Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, by Robert Frost was written in 1922. Being a traditional poet he refused to write in the modernist style which was popular at the time, he choose to write mostly about nature. The years of the 1920’s saw a great amount of growth and development in America. Roaring cities, influx of immigrants, and new technology seemed like an inevitability. This decade had an influence on Frost’s poem as America had started to become such a busy, diverse scene; from its snappy jazz artists, to the flapper girls. Because it had become so busy, in his poem the man took a buggy ride into the remote, and quiet woods. Taking this chance to collect his thoughts and reflect on peaceful memories. In addition, Frost writes, “…and miles to go before I sleep”, from this saying I can infer that the man has much on his mind-difficult responsibilities not just at that single moment in time, but as well as in coming days. The writer also mentions that he stops in a clearing in the woods without a house or any signs of life nearby. As he stops he writes, "He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake.” I have to say this may be my favorite part of the poem. When the writer refers to, “he”, he is actually writing about the horse that is pulling the carriage. The horse is not an inanimate object, yet he personifies the horse calming that the animal is asking if there is something wrong. Frost also states, “Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.” When he says this, I must think he is talking about the season, the time of year. Since the poem repeats snow, I can obviously think it is winter, yet he claims it to be “The darkest evening of the year”. Why would he say that? In my opinion winter is a beautiful bright time of year with warm fires and glowing lights. Perhaps Frost is referring to the dark moments of this season? Perhaps not everyone enjoys this season. I feel there is a deeper meaning to this quote of the poem. Since he claims “darkest evening of the year”, he could be referring to the cold, damp, weary streets of the less fortunate places of the town he has traveled from, maybe for some people this is the darkest evening of the year due to a lack of warmth and of sunlight for the people who cannot afford to keep warm. This entire poem could have many different meanings, I would imagine everyone has a different interpretation because everyone hears something different. But, that’s what’s beautiful about poetry, there is no right or wrong answer, it speaks to you and only you in a way your mind understands it.
|