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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost | Compulsory English Class 9 | Neb English Notes
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost
ABOUT POEM
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost
The poem has a far-reaching philosophical and allegorical significance. The traveller, the horse, and the woods are all symbols. The traveller represents every traveller's sub-conscience.
The poem records a moment of pure delight experienced by the poet. Robert Frost, as he stopped by a snow-covered wood one wintry evening. The woods were lovely, dark, and deep. The inquisitive sound of the horse's harness bells and the other sounds of easy wind and downy flake all accompanied each other to add further charm to the woods. Though he would love to remain there much longer, he could not, as he realised that he had promises to keep and was obliged to fulfil his duty. He had to drive away. The repetition of the last two lines displays the emotion and feeling of grief at missing the delightful moment.
EXPLANATION OF THE POEM
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening 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.
The speaker stops beside the woods. He gets off the horse and observes the surroundings. The natural beauty of the woods has enchanted him so much that he cannot resist trespassing. Being a traveller, he is bound to his destination, but he stops being lost in the charm of nature. He is rather making us alert with the remark of the third-person pronoun that the speaker is so excited that he does not mind whose woods these are. He also explains clearly that the owner of the woods lives in the village. He knows that fact well. Despite his enchanted condition of mind, he looks very conscious. He knows about right and wrong actions.
He is careful to take advantage of the man's absence. He will be free to enjoy the sight of nature because the man will not see him stopping there 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.
The speaker's horse is here as his companion to think about the strange behaviour of his master. He must be thinking it odd to stop there without a farmhouse nearby. His master stands between the woods and the frozen lake. On such a dark evening of the year, when his master can see the snow-covered woods and frozen lake, it has become curious to think why he has stopped there.
The little horse is also symbolically the speaker's sub-conscience. The narrator's sub-conscience thinks and examines the situation and decides that it is really strange to stop there without shelter on such a darkest evening of the year, between the snowy woods and frozen lake. For us, there is a hint of the narrator's endurance. He has been really tolerating the terrible coldness of the snowy woods, but yet he is delighted at the beautiful sight of nature.
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 speaker stands beside the snowy woods and thinks of the pleasant sight of nature. The owner of the farmhouse isn't there. In his absence, he feels secure and free to stay there as long as he would like. He thinks of the beauty of nature more than the severe cold surrounding it. Nevertheless, his horse is more alert to this fact. He worries about why his master stands there between the snowy woods and the frozen lake. Therefore, he gives his harness bells a shake to inquire if there is some mistake from the master standing there on the darkest evening of the year. There is not a shelter or farmhouse nearby. There are three kinds of sounds in the surrounding area: the ringing sound of harness bells, thde sound of blowing wind, and the sound of falling snow as rain. The third-person character, the horse, is the protagonist's sub-conscience, symbolically. In fact, his own sub-conscience examines his surroundings and alerts him that he is not safe there.
Different sounds that he hears touch and give jerks to his mind, making him conscious of his position and also of his purpose of travelling.
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
The speaker adds that the woods are so fascinating. They are lovely, dark, and deep, but they stand for wayside temptation. In the speaker's long journey to reach his destination, he is tempted to stop and gets lost in the wayside beauties, but his sub-conscience urges him to continue his journey till his goal is achieved. He realises his promise to keep it for others. His subconscience reminds him of his responsibilities, obligations, and duties. He may stop a little to take a rest and relieve his tension-ridden mind, but the final sleep is not possible until the end of the journey.
TEXTBOOK'S EXERCISE
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost
A. Find the words from the text that match the following meanings.
a. an area of trees, smaller than a forest: woods
b. strange or unusual: queer
c. the main house on a farm, usually where the farmer lives: farmhouse
d. a set of leather and metal pieces that is put around the body of a horse: harness bells
e. movement of the air: wind
f. covered in something very soft: flake
B. Choose the correct answer.
a. Why does the speaker stop while on the journey?
i. to watch the woods filled up with snow
ii. to find food for his or her horse
iii. to say hello to the owner of the woods
iv. to go skating on a frozen lake
Answer:
i. to watch the woods filled up with snow
b. What is the setting of the poem?
i. the woods on a bright, snowy afternoon
ii. a village on a dark, snowy evening
iii. a frozen lake on a bright, snowy afternoon
iv. the woods on a dark, snowy evening
Answer:
iv. the woods on a dark, snowy evening
c. Which one of the following statements is true?
i. The woods are far away from the village.
ii. The woods are near some houses.
iii. The owner of the woods and speaker are friends.
iv. The speaker of the poem does not like the owner of the woods.
Answer:
i. The woods are far away from the village.
d. How did the horse respond when the speaker stopped there?
i. stood calm
ii. did nothing
iii. shook its harness
iv. asked the speaker a question
Answer:
iii. shook its harness
e. What does 'miles to go before I sleep' mean?
i. The speaker feels tired and sleepy.
ii. The speaker has lots of desires to fulfill.
iii. The speaker has lots of responsibilities to fulfill.
iv. The speaker has a long distance to travel.
Answer:
iii. The speaker has lots of responsibilities to fulfill.
C. Fill in the gaps with appropriate words from the box to complete the summary of the poem.
promises, traveller, journey, death, the woods, destination
The poet compares human life with a journey.The speaker of the poem is a traveller. He has to reach his destination before taking a rest. However, he is distracted by the momentary pleasure in the form of the woods. His companion, the horse, reminds him of his promise in life. The speaker realises that he has to fulfill many responsibilities before his death.
D. Recall a journey you have recently made. Who accompanied you on the journey? Did you enjoy it? Compose a short poem about it.
Grammar II
A. Use the correct form of the verbs given in the brackets to complete the sentences.
a. As per the schedule, the train ……….......… (leave) at 3 o'clock.
》is leaving
b. Look, that aeroplane is looking shaky! It …..............…… (crash).
》is going to crash
c. My daughter says she ….........… (be) a doctor when she is older.
》will be
d. Tomorrow ……..........……… (be) a sunny day, according to the weather forecast.
》will be
e. A: What ….......…… (do) tomorrow evening?
》are you doing
B: Nothing special. I think I ………....…… (stay) at home.
》will stay
f. It’s very stuffy here. Don't worry, I ….................… (open) the windows for you.
》will open
g. Ann is driving. There is very little petrol left in the tank. The nearest petrol station is a long way from here. She …… (run) out of petrol.
》is going to run
h. There is a hole in the bottom of the boat. It is filling up with water quickly. It …………… (sink).
》is going to sink
Writing II
Write a letter to your friend describing your travel plans for your upcoming holiday or visit. Take help from the following questions to write your letter.
Where do you plan to go?
Who will you go with?
Where will you stay?
How long will you stay?
What are you going to see?
Answer:
Date: 2079-1-16
Dear Friend Raju
Sweet remembrance
I'm so glad to know about your promotion last month. I'm fine here. I hope that you are also fine there. I felt so happy to read your letter. Today, I would like to share my upcoming travel plans with you in this letter.
Talking about my holiday, I have decided to visit a beautiful destination called Rampur. This is quite an amazing place for me. I have been expecting a lot from this place for a long time. The particular place is known for its outstanding landscape as well as its rich culture.
On that trip, I won't be going single. I will be accompanied by my family members. We are all quite excited to explore this amazing place together and create fine memories.
To ensure our pleasant as well as convenient experiences, we have already booked two special rooms at a hotel with all the facilities. The hotel is located in the heart of the town. I think we will have a fine opportunity to explore the town's nearby attractions.
We have planned to spend our delightful week over here at this amazing destination. This trip will surely allow us a great time to engage ourselves in its beautiful and charming natural beauty.
We have planned to visit and see various temples, landscapes, museums, and even famous local places with awesome heritage and historical backgrounds.
I'm eagerly waiting for the day of the trip. I will surely share all my experiences, along with pictures of my trip, with you once I'm back.
Take care. Bye bye. See you in the next letter.
Warmest regards,
Hari Bohara
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