Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Simple Poem or Complex Themes

Frost uses symbolism, including characters and objects, in an effort to create the various themes for the reader. The adjective “little” describes the horse as something that isn’t dangerous; however, the little horse’s character has a significant purpose (C5 1). The harness bells, worn by the horse, are a reminder to the speaker of his duties (G 1). The mention of the unnamed owner of the woods by the speaker causes difficulties that cannot be easily detected. The speaker focuses less on the woods than on the thought that they didn’t belong to him. The unnamed owner of the woods is thought to be a society person that lives in the nearby village (C2, 1). The speaker provides the reader a picture of what occurs in the poem (B4,2). Because he mentions the owner of the woods, the reader can contemplate that he respects the property of others. It seems that it would be more upsetting to him to be observed by the owner of the woods than by the horse. Although it is obvious the speaker wants a private moment in the woods, the reader is left wondering what the speaker is really thinking (C3, 1-2).

Resistant objects are another form of symbolism used in “Stopping by Woods.” The woods represent life in an uncivilized world (B5 3). The speaker feels an attraction to the woods; for that reason, he immediately allows the setting to provide him a brief time away from his daily responsibilities (E2, np). Right away the speaker acknowledges that he does not own woods. The last stanza includes a few more descriptive words about the woods; although, the woods do not appear to be the whole purpose of the poem (F1 354).

Frost uses both visual and audio imagery to reveal various facts to the reader.

“He will not see me stopping here” reveals to the reader that the speaker believes no one will see him and so he feels all right about the things he is thinking. “To watch his woods fill up with snow” implies that the speaker has been watching for a while. The way that Frost writes the poem, it is as if the reader can hear the speaker’s thoughts (D1 16). The harness bells of the little horse provides another audio imagery.

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