Stopping By the Woods On a Snowy Evening and Desert Places

Few things in the world today can take you from the ordinary life that you are living this

very moment and transport you into unthinkable experiences though thoughts and emotions. In a

world dominated by digital television and Dolby surround sound, one minuscule art remains

untainted and virtually indistinguishable; that is the art of poetry.

The time and effort that goes into the production of a movie or a television show is

unequal, I imagine, than to that of writing poetry. Mainstream movie tend to be direct, lacking

any sort of underlining meaning. The director gives the story in stages, telling all is needed and

leaving little for the imagination, giving people today nothing what-so-ever of a mental push that

is frequently given by every line of poetry.

I will compare two writings of poetry, “Stopping By the Woods On a Snowy Evening”

and “Desert Places”, which give you that mental push by uses of imagery and sound.

The first stanza of “Stopping By the Woods On a Snowy Evening” sets you in snow filled

woods outside of a village. It has a calm yet sneaky feeling almost giving a sense of suspense.

The poem tends to lean towards a light, soft, whisper evoking tone. By the end of the second

stanza you can almost feel the hesitation. “My little horse must think it queer, to stop without a

farm house near,” adds to the tone by showing the confusion of the horse. In the fourth stanza,

the woods become alive. You can now picture yourself, slowing to a stop in the midst of a slow

snow fall between a frozen lake and woods, hearing the horse snort and tug at the reins to show

its unease, feeling the wind blow tiny flakes onto your face. The ending of the poem gives me

the impression of this being like a day dream. That in the end, reality and dream world collide,

aspects of the dream turn to the realization of being just a dream and then you wake up. You

brain tells you that this is all fake, yourself in your dream comes up with a reason to leave, then

you wake up. “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go

before I sleep,” is evidence of the character coming to sense with reality. The echo or repetition

of the last two lines, is like waking up yelling out in terror or saying something over and over

until you realize that it was all just a dream.