Explore in detail the ways in which the poet brings out a sense of joy and pleasure in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (by Robert Frost)
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Introduction
Explore in detail the ways in which the poet brings out a sense of joy and pleasure in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (by Robert Frost) This poem describes a tranquil moment of time in nature, it is appreciated by a traveller who does not have time to stay and enjoy the beauty. However the poet brings out a sense of joy and pleasure in the traveller in a number of direct and subtle ways. In the first stanza, we are told that the narrator knows "whose woods are these". They belong to someone whose "house is in the village". This shows that the woods are isolated from civilisation. Therefore the woods must be very special to the narrator for him to stop on a dark and cold night just to watch the "woods fill up with snow". ...read more.
Middle
The poet is trying to tell us that we all have responsibilities, but we must always take time off to enjoy nature, just like the narrator is doing. From the line "the darkest evening of the year", you can tell it's a dark night, but also that the narrator's feelings are dark that night as well. This metaphor creates a direct contrast with the feeling he feels when he appreciates nature. In the third stanza, the horse "gives his harness bells a shake", urging the narrator to move on, reminding him that he has responsibilities. Here the horse signifies the disturbances that people have even when all around them is serene. We are always worried by something even if all around us is pure beauty. ...read more.
Conclusion
The second line provides a contrast with the first line and really focuses on the point that the woods bring out joy in the narrator. In the last two lines, the repetition causes the pace to slow down and the long vowel sounds add to that effect. 'Sleep' here could be a metaphor for death, therefore the narrator might be saying that he still has miles to go on the journey of life and death is the only way that he won't have any responsibilities and that is really where joy lies. From his use of contrast and symbols, Frost has made this protest poem simple and layered with a lot of messages about life. Not only did he produce a sense of joy and pleasure in the narrator and the readers, he also made us think about all the 'promises' we have in life, which we must fulfil before we die. ...read more.
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