Analysis of Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening Essay

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Death is a thought that overwhelms people through its mysterious and very little known entity. The subject of death can make anyone stop and wonder of what it could be to experience what those that have, have never gotten the chance to explain it before. Death is experienced everyday by people all over the world by different causes. Some people experience the unfortunate event due to an accident, others at the hands of other people, and some even suffer it at their own hands: committing suicide. Thoughts of committing suicide are shown in the short poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is generally regarded as Frost's masterpiece (Galens, Vol. 39). Frost uses an array of literary devices throughout his poem that beautifully describe and picture the scene that is viewed by the main character. In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, the main character contemplates suicide and the decision between life and death.

Although the poem is only 16 verses long (divided into 4 verses per stanza), Frost still manages to incorporate many literary devices into his short poem. The rhyme scheme of the poem is AABA, with respect to the last stanza that is AAAA due to the repetition of the last two lines. Also, the third line in each stanza that doesn't rhyme with the rest of that stanza, sets up the rhyme for the next stanza (SparkNotes.com). Alliteration is used in line 11 when the speaker says The only other sounds the sweep. He also uses personification to give the horse the ability to think in line 5. Caesura, the use of punctuation in the middle of a poetic verse, is also seen in verses 2 & 13. Enjambment is used on multiple occasions through lines 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 11. In verse 4 when he says To watch his woods fill up with snow., and in verses 7 & 8 when he says Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. you can vividly picture the scene being painted out by the imagery being used by Frost.

On the surface, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a simple as it gets. The poem ...explores the theme of the individual caught between nature and civilization. (Galens, Vol. 39.). The speaker is traveling through some woods on a snowy evening when he stops to gaze and take in the beauty of the scene that he has encountered. He and the horse are the only ones in the woods in complete lonesomeness. Aside from the bells shaking from the horse's harness, the only other sounds being made are by the wind and the snow. He then realizes that although the sight he has encountered is a lovely, dark, and deep one, he has other obligations that he must abide by and a long way to go before he can stop and rest. The vocabulary and words used add to the simplicity of the poem, seeing as most of them are no longer than two syllables. Though the words are simple, this should not convince you to overlook or deter from the deeper meaning found in the poem.

The deeper meaning of the poem touches upon the matter of suicidal thoughts. The evening is described as The darkest evening of the year. in verse 8 which means that it is the night that he is contemplating suicide. Woods can be viewed as wildness & madness, but they aren't described in such a manner by the speaker. The speaker seems to be fascinated by the woods, practically being hypnotized by them. He goes as far as describing the woods as being lovely, dark, and deep in line 13. The woods belong to someone, but that person is in his house in the village, as said in the first two lines, on The darkest evening of the year (SparkNotes.com). That is where the woods and village seem to differ and the village can be viewed as society/civilization. The irrationalism of the woods is starting to be defined by the symbols being portrayed.

Thoughts of the irrationalism of the woods are derived from their attraction to the speaker. The woods are quiet, dark, and deep; like deep sleep or death (SparkNotes.com). They sit outside of the village, or civilization for that matter. They seem to hypnotize the speaker and pull him away from the responsibilities that he has. Society would denounce a decision to stop and be in such a dangerous place. That is where the horse symbolizes society's reproach. When Frost says He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. in verses 9 & 10, it is exemplifying a warning by society to the main character of the looming danger that's in the woods. The final stanza brings forth the speaker's decision between life and death. He shows his final sign of adoration for the woods (death), but decides he has much more to do in life before he can meet death. Although, the repetition of the last verse questions whether he is reiterating his decision or even reevaluating it.

So as you can see, the main theme and meaning of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening deals with the thought of suicide. The literary devices used by Robert Frost in this short poem such as symbolism, repetition, rhyme scheme, and personification really help define the theme in a great way as well. It added in the transition from the author's view to the reader's view for a somewhat easier understanding. Stopping by Woods on a Snow Evening by Robert Frost is truly an amazing poem that seems simply written, but means so much more than you would expect.