Snow Imagery in “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Robert Frost (1874- 1963). Robert Frost “was the most widely admired and highly honoured American poet of the 20th century (Eiermann).” Robert Frost was raised in rural New England where he grew a fond love for the outdoors and nature (Merriman). His love with nature elements has probably overwhelmed him so much that it has been reflected upon in many of his poems such as “The Tuft of Flowers,” “Reluctance,” and “Birches.” One of the nature imageries that have been used frequently by Robert Frost is the snow imagery. Although the snow imagery appears in many other poems by Frost we will be dealing with the poems “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Even though “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” share many qualities such as the common imagery of snow, the scene of the speaker travelling at night and the quantity of stanzas, they are as equally different or even more so. The speakers of the poems have different feelings towards the snow and on the area that they are in. As a consequence of the different feelings that the narrators have, the poems have different moods and themes. As a result the snow imagery in “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” causes the mood and theme of each poem to be significantly different.
The snow imagery in “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” played an important role in creating the moods for each of the poems. In “Desert Places” the snow imagery conveys the feelings of depressing loneliness and emptiness. It is in the first stanza we are introduced to the setting of the poem. The speaker is outside at nightfall where the snow is falling fast. The speaker sees the field that is almost fully covered in snow. The only way the speaker is able to tell that it is a field from all the snow is the last “few weeds and stubble (Frost, Desert., line 4)”. When the speaker looks at the snow covered field, he sees the “blanker whiteness of (the) benighted
The snow imagery in “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” played an important role in creating the moods for each of the poems. In “Desert Places” the snow imagery conveys the feelings of depressing loneliness and emptiness. It is in the first stanza we are introduced to the setting of the poem. The speaker is outside at nightfall where the snow is falling fast. The speaker sees the field that is almost fully covered in snow. The only way the speaker is able to tell that it is a field from all the snow is the last “few weeds and stubble (Frost, Desert., line 4)”. When the speaker looks at the snow covered field, he sees the “blanker whiteness of (the) benighted
Cited: Eiermann, Katharena. Aspirennies. 2008. 4 January 2007 <http://www.aspirennies.com/private/SiteBody/Romance/Poetry/Frost/rfrost.shtml>. Merriman, C. D. The Literature Network. 2006. December 2007 <http://www.online-literature.com/frost/>.