[155] Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Another old favourite...
| Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening |
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.
-- Robert Frost
|
Like most of Frost's poems, 'Stopping By Woods' can be read on several
levels[1]. And, again like most of his poems, you can ignore them all, and
still enjoy the surface meaning, which is beautifully evocative. Just below
the surface there is the sleep/death metaphor, and the undercurrent of
gentle longing for death tinges the surface with a melancholy that
reinforces and plays off the night and winter images.
Formwise, note the predominance of soft, sibilant sounds, evoking the 'sweep
of easy wind and downy flake'. Note also the lovely rhyme scheme[2], aaba
bbcb, and the repetition of the final line, which provides closure at
several different levels.
[1] some of them incredibly contrived and/or ingenious - load up
<http://faculty.millikin.edu/~moconner.hum.faculty.mu/e110/frost1.html> and
search for Matthew Brown, e.g.
[2] yes, yes, he rhymed 'sleep' with 'sleep'. get over it :)
For more than you ever wanted to know about Frost's life and works, see the
previous poem, poem #51
m.
From: TROY MARTIN <tj707@>
this is my favorite poem. I always imagine the beautiful woods with the snow falling from the sky. I admire the man for thinking of his obligations when the lovely woods is so tempting. I can always see the horse in my mind giving his harness bells a shake.
From: "Kydd, Neal" <NKydd@>
Mr Frost, writing on snow... visits the mood of silent cold and slewed time
rather acutely.
For here the seasons of life move as winter shadows us - times wake leaves
in its path the more of nothingness... for snow, as life, melts away. And
only few of us realise that someone is watching....
From: Mslibertyjr@
I love this poem. This is my favorite out of all poems. I can relate to it
and love to review it especially when hard troubles set in my life. I am a
journalist and write some things as to what Robert Frost wrote. That poem
always touches me deeply to not give up but to move on for there are things
still to be done. Thanks for displaying his poem, I have been searching for
it for quite some time now and have finally found it.
Thanks again,
Karen A.
From: Carolee Marano <maranelfen@>
Rhyming "sleep" with "sleep" is NOT without design in this poem, and in fact, it is the resonating power of it. It is the repetition of this line, "and miles to go before I sleep," bringing us to the conclusion of the poem, that awakens in us, who are so inclined to feel it, a strong identification with the profound power of our resignated acceptance of our responsibilities - our responsibilty to trudge on, our responsibility to live. In this sense, the poem is more about life than death. It is melancholy, evocative, true, and beautiful.
--Boundary_(ID_ck/OBW53Ir3jIN8QUf1R0g)
Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1126" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma color=#000080 size=2>Rhyming "sleep" with "sleep" is NOT
without design in this poem, and in fact, it is the resonating power of
it. It is the repetition of this line, "and miles to go before I sleep,"
bringing us to the conclusion of the poem, that awakens in us, who are so
inclined to feel it, a strong identification with the profound power of our
resignated acceptance of our responsibilities - our responsibilty to trudge
on, our responsibility to live. In this sense, the poem is more about life
than death. It is melancholy, evocative, true,
and beautiful.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
--Boundary_(ID_ck/OBW53Ir3jIN8QUf1R0g)--
From: "Diehl, Forrest" <FDiehl@>
From: Dep8vn@
This poem is a favorite of mine and I think it nice that you have a website
for it. Thanks!
From: "Frank Rogers" <aionsob1@>
Dear Sir or Madam,
This profound poem is about our lost connection with the natural world.
Our ego bound activities take over our entire adult life. No time to
appreciate the natural world. No time for activities that have no
specific reason to admire nature. Even the horse senses there is
something wrong with stopping in these woods because the horse is
trained by humans.
"...promises to keep.." is the abiding theme of all of our lives as
urban dwellers and it is very, very sad.
Frank Rogers
From: KStiles19@
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening in a great example of poetry. It is
good for all ages. The first 4 lines are my favorite! Matt Stiles (14)
From: "Rhonda" <wotzaname@>
This is a very evocative poem and has haunted me for a number of years as I
had only heard the the last verse. It has taken me a long time to look it up
and now that I have the rest of the poem is not a disappointment. It seems
to be about the hypnotically-deep, quiet, draw of dark nature over the
responsibility of human busyiness of everyday living. Of being lost in
wonder stareing at a blade of grass.
From: "William Mino" <WLMLDallas@>
This is one of my favorite poems. Debbie Mino
From: Deceptivedevices@
Hello my name is Elaine and I stumbled across this website referring to
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and was wondering if u could help me with
finding a website that dealt with critical analysis of this piece by Robert
Frost.. Any kind of links would help me immensely..
Thanks so much
Love on ya
Elaine
From: Hotfema@
this poem has always reminded me of that old song, the boys of summer. times
is fleeting, blah, blah blah. my comments dont matter.
From: "Herder, Leland -AES" <Leland.Herder@>
I've always loved this poem and "The Road
Not Taken". I have both Frost poems committed
to memory.
I also love Simon & Garfunkel's version of
the same sentiment: that we should all slow
down and smell the coffee or appreciate those
intangible, minute things in life, like the beauty of
a snow-filled woods, and not let the stresses
and tangible problems of life get us down. In
their song, "The 59th Street Bridge Song...
Feelin' Groovy", the man is faced with the
same situation, only in Frost's poem, the man
DOES realize that he "has promises to keep",
and moves on to his business dealings in the
city..."before he can sleep".
From: DuffManOohYa@
elaine-you had a post asking people if they had any links to a website on the
critical analysis of the poem stopping by the woods on a snowy evening by
robert frost....i was wondering if you ever got any websites and if you did could
you send them to me? any site would be helpful thanks
From: "Umama Saleem" <umama_saleem@>
i like it, its my fav. from all the ones comeing in my test n need help
my e-mail address is aminaadil002@ if any of u cud help me
plz do send me smthg with the subject of woods
amina
From: Elena Filipova <efilipov@>
this poem is about santa claus!!
--Boundary_(ID_rQe/v/aKsMNicczYs5tnyw)
Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1226" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>this poem is about santa
claus!!</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
--Boundary_(ID_rQe/v/aKsMNicczYs5tnyw)--
From: Missy03185@
did youever find the critical analysis of stopping by the woods on a snowy
evening
From: "terryken@" <terryken@erols.com>
This is my all-time favorite poem=2E There is nothing more magical than
being out in the woods at night with snowflakes cascading down on you=2E
I
recently visited New Hampshire and got to visit Robert Frost's home and
walk through his woods=2E It was magical to be right where he used to be!
From: Jason Pope <thisfallenfiction@>
Robert Frost's poem is actually about a gentleman contemplating
suicide. The first image of the blanket of snow, the death shroud,
covering everything invokes the reader into participating in the
speaker's unnoticed and unseen death. Why would you want someone there
to stop you if you really were going to do that? The horse notices
something's wrong and that it's only the speaker and himself. The
speaker is struggling with this choice, stuck between a rock and a hard
place, or in this case; between the woods and the frozen pond.
Naturally, this all takes place on the darkest day of the year; the
winter solstice, december 21st, the darkest day in his life, his
sadness, his isolation. and his depression are the greatest. So, in
the third stanza, we see the conflict of should I do it or not. The
horse, his friend, his reason, the connection back to civilization and
life, is signaling to the speaker as if saying, "hey, let's get the
hell out of here. This isn't what you want to do, is it? This is a
mistake. Let's go." Meanwhile, the speaker is hearing this, but is
also seeing how nice the wind is and how it could blow away all his
worries and woes. The downy flakes would cover it all up and he'd
never have to worry about it again. However, in the end, the speaker
realizes that although death, the dark and deep woods covered in snow,
would be an answer to his problems; it's not his answer. He has
promises to keep. He does actually have a connection to the life he
wants to ax and therefore decides to keep journeying on. He has many
things still to do. He has many miles to go before he sleeps.
If you were still looking for a critical analysis.
cheers.
From: Jason Pope <thisfallenfiction@>
Robert Frost's poem is actually about a gentleman contemplating
suicide. The first image of the blanket of snow, the death shroud,
covering everything invokes the reader into participating in the
speaker's unnoticed and unseen death. Why would you want someone there
to stop you if you really were going to do that? The horse notices
something's wrong and that it's only the speaker and himself. The
speaker is struggling with this choice, stuck between a rock and a hard
place, or in this case; between the woods and the frozen pond.
Naturally, this all takes place on the darkest day of the year; the
winter solstice, december 21st, the darkest day in his life, his
sadness, his isolation. and his depression are the greatest. So, in
the third stanza, we see the conflict of should I do it or not. The
horse, his friend, his reason, the connection back to civilization and
life, is signaling to the speaker as if saying, "hey, let's get the
hell out of here. This isn't what you want to do, is it? This is a
mistake. Let's go." Meanwhile, the speaker is hearing this, but is
also seeing how nice the wind is and how it could blow away all his
worries and woes. The downy flakes would cover it all up and he'd
never have to worry about it again. However, in the end, the speaker
realizes that although death, the dark and deep woods covered in snow,
would be an answer to his problems; it's not his answer. He has
promises to keep. He does actually have a connection to the life he
wants to ax and therefore decides to keep journeying on. He has many
things still to do. He has many miles to go before he sleeps.
From: "zhao lin" <zhaolin22@>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From: "Michael Pederson" <michaelp@>
It seems Elena gets it. For the rest, it seems we are too profound
sometimes for our own good.
From: Autumn Metzger <m_o_n_o_phobia@>
An english teacher of mine once had a girl in her class. This girl's relative once had Frost himself visit their school for an assembly. Someone asked him about this poem, and he said that it was about one night when his wife asked him to go get groceries and nothing more. He ended up stopping on the way home to watch the snow falling, but he knew his wife would get angry if he was much later since he had miles to go before he reached home.
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
From: Steve <eno1954@>
Are you "Thee" Carolee Marano formerly of Staten Island? If so, Happy New Year!
From: reblind@
> From: "Kydd, Neal" <NKydd@>
>
> Mr Frost, writing on snow... visits the mood of silent cold and slewed time
> rather acutely.
> For here the seasons of life move as winter shadows us - times wake leaves
> in its path the more of nothingness... for snow, as life, melts away. And
> only few of us realise that someone is watching....
"For here the seasons of life move as winter shadows us - times wake
leaves in its path the more of nothingness... for snow, as life, melts
away. And only few of us realize that someone is watching..."
You posted that onto a page with "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by
Robert Frost. I think that that is one of the best things I've ever read.
Did you write that? Or was it something else of Frost's that I simply don't
know about?
Steve
From: Ltnftw03@
Does anyone know what the significance of winter in this poem is?
From: KidzCowGrl@
thanks for that analysis. it seems right on!
-just jenn
From: sfullerton@ Thu Apr 15 14:41:22 2004
From: acastillo@ Wed May 5 23:28:37 2004
Clearly he's trespassing. Get your stupid horse and your sorry ass off
the village guy's property and cheer up will ya? Ahh, who cares
anyway...
Andrés del Castillo
Director, Business Development
GAPC
14 Colonnade Rd. Suite 180
Ottawa, Ontario
K2E 7M6
613 723-3316 x 241
acastillo@
www.gapc.com
From: "Amy Scott" <agscott@>
I bought this poem in a children's book picture format (illustrated by
Susan Jeffers) for my daughter when she was born since we had the first
big snowfall of the year that night. We read it almost every --
including tonight. I was very taken back when I saw on a list of love
poems that it was about "suicide". I never once thought of it meaning
that. I did some quick searching and found your site which presented
both views. I was glad to read many of your comments that it is not
about suicide. There are lines in it that I never thought much
about...and I think I will keep it that way. As for the rest of it --
what is more wonderful then snowshoeing in the mountains as the snow is
falling and when there is no one else around? I am anxious to share this
with my daughter and I am glad that for now I have Frost to help us
share the experience! To me it is the most peaceful moment on earth!
From: "Trew Chie" <kamedoesu@>
<html><div style='background-color:'><BR>I love this poem!! it's soo full of meaning! but there is once thing I don't understand is that "HE" the speaker talks about. what is he talking about?<BR><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Handwriting, Cursive" color=#ff00ff size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV></DIV></DIV></div><br clear=all><hr>Add photos to your e-mail with <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMAEN/2746??PS=47575">MSN 8.</a> Get 2 months FREE*.</html>
From: alecia <diva2b@>
I believe the "he" in this poem is the owner of the woods... "who's woods these are I think I know"... who won't see him trespassing because he lives in the village.
I THINK. Maybe it has some God- connection... I don't know what I'm talking about.
<33
--Boundary_(ID_DkQfIEMouz1QDL4TvOchSQ)
Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1458" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I believe the "he" in this poem is the owner of the
woods... "who's woods these are I think I know"... who won't see him trespassing
because he lives in the village.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I THINK. Maybe it has some God- connection...
I don't know what I'm talking about.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><33</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
--Boundary_(ID_DkQfIEMouz1QDL4TvOchSQ)--
From: "Preston Beach" <PBEACH@>
Hi, my name is Preston and I am a poet. I, like the famed teacher in
"Dead Poet Society," hate the over-analysis of poetry, though I love
discussion of it. All the Pritchards of the world to the trash can, I
say!
I love Frost's poems because they are him, and they are New England.
There is something that stands aloof yet humble in Frost's writing, as
if to say "Interpret as you wish; but this is my experience: you are a
visitor in the library of my thoughts."
I don't like it when people "rewrite" what I have penned (read Ray
Bradbury's "afterward and coda" from Fahrenheit 451). Be moved, be
inspired, be appalled, but be silent. Don't speak for the writing of
others...let it speak to you. Otherwise, what's the point? Dissecting
living things kills them.
From: "stewart" <stewart@>
i came upon this site by chance, and after reading the listeners, which has
to be one of my favourites, i read for the first time "stopping by the
woods",as it had been mentioned by others in thier comments. Firstly i would
like to say thank to you for introducing me to this lovely poem, but
secondly i would like to agree with one comment that said we over analyse
poems. I would much rather think of frost writing this after he had shopped
for his wife, and being so taken by the beautiful sight of the woods covered
in snow, than seeing a man contemplating suicide. can we not see these poems
for the beauty the words give us and not keep looking for hidden messages?
when i was a child the listeners were a "host of phantoms" haunting a now
empty house, and the traveller had visited the house when he was in the area
after promising to do so maybe years before. it was frightening and creepy
which made it great to a child being introduded to poetry by my mother.
Can't we just leave it there, instead of trying to see something deep and
meaningful?
thank you for the site i will now use it often.
From: Kannappan <deshkanna@>
This is a beautiful poem that appeared in my tenth Standard
matriculation English here in India. To this day I remember that
lovely Woods are lovely, dark and deep line.
From: Peter Boliszczuk <pboliszczuk@>
Hi there
An interesting site. I have loved this poem since I first read it. I am
in my mid fifties and have worked hard all of my life. I feel I am the
man in the poem. I lead a life I do not particularly care for. Middle
class north American. I am not so much thinking of ending it all but
would just like to stop and wander in the woods for a while. BUT, I have
miles to go and promises to keep
Peter
From: "John Brooks, CMC" <johnbrooks@>
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_0049_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_001_004A_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0"
------=_NextPart_001_004A_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Re: "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" - This is one of the most
beautiful and touching poems in the English language. It is a delight
to read so many different reactions to it. Great poetry has no
objective existence in and of itself - it's greatness lies in it's being
a mirror of the Universal in the human soul, and thus we may each find
ourselves in it. I find also interesting the report that Frost told a
school class that it was simply about getting groceries. Elsewhere, he
said the poem "contains everything I know about life." I agree that his
poems may be read on many levels. For those who may wish to go beyond
the surface levels of Frost (New England nature scenes, politics, etc.)
I suggest you look for the thread that runs through his poems
"Reluctance", "The Tuft of Flowers", "Birches", "Happiness Makes Up in
Height for What It Lacks in Depth", "Acquainted with the Night",
"Bereft", "The Master Speed", "All Revelation", "One More Brevity", and
"Stopping By Woods". And there are other gems. As revealed in his
poetry, I find Frost a man of deep mystical experience and metaphorical
largess, without alignment to any particular theology. - John Brooks
------=_NextPart_001_004A_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<html xmlns:v""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"
xmlns:o""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:w""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
xmlns:st1""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
xmlns""http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV""Content-Type" CONTENT""text/html;
charset"us-ascii">
<meta name"ProgId content"Word.Document>
<meta name"Generator content""Microsoft Word 10">
<meta name"Originator content""Microsoft Word 10">
<link rel"File-List href""cid:filelist.xml@">
<o:SmartTagType
namespaceuri""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name""place"/>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:DoNotRelyOnCSS/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:SpellingState>Clean</w:SpellingState>
<w:GrammarState>Clean</w:GrammarState>
<w:DocumentKind>DocumentEmail</w:DocumentKind>
<w:EnvelopeVis/>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:536902279 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Lydian Csv BT";
panose-1:3 2 7 2 4 5 5 7 5 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:script;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:135 0 0 0 27 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#FFFFCC;
mso-believe-normal-left:yes;}
p.MsoEnvelopeReturn, li.MsoEnvelopeReturn, div.MsoEnvelopeReturn
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Lydian Csv BT";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:#FFFFCC;
letter-spacing:.4pt;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Helvetica;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#FFFFCC;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
mso-ascii-font-family:Arial;
mso-hansi-font-family:Arial;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
color:black;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none;
text-underline:none;
text-decoration:none;
text-line-through:none;}
span.SpellE
{mso-style-name:"";
mso-spl-e:yes;}
span.GramE
{mso-style-name:"";
mso-gram-e:yes;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]--><![if mso 9]>
<style>
p.MsoNormal
{margin-left:18.75pt;}
</style>
<![endif]><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext""edit" spidmax""1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext""edit">
<o:idmap v:ext""edit" data""1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor"white background""cid:image001.gif@"
lang"EN-US
link"blue vlink"purple
style"'tab-interval:.5in;margin-left:18.75pt;margin-top:
18.75pt'>
<img src""cid:image001.gif@"
v:src""cid:image001.gif@" v:shapes""_x0000_Mail"
width"0
height"0 class"shape style"'display:none;width:0;height:0'>
<div class"Section1>
<p class"MsoNormal><b><font size"2 color"black face"Arial><span
style"'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Re: “Stopping
<span class"GramE>By</span> Woods on a Snowy Evening” –
This is one
of the most beautiful and touching poems in the English language. <span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>It is a delight to read so many
different
reactions to it.<span style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Great
poetry has
no objective existence in and of itself – <span
class"GramE>it’s</span>
greatness lies in it’s being a mirror of the Universal in the
human soul,
and thus we may each find ourselves in it.<span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>I find also interesting the report that Frost told a school class
that
it was simply about getting groceries.<span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>Elsewhere, he said the poem “contains everything I know
about
life.”<span style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I agree that
his poems
may be read on many levels.<span style"'mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>For
those who may wish to go beyond the surface levels of Frost
(</span></font></b><st1:place><b><font
size"2 color"black face"Arial><span
style"'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;font-weight:bold'>New
England</span></font></b></st1:place><b><font
size"2 color"black face"Arial><span
style"'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;font-weight:bold'> nature scenes, politics, etc.) I suggest
you
look for the thread that runs through his poems
“Reluctance”, “The
Tuft of Flowers”, “Birches”, “Happiness Makes Up
in
Height for What It Lacks in Depth”, “Acquainted with the
Night”,
“Bereft”, “The Master Speed”, “All
Revelation”,
“One More Brevity”, and “Stopping By Woods”.
<span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>And there are other gems.<span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>As revealed in his poetry, I
find Frost a
man of deep mystical experience and metaphorical largess, without
alignment to
any particular theology.<span style"'mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span><span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span
style"'mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>– John
Brooks<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class"MsoNormal><font size"2 color""#ffffcc"
face"Helvetica><span
style"'font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
------=_NextPart_001_004A_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0--
------=_NextPart_000_0049_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0
Content-Type: image/gif;
name="image001.gif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-ID: <image001.gif@>
R0lGODlhLQAtAID/AP////f39ywAAAAALQAtAEACcAxup8vtvxKQsFon6d02898pGkgiYoCm6sq2
7iqWcmzOsmeXeA7uPJd5CYdD2g9oPF58ygqz+XhCG9JpJGmlYrPXGlfr/Yo/VW45e7amp2tou/lW
xo/zX513z+Vt+1n/tiX2pxP4NUhy2FM4xtjIUQAAOw=
------=_NextPart_000_0049_01C4BC2D.7A602CD0--
From: "Iain Marin" <Iain@>
I think that it is also important to emphasise the two last lines in the
third verse. "easy wind" and, more crucially, "DOWNY flake" suggest the
sleepy atmosphere that occurs in this part of the poem. The character
wants to sleep - or is it more?
A doctor could give you a detailed interpretation of this poem - during
the initiall stages of hypothermia we may feel happy, outgoing, or
alternatively sleepy, sad. It is possible that the charcter is feeling
the effects of the cold. This leaves us with two possibilities - 1) that
he is only sleepy (and suicidal) due to the cold, or 2) that he has a
desire to commit suicide regardless of the cold. Indeed, this last idea
seems more acceptable, since the poem goes on to say "but I have
promises to keep." This shows us that he has been considering either
sleep or death.
The last two lines also mirror this - the first one "and miles to go
before i sleep" has the meaning that he has a great distance to travel
before he gets home. The second bit, the repetition, has the meaning
that he does not want to stop his life for a good long while.
So, to people that are dissapointed by the revelation of the possible
connotations os suicide, i actually find this poem quite uplifting - he
has shrugged off suicide and is going to continue life.
From: Tmathew541@
Well, I am supposed to write an essay on this poem and when I read all the
comments on this website I got confused. Some people said it was about the man
about to commit suicide. Some people take it as a very peaceful area where this
man is just there. Me? I have a feeling that this man is wondering about his
journey through life. He might be wondering what might happen after 6 or 10
years from now. I know you can interpret a poem into many meanings, but I have
to connect it to a book called the Outsiders. Please help if you can, thanks.
~Cheerfulhelper909
From: Peasedsc@
I have never read this poem, but I am on this web site looking for the
author, which is obviously Rboert Frost. My teacher Mrs. L. Elliott AMS gives me and
my class door trivia, which is a trivia question each week and the question,
of course, hangs on the door. This week it was about you. Which poet wrote
"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening"? And I found my answer! Thanks!!!!!
From: "Don Prisby" <donp@>
Thank you all for your insightful commentaries. I believe this poem is
about the universal human struggle between the desire to slow down and
notice the beauty in a moment - and the inclination, obligation and
natural tendency to be about our tasks. Frost represents this battle
metaphorically in the traveler and his horse. The traveler himself is
surprised, if not challenged at the call to slow down and observe the
beauty around him. The horse is trained to keep moving and has an
innate tendency to trod forward. In the end, the traveler sadly
realizes that as much as he would like to, ("The woods are lovely dark
and deep") he cannot slow down. He must move forward ("but I have
promises to keep. And miles to go..).
I have had the good fortune of composing music for this poem which
further illustrates the struggle described herein.
Donald E. Prisby, Jr.
Incentric Marketing
763-478-2148 phone
763-227-8462 mobile
763-201-7955 facsimile
<mailto:donp@> donp@incentricmarketing.com
From: Andrew Gratton <AGratton@>
thank you for your opinion on the poem...i actually used it on critical analysis paper i had to do for one of my college classes! thanks again
From: HottChickSammy2@
hey i realy like that poem stopping by woods on a snowy evening
if u could send me some more of his poems .
thanks samantha
From: "leftwithoutlight" <leftwithoutlight@>
In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Frost again uses his ingenious
symbolism. Here, the woods represent his life line. He stops in the
middle of the woods. He stops to think about his life and everything
that's been going on. His horse thinks it odd to stop with no farmhouse
near because the horse knows that if they don't find shelter, they will
eventually die from the cold. The darkest evening, of course,
representing a day of death.
The horse shakes his harness bells to alert that it is indeed cold
outside, and if they stay out much longer, they will die. He ignores
the horse.
I believe this part of the poem is symbolic of him contemplating
suicide. He's thinking about going to the frozen lake. The last stanza
is crucial in this poem. In it, Frost states that life is long and full
of beauty, and even though he'd like to stay and die, we all have things
in life that must be done. He says it's not his time yet. He has
unfinished business to do in this life, and he can't give up on it until
he's finished. He repeats the last line to stress how important it is.
-Matt Maxwell
From: "BillEhlers" <BillEhlers@>
Perhaps the most beautiful line of the poem is "These woods are lovely, dark
and deep," I love this soft and gentle poem. I am a doctor and imagine the
person watching the woods fill up with snow is a doctor returning from
visiting a patient, beckoned by the peace and diversion of the woods, but
knowing he has obligations.
From: "Jeff Cooper" <cooperjeff@>
he's thinking about suicide
From: Jerry Smith <jsmith@>
Bill,
I'm a career English teacher and I, too, have always imagined the
speaker to be a doctor in a rural area--going here to deliver Mrs.
Abbot's baby, there to set Billy Jacob's arm, there to
check on Mary's elevated temperature and stop her, hopefully, short of
pneumonia. A doctor
would have the education and sensibiility to appreciate the beauty and
tranquility of the scene, but feel the obligation to fulfill his
"promises" to his patients and travel the many miles before arriving at
home late and exhausted. I'm certain that a lot of rural GP's from the
past could certainly relate to the dichotomy in this poem.
Jerry Smith
The Shelton School
Dallas, Texas
From: "kdcats,bearchaser" <ikanbearit@>
I HAVE BEEN TIRED AND IN PAIN BEFORE; AS HAVE MANY. I HAVE LEARNED TO
STOP AND "suck it up"; as did the rider on a dark snowy night. he longed
for rest and peace of mind-but life happens while having a pity party.
The world has more than enough cynics. Quit berating Frost's rhyming,
etc., and appreciate one of the most beautiful lines ever written. It
would be a great line to say aloud every morning for inspriation to keep
going. Many miles to go----the miles can add up to a great distance with
this attitude. I hope all of you can keep going-my best thoughts for
you. ikanbearit@
From: "Tamara Francis" <timtam016@>
if you think about this poem in another way it can be quite rude...
think of the woods as being a woman..."whose woods are these i think i
no" "he will no see me stopping here to see his woods fill up with SNOW"
sorry i dont mean to be crass but someone pointed tha out to me and i
thought id share...apply it through out the whole poem and it will
become clear
From: Colin Day <colinday@>
Perhaps the most beautiful line of the poem is "These woods are lovely,
dark and deep," I love this soft and gentle poem. I am a doctor and
imagine the person watching the woods fill up with snow is a doctor
returning from visiting a patient, beckoned by the peace and diversion
of the woods, but knowing he has obligations.
Funny you should say that, but I always imagined a Doctor on his way to
visit a patient. Perhaps to deliver a baby...
My favourite poem.
Greetings from (Old) England
Colin Day
From: Annaviacar@
Your explanation of Frost's poem was great, "Stoping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening." Makes sense to me. He just stopped by on his way to the store. He
knew who the woods belonged to. A friend of mine thought that meant just the
outside world, the owner of the woods. I think that's probably true.
A beautiful poem.
Thanks.
From: oanh pham <ovpham@>
In my opinion, Frost referred to the call of nature: all are born to die eventually. The horse represents survival instinct to always win or should win over the death instinct. The struggle is always there and beautifully embodied and illustrated.
OPham.
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Sports
Rekindle the Rivalries. Sign up for Fantasy Football
From: MCurrie@ Wed Jun 29 08:05:12 2005
Not about suicide. Man is doctor or minister. He cares for others and
is worn out. But he will continue to live for others and meet his
obligations, not succumbing to the temptations of rest, knowing his
eternal rests waits further down the road.
From: "Lewis Wedlake" <lewis.wedlake@>
its gay
From: "Dr. Joan Breuer-McHam" <drjoanbreuer@>
These words are so applicable to starting my new life, I quoted them in the
Dedication page of my Dissertation.
Joan Breuer, Ph.D.
From: "Julmarria" <jrenee0118@>
I do not believe that robert frost was at all thinking of committing
suicide. I believe that life had taken its toll on him just as it does
us all after a lifetime of living. If you ever read 'A Swinger of
Birches,' then you will realize that he was only weary of decisions 'so
was I once a swinger of birches . And I so I dream of going back to
be.It's when I'm weary of considerations.' He wanted to return to the
carelessness that defines childhood, not die- 'may no fate willfully
misunderstand me and half grant my wish and snatch me away not to
return.' You just have to read the poem because 'one could do worse than
to be a swinger of birches.'
- Julmarria (17)
From: Erick Kelemen <erk1968@>
Trying on Pants on a Snowy Evening
Whose pants these are, I think I know,
His house is in the village, though.
He will not see me stopping here
To try his pants on in the snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The coldest 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 wool against my trouser snake.
The pants fit lovely through my seat,
But do not reach quite to my feet,
And I don't have a sales receipt,
And I don't have a sales receipt.
From: <omacbeth@>
It's amazing how all of these people can be exactly right in their thoughts.
From: "cboerner" <cboerner@>
I find this elegant use of vowels & consonants delicious, as my mouth
waters while my visual takes over. My mind's eye that is, & I see his
comfort in knowing he will die, just as all things do. Yet, he has made
commitments, so he must not tarry, no he must not tarry. Poor neighbor,
how could one be so blind as to not yearn to look upon that field, the
lake, the dark of the eve with downy flake? Ahhh, this must be what
heaven will be like.....Thank you for allowing me to share... Cathy
From: "Imran Jiva" <jivadiva@>
i am reading this poem to my child
he is asking lots of questions,
ive got a beautifly illustarted version
can some one tell on a basic level, what this poem is about?
who is the person travelling?
where is he going ?
who does he visit ?
what ddoes he give them?
these are some of the questions being asked my child, for whichi cant
give musch answers
From: amber love <alove4693@>
i love this peom we had to memorize it in sixth grade and i loved it now it also
made me wright poems to my freinds tell me there good but im not sure i guess i have to wait untill im older
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.
From: kevin.grimes@ Wed Nov 9 13:14:49 2005
My favorite interpretation is that the guy is Santa Claus and his
"little horse" is a reindeer and it is otherwise a very busy evening for
the speaker.
From: Jan Byron Wooten <jan.b.wooten@>
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. -Sigmund Freud
Hmmm ... no one has said anything about how lyrical this poem is. Just
listen and sit like the Buddha. Nothing else is needed.
:-) Jahn
From: "Lisa" <lisaygardner@>
From: robert wyss <robertwyss63@>
Has anyone ever considered a parallel between Frost's reflective moment in the woods on a snowy evening and Dante's famous "nel mezzo del camin..." (In the middle of life's journey, I found myself in a dark wood, having lost my way...)? I would not suggest that Frost made a conscious attempt to evoke Dante in his poem, but merely the possibility that at a certain time in his life Frost similarly felt compelled to deeply reconsider the meaning and purpose of his life. Perhaps finding oneself in the deep and dark woods activates an archetype, best expressed by poets, to which all of us can relate as we near our life's halfway mark.
---------------------------------
Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less
From: <liz@>
I feel the poem is something to do with the struggle of writing itself;
the pause before the process begins; the frozen lake of the empty white
page, the half familiar snatches of words and lines from other poets
that crowd the mind.
From: "Karen Kiefel" <kskiefel@>
This poem is certainly one of my favorites. I almost always recite it
when I ride my horse out in the snow. Isolated in the woods, with only
a horse for company... there really is a wish to linger and this poem
touches on that feeling so well. Though I heard once that the promise R.
Frost had to keep was simply to return from town with some butter for
dinner... he he he.
From: Peter Connors <pconnors@>
Best Regards
--
Peter Connors
Bryant Outdoor Adventure Club - EBoard Member
Amnesty International
Chapter Secretary
Bryant University
pconnors@
From: "Steve" <sfortin88@>
The horse is life itself. The meaning is obvious. Although tragedy
befalls us on occasion, we must continue on. The "pause" is the
contemplation of suicide.
- Steve
Ontario Canada
From: Akshat Sharma <akshat@>
Frost's piece is haunting much like an 'Evanescence' song, the poem opens up like a painful flower. I adore it.... I, who has never seen a winter.
'I'll miss the winter,
A world of fragile things,
Look for me in the white forest
hiding in a hollow tree
<you'll find me there>'
-Evanescence.
--Boundary_(ID_uBA0394PG0KqDq4o8JkTgw)
Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Frost's piece is haunting much like an
'Evanescence' song, the poem opens up like a painful flower. I adore it.... I,
who has never seen a winter.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>'I'll miss the winter,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A world of fragile things,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Look for me in the white forest</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>hiding in a hollow tree</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><you'll find me there>'</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
-Evanescence.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
--Boundary_(ID_uBA0394PG0KqDq4o8JkTgw)--
From: HJCOZZ@
Also, on of my favorites. Only one person seemed to connect Robert Frost's
thoughts to a physician in his horse and carriage going to make a house call
and pausing by a beautiful scene, but still having promises (to see his
patient), and miles to go before he sleeps. This is beautiful, not suicidal.
_hjcozz@
(mailto:hjcozz@)
From: "John Przybyla" <jprzybyla@>
i think (and this is just my interpritation) that this poem is about a
man who had an old friend that owned woods. this friend died, but the
man still remembers him and his woods. the woods in this poem are just a
state of mind and the man is looking back on his memories of the
woods-he is not really in woods. The "house" in the village is the
friend's grave. The friend will not see him "stopping here" because he
is dead. the man's horse is his conscience telling him that he should
not be just looking back on his memories and that he has better things
to do. The "darkest evening of the year" is not really the winter
solstace. it is an expression. it means the saddest evening of the year
because it is the day his old friend died. The "promises to keep" are
promises that the man made to himself and his friend that he would do
certain things before he died and the "miles to go before i sleep" are
the things that he has to do before he dies...the sleep is death.
just to let you know, i am only 13 years old so my interpritation (and
my spelling) are not the best...but I have an amazing ELA teacher who
makes us look deeper in meaning with poems. thank you for posting this
poem...i have to memorize it for ELA and i was looking for it. I also
enjoyed reading other people's interpritations of this poem so I could
share them with my class.
~Stephanie~
From: "Angel" <angel.norris@>
I love the way his poems are short but say something important like in A
Minor Bird he used that you can't make a bird be quiet. i just love all
his poems i have a big book of all his poems. they are awesome.