Stopping By The 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.

By Robert Frost

Literary Analysis:

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

“I have never found a companion as companionable as solitude” 

-Henry David Thoreau-

Everybody in life will experience isolation. In the book, the author portrays the character as being isolated as he travels. In the Poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, The character is isolated as he stops while traveling somewhere (His destination is never actually expressed in the poem). This poem is about someone who is traveling through an area while it is snowing outside, and there is snow on the ground. He stops and comments about how his horse must think it is weird to stop without a farmhouse. Through the poem, the character describes his surroundings. In the poem, he also describes how isolated he was while stopping. An example from the text when the character talks about isolation is “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep” This quote portrays the isolation that the character from the story has been subjected from. This quote also gives you a feeling of isolation, by the way in which Robert Frost described it as lovely, dark, and deep. Even though there is a nod to isolation throughout the entirety of the poem, I think this quote really shines in describing it. In the quote he talks about how the woods are dark and deep, this must mean that he is surrounded by trees for miles, and that he is alone (beside his horse) and isolated. In life Isolation can sometimes be welcomed and unwelcomed. But whatever type it is, everybody will experience it.

~Thomas Livens

Reflection:

The reason that I decided to do this poem is because I originally did this poem for WW Fenn in 6th Grade. When I memorized this piece, I remembered loving this poem. I think I love memorizing it because I believe that Robert Frost did a great job describing the environment and surroundings. I think he also does a great job of painting a picture in your head of the scene. With the lines like “Between the woods and frozen lake” and “Of easy wind and downy flake” it paints a scene of quiet serenity, while also a dreary picture at the same time. Robert Frost also did an amazing job conveying the solitude of this poem, how the character is alone in the woods with his horse, with snow falling. I also think that this poem is really fun to perform, because it has a small amount of rhyming, while it is not completely full of rhymes. The poem also feels like it has a natural flow to it. Overall I am excited to be able to memorize this poem because I really enjoy reading it.

Post Performing:

I enjoyed performing the poem, however I should have gone WAY slower. I wasn’t really paying attention to the speed that I was talking, I probably should have payed attention more. Overall, I think that I did a good job with my diction and memorization. I am happy that WW Fenn is over and that I do not have to memorize any more poems.