ +.. sees me stopping.., -:/ +..watch his woods.., -2/ +.. sound&s the sweep..,-11/ +.. dar) and deep.., -12/

The imagery of this poem is stated simply! however it effectively places comple' visions in the mind of the reader. +To watch his woods fill up with snow., -2/ With this line of the poem it isn&t just snowing in the woods. "t is a first snow that is falling *uic)ly li)e water filling up a glass. The woods aren&t just getting a small flurry! but more of a fast rain pour of snow that you can hear hit the ground. +The only other sound&s the sweep 0f easy wind and downy fla)e., -19/ "t has to be remar)ably silent and forcefully snowing to be able to hear snow hit the ground in woods at night. 5ot only is it night time but it is the #dar)est evening of the year., -./ This must mean it is pretty close to the middle of winter for the evening to be so dar). The repetition used in the last two lines of the last stan(a helps the reader to comprehend the immense wor)load of this unwealthy man. "t also helps e'press just how much he is sacrificing by stopping his wagon merely to absorb the peacefulness of nature. +;ut " have promises to )eep! And miles to go before " sleep! And miles to go before " sleep., -17/ e is dragging out the time before he is able to go to bed and putting off the promises or his wor)load to watch this snow fall. The use of personification adds personality to the horse. #3y little horse must thin) it *ueer To stop without a farmhouse near# -</ # e gives his harness bells a sha)e To as) if there is some mista)e.# -11/ This horse isn4t the typical horse. This horse has the ability to thin) and act. These are human characteristics that help us visualli(e how the horse is responding. "t isn4t a normal occurance for this man to be stopping in the woods. %rost e'presses this to the reader through the personification of the horse. The journey of this poem ta)es the reader into the woods! in the middle of the winter! on a wagon pulled by a little horse. The journey of the poem also ta)es us into the mind of a hardwor)ing traveler with an appreciation for the little things in life. The final destination of this journey is a better understanding and appreciation of the importance of +stopping to smell the roses,. This would be an e'cellent poem for the beginner poetry reader. The voice of the poem is positive. The theme of the poem is important! and the language of the poem is easily read and understood. The journey of the poem is personable and easy to follow. This poem is inspirational and leaves the reader with a good feeling and a positive attitude toward poetry. Anyone can relate and implement this poem into their lives.