Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening- Robert Frost, USA (1874-1963)

Summary

One of Robert Frost's poems, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," is among his most well-known and widely anthologized. It consists of the rhymes aaba, bbcb, ccdc, and dddd in four quatrains. The speaker (poet) in the poem is riding a horse and traveling. It is now evening. He is delighted and drawn in by the beauty of nature as he arrives at the serene location where the woods are covered in snow. He turns to face the forest while donning snow, which is a lovely outfit. He then expresses his disappointment that the people do not appreciate nature's aesthetic splendor. He envisions the farmer in the village owning those woods.

The second stanza is devoted to equestrian pursuits. The horse is shocked to find himself in the desolate forest without any sheds. The horse also thinks that his master must have chosen the wrong route. Even a horse might be apologizing to his master for a mistake. The horse then sounds the harness bell. It causes the speaker to awaken and realize that time has passed and that he already made a commitment to go somewhere on time. As the speaker loses himself in the wonder of nature, he finally remembers what he must do.

Although the speaker calls the woods' beauty "beautiful, dark, and deep," he reminds himself that he must not stay there for an extended period of time because he is busy and has a lot of obligations. In the name of attractiveness, a man should not forget his obligations in life. Anyway, a life that is progressing and happy combines beauty and obligation. Since life is a long trip, we have a lot to do before we pass away, claims the speaker. If this is the case, life has meaning and death is forgotten.

Application of Four Levels

• Literal Comprehension
  • In the evening, the speaker rides a horse to get somewhere. He stops as soon as he enters the naturally occurring area, the "Jungle." The forests and ice lake draw him in. He thinks the farmer from the village owns those forests, but he is unaware of how beautiful nature is. The speaker does not care or forgets his duty and that time is passing since he enjoys and wants to live among natural beauty. Horse, on the other hand, appears to be aware of the master's tardiness. He gets up in order to do his duties. Finally, the poet comes to the realization that life is a lengthy trip, one that must be completed by doing one's duty before passing away in order to make life meaningful for all time.
• Interpretation
  • Robert Frost wrote the poem "stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." This poem examines the significance of both duty and duties in the lengthy journey of human existence and the value of natural beauty on the one hand. Similar to that, this poem is a harsh satire of modern people whose lives are more mechanical, more commercial, greedy, and preoccupied with other things than appreciating the beauty of nature. The poet values nature's beauty because it gives everyone access to a clean atmosphere, tranquil moments, and opportunities for creation. One must also remember the obligations and responsibilities that come with being a member of the community. The poem's author wants us to understand that life is a lengthy journey and that we should keep our commitments in order to arrive at our destination with knowledge and wisdom. The poem's major message is to value beauty and duty in life and to put them into practice in order to ensure that life continues indefinitely.
• Critical Thinking
  • These three topics are specifically covered in this poem:
    • An instance from the speaker's own life (poet).
    • A charming account of rural, uncomplicated native life.
    • begins with nature's beauty and finishes with life's wisdom.
• Without a doubt, the poem emphasizes the importance of the beauty of nature. However, there are still some contentious problems and weaker arguments to be found. The poet is traveling at the same time as it is getting darker and later in the day. How can the poet view and admire the snow-covered forests as he arrives in the jungle on the darkest night of the year? In the poem, the horse is portrayed as being more clever and sentient than his human owner. In any case, compared to other species, humans are undoubtedly the most intelligent creatures. How can admiring the beauty of the woods make someone with responsibilities forget about them? Are these natural virtues and charms really so astounding that they cause even people like the poet to forsake their obligations? The poem therefore discusses the natural splendors and human obligations, which are like to two opposing sides of a coin. Natural Beauty makes us delighted and joyful, but it cannot be connected to a person's obligations or responsibilities.
• Assimilation
  • The poem has had a big impact on me. It demonstrates the value of natural beauty, where one can find freshness, tranquility, and love, as well as the relevance of duty, where one can find meaning in life's long journey. Of course, it affects us on a deep level and frees us from the monotony and selfishness of the materialistic world. After reading this poem, I now understand that one should not neglect the beauty of the natural world because they are too preoccupied with their duties and live a life that is only mechanical. Instead, combining and appreciating both duty and beauty makes for the ideal life.

Referance

(Bastakoti, (2007). A Combined Guide To Compulsory English. Kathmandu: Kalyani Prakshan)